Instant Messaging or IM allows the users to interact and share multimedia items through instant messaging in real time. It is a more private affair than chat rooms as it allows the people involved in the conversation to talk and share multimedia items such as pictures and files in real time without being snooped on by people they do not desire and allow to be involved in the conversation. Chat covers a range of options across a range of different networks including;
- Internet relay chat, which is an open protocol which is not controlled by any one provider
- Web-based chat offered by ISP's or portals such as Yahoo and MSN
- Website- based chat that can be offered by anyone with a site- often used to solve problems on certain topics
- Online role play environments
- Chat rooms using SMS on mobile phone devices
There are many efficient features on MSN which has made it so popular amongst the younger generation. The user is able to add the people they want onto their profile and MSN also enables them either allow their chosen friends to view whether they are online or not and also allows the user to choose who they want the block and delete at a click of a button. Another good feature about MSN is that you can sort out which groups you would like your friends to be. You can also create groups to add people in order to have an easy access to group conversations. MSN is very useful with their chat room services as they allow the user to use the newest feature which is tabbed chats; this is excellent for the organisation as it allows the user to have all of the conversations under one tab which makes the desktop far less busy and confusing. Messenger also allows the user to save the conversations on the computer as this will allow them to recall anything said that was important in the conversation and then there is the chance that they may need to use the conversations as evidence of a online harassment case for example. As well as automatically saving the conversations on the computer, there is the feature to remove the conversations from the memory of the computer; this is a good feature as there is an element of privacy if there are more than one user on the computer. This also ensures that no personal details are disclosed to unwanted viewers. Another useful feature is that in the instant chat room services, users are able to customise sounds which allows them to then pre record sounds during a conversation which is a pleasurable application for the user. The really popular feature of the chat room services on MSN is that they allow the user to send quick text messages; They allow the the user to obtain pre written and obvious sentences and phrases to send to the recipient. I think that this feature is very good as it allows the user to then talk to a lot of other users at the same time as well as talking quicker if they are on the go or short of time. Users are also able to send nudges to other users which makes the recipients screen shake; this is used to alert the other user in order to remind them that the user is waiting to start a conversation with them. There is also a feature on MSN chat where the user is able to upload images and videos just like uploading onto a social networking site, just much more quicker. This is a great way of sending and sharing new topics of interest and provoking discussion. This also allows the user to send multimedia items instantly and there is only a minor wait. This is a big advantage of chat room services and messaging as it allows the user to have a more efficient and faster form of communication. It also allows the user to edit their profile by making their information public or private, as well as being able to edit and add profile photos and and little messages. Another very useful feature on MSN is that you can customise you list layout and also customise your profile layout and style to suit your personality. There is also an Album viewer which allows the user to to view photo's that are being shared on other social networking sites such as Facebook. This album feature also allows the user to tag other photos and share their own ones as well. You will also be able to appear off-line to certain inderviduals or categories as the click of a button. This is a new feature of "2011 Beta" which is an upgrade from the older version which didn't allow the 'blockee' to send messages to the 'blocker'. One other feature is that there is the ability for social integration with sites such as Facebook and Myspace using Windows live profiles. This allows the user to post status updates and photos by directly connecting within Windows Live Messenger. They can also import contacts from other services to support instant messaging within social groups. Off-line messaging allows the user to send messages to there contacts that are not online, which they will be able to receive once they go back online; Also they can start conversations while they appear to be off-line.MSN has also a feature which allows the users to access web cam to view each other. Lastly, there are also many gaming applications available on MSN that can be accessed using a conversation window by clicking on the games icon so that you can challenge your friends and other external applicants.
There are many features of Yahoo messenger which allows it to be very interesting to use. One of the great features of yahoo messenger is the Yahoo! voice; this allows the user to make pc-to-pc and pc-to-phone calls worldwide. This is a big advantage as it allows the users to make these calls which they would not have been able to do if they the technology was not available to them. I has also become increasingly popular as people really do want to keep in touch with each other and want to now what everyone is doing with their lives.All the user will need is the appropriate equipment and also a connection to a broadband server. This service is also useful and available on the Mac OS X. The only restriction is that the calls can only be made to the UK, the United States and France.Another feature is voicemailing and file sharing which allows users to share files up to the size of 2GB.This is a crucial feature as it allows the users to have a expansive limit to their multimedia sharing which allows them to upload anything from pictures to videos, this is also very positive as it allows the user to not have to worry about deleting items in order to make room for new items all the time. There is a very cool feature for radio listeners who use Yahoo messenger; This is the ability to listen to the free and also the paid internet radio services using the official Yahoo! radio plug-in from the messenger window- It includes the full player functionality like play, skip, pause and stop.This is extremely useful for the user as it allows them to multi task without having to turn on other appliances and without them having an extremely busy work desktop.Just like MSN, Yahoo! has the mail integration and web messenger conversation archive. The user will be able to archive their conversations such as they would with Emails in their computers. This is also useful during the chats in the chat room services as it allows the user to secure themselves against hackers and unwanted viewers as they are able to use the saved conversations as evidence of harrasment of just to refer back to interesting conversations.Finally, As well as this, the webcam feature allows the user from all over the world to view others through the webcam from between 1 to 2 frames per second. This is a big advantage as it allows the user to actually physically view the recipient which is a huge development for the chat room services. This is also an advantage for these online chat room services as it attracts more people because there are more people wanting to communicate from all over the world and want to physically view the people that they cannot view without video links.
print screens of actions on the messaging services-
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| This is the friends list on MSN and Yahoo, it can be changed and altered due to the preference of the user. |
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| This is the section which is available on both instant messengers and allows the user to add new contacts. |
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| This is how the chat room looks like in the Yahoo messenger. |
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| This is how instant messaging and the chat.room looks like in MSN. |
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| This is the privacy settings on MSN messenger which allows the user to change their settings according to their preference. |
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| This is how a video link looks like on a instant messaging service, the size of the viewing screen can also be adjusted to personal preference. |
Advantages of using chat and instant messaging services are;
- The first advantage is that you will be able to instantly message people in real time, hence the name. this is an advantage as it makes the process very quick and easy and really efficient for the user and well as being a big time saver for the users who are on the go constantly.
- Another advantage to instant messaging is that it allows the user to access the service using android phones such as the iphone and this is an advantage for the users as the user that is constantly on the go can receive easy access to the messaging service without having any applications deducted from the service.
- This service is better that using the phone to contact someone and running up a bill. this is an advantage as it allow for real time communication without the big time bill! users will find that this aspect of the service is very cheap and allows the user to focus the money on other issues.
- The last advantage is that these chat and instant messaging services allow the user to see other user via webcam across the world. This is an advantage as the user can see for example long distance relatives and friend with a much ease as pressing a button. This is an advantage because it is an amazing thing for the user to experience, which allows them to increase their passion for instant messaging.
Disadvantages of using chat and instant messaging services are;
- The messages that the user send can be intercepted by other hackers as when you send your message, it travels quite far to get to it's destination. This is a disadvantage as if there is personal details or anything personal that the hacker can obtain from the Email, then the hacker will in order to take advantage of the user.
- When the user is transferring files and sending them to other users, they may experience themselves or pass on a virus that can attach itself to the file that is being transferred. This is a disadvantage as the virus can then go on to taking over the users computer, which means that the Hacking virus can pick up private information such as saved passwords and credit card details. Furthermore, if this sort of virus is passed on from person to person, it can cause a lot of distress amongst large groups of people.
- Another disadvantage is that as all internet use costs money, some possible users may not be able to get access to it. This is disadvantage as many possible users are being deprived of this luxury due to the cost of the computer systems themselves and also the rental cost of the connection of broadband. However, these users can use internet café's even though they cost to use; They will cost less to use.
- The main disadvantage for using chat and instant messaging is that it can become very addictive and distracting during work. This is a big disadvantage for the younger generation who should be working and instead are instant messaging, which can effect their education significantly.
Three news stories about instant messaging;
From
October 18, 2007
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