1. A method of providing a service to a first party using an instant communications client, the method comprising: receiving indication from the first party that the first party desires to establish instant communications with a messaging response system, the messaging response system providing a service related to establishing communications; receiving information from the first party relating to how charges for the service will be paid, wherein an account of the first party is identified by both a screen name of the first party and a service provider identifier associated with a service provider of the first party, and wherein the service provider is one of a plurality of service providers that can be used to access the messaging response system; receiving from the first party an identifier which identifies, to the message response system, a second party; receiving a request from the first party to have communications established involving the first party and the second party; providing communications among the first party and the second party; and receiving from the first party textual information to be converted into corresponding audio information to be provided to the second party; wherein an aspect of how the textual information is converted into corresponding audio information is affected by preference information pertaining to at least one of the first party, the second party and the instant communications client and the aspect relates to a voice characteristic imparted to synthesized speech in the audio information.
1. A method of providing a service to a first party using an instant communications client, the method comprising: receiving indication from the first party that the first party desires to establish instant communications with a messaging response system, the messaging response system providing a service related to establishing communications; receiving information from the first party relating to how charges for the service will be paid, wherein an account of the first party is identified by both a screen name of the first party and a service provider identifier associated with a service provider of the first party, and wherein the service provider is one of a plurality of service providers that can be used to access the messaging response system; receiving from the first party an identifier which identifies, to the message response system, a second party; receiving a request from the first party to have communications established involving the first party and the second party; providing communications among the first party and the second party; and receiving from the first party textual information to be converted into corresponding audio information to be provided to the second party; wherein an aspect of how the textual information is converted into corresponding audio information is affected by preference information pertaining to at least one of the first party, the second party and the instant communications client and the aspect relates to a voice characteristic imparted to synthesized speech in the audio information. 19. The method of claim 1 wherein the aspect relates to a language-related preference associated with the first party.