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"Instant messaging is said to be one of the most popular forms of Internet communication for teens today, beating out email thanks to the lack of spam and instant feedback.  With SweetIM adding support for AIM today, we thought we'd take a look at how the IM market is shaping up.\nAnd for those who think 90+ IM clients are too many for anyone to handle, we wholly agree: that's why a good number of these are actually tools to aggregate all your IM buddies in one place.\nPopular IM Clients\n\nGoogle Talk - use GTalk for your voice calls, voice messages, file transfer and Gmail notifications\nSkype - high quality calls to anyone, anywhere in the world\nYahoo! Messenger - an official messenger for Yahoo! users, free to use but advertising-supported\nAOL Instant Messenger - communicate with AOL registered users via text, voice, and video\nWindows Live Messenger - connect and share instantly on the world\u2019s most popular IM network\nICQ - the world's first instant messaging program\nmICQ - a free text-based ICQ client that runs on a wide variety of platforms\nLicq - a free clone of the ICQ client for Linux other Unix systems\naMSN - a free and open source MSN Messenger clone for Linux users\nJMSN - a pure Java MSN Messenger clone, with many interesting features that MSN doesn't have\nCSpace - secure and peer-to-peer communication to chat or transfer files\nCoccinella - a free Jabber/XMPP client with a built-in white board for improved collaboration with other people\nEmesene - a MSN Messenger client with a simpler GUI and a nice look\nGajim - a full-featured and easy to use XMPP client for gnome users\nGOIM - allows users to chat within DirectX games\nmcabber - a small console-based Jabber client that runs on Linux and Mac OS X\nGadu-Gadu - the most popular IM in Poland\nExodus - a Jabber client which is small, fast, easy to use, and looks good\nRetroshare - communicate and download files from friends of friends\nnaim - a console based multi-protocol client with features like peer to peer encryption and module support\nGossip - an instant messaging client for Gnome users, with chat history search\nMessageMate - commercial IM platform that provides end-to-end security; interoperable with AIM, ICQ, Yahoo and MSN\nPapla Instant - use it on your PC and mobile phone\nMercury Messenger  - a full featured Windows Live Messenger client, offers several extra features which are not implemented in MSN\nPsi - small, fast Jabber client\nSpark - free and open source IM with built-in support for group chat, telephony integration and strong security\nJabbin - free Jabber client that enables free calls using VoIP\nYSM - full-featured console-based ICQ client\nMySpaceIM - the official instant messaging client for MySpace\nOneTeam - IM client is XUL based, so requires Firefox 2\nMicrosoft Messenger for Mac - the official Mac client for MSN Messenger, but the feature list is limited\nXfire - chat with contacts inside the game, without the need to minimize the game windows\nPandion - Jabber client which supports plugins to extend its features\nBitWise IM - a secure, cross-platform client that encrypts all data sent between users\nMulti-network IM Clients\n\nPidgin - most popular, free, multi-platform IM client that supports most of the IM protocols\nMiranda IM - lightweight, resource efficient and easy to use client with powerful plugin support\nAyttm - in case of a service failure, this will automatically fall back to other service protocols of the same person you are chatting to.\nTrillian - a Windows application that can connect to multiple IM services, with nice features like Metacontact, Instant lookup, and Emotiblips\nmeetro - find and chat with people nearby, i.e. location-aware client\nIMVU - 3D chat which enables you chat in 3D scenes with your own avatars\nKopete - KDE application, provides users with a single, easy-to-use way to access all of their instant messaging systems\nMECA - connect to all of your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo! and ICQ from just one list\nCentericq - text based multi protocols IM client\nProteus - popular client for Mac OS X that supports multiple protocols\nInstan-t - Windows client that allows users to communicate with MSN, AIM, Y!Messenger, ICQ and its IM networks\niChat - IM Client from Apple for Mac OSX\nUniversal Messenger Plus - a single convenient interface that allows you to easily communicate over different protocols.\nQnext - share your music, photos, and files with anyone, instantly while talking via IM\nAduim - free client for Mac users that can connect to most of the popular messaging services\nBitlBee - IRC clients with support of IM protocols\nWeb based IM\n\nmeebo - the most popular third party web based instant messaging service\neBuddy - chat with your buddies using web and mobile versions\nKoolIM - web-based IM that allows you to connect to your email inbox as well as popular IM networks\nILoveIM - another web based IM service with advertisements\nIMhaha - supports Yahoo, MSN and AIM but not Google Talk\nGoowy - more than just an IM client; offers e-mail, calendar, news, RSS, file storage and more\nIMunitive - an alternative to meebo, but doesn't support Jabber i.e. Google Talk\nRadiusIM - web-based IM service with Google Maps integration, which means you can see where your friends are\nMessengerFX - unofficial web based IM client for MSN Messenger\nICQ2Go! - web-based installation-free version of ICQ\nSNIMMER - chat on MSN, Yahoo, AOL, ICQ and GTalk and make new friends by creating a profile with pictures\nIMO  - allows you to log in to all chat networks at the same time\nCommunicationtube - separate login for ICQ, MSN Messenger, IRC and Google Talk contacts\nExpress Instan-t - simple IM which works with ICQ, MSN and Yahoo\neasymessenger - free instant messenger service with built-in RSS support that works with MSN, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo! and Jabber.\nmabber - use it on your phone or put it on your website\nMSN2Go - Java applet that enables you connect to MSN messenger service\nYafumato Web Messenger - free and open source web-based IM client that allows you to connect to AIM, GTalk, MSN, and Yahoo\nMSN Web Messenger - the web-based version of MSN Messenger, without file sharing or video calls\nYahoo! Web Messenger -  access to your Yahoo! messenger, chat with your friends and get notified when new email is received.\nAIM Express - official web-based instant messenger for AIM\nGoogle Talk via Gmail - chat with your GTalk contacts from Google mail\nMobile IM\n\nAgile Messenger - user friendly all-in-one application for your mobile phone\nEqo - save up to 95% on calls, 70% on text messaging, integrates all of MSN, Yahoo!, GTalk, AIM, ICQ, and Jabber.\nfring - use it as an IM client, but also for free calls over Wi-Fi, GPRS or EDGE\nIM+ - All-in-One Mobile Messenger that works on any mobile device\nOctroTalk - keeps you connected with your buddies, and works seamlessly over GPRS/EDGE/CDMA/Wifi/Bluetooth data connections\nQuickIM - connect to public MSN networks using your cell phone with one time license fee\nJiveTalk - connect simultaneously to AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk, ICQ, and Jabber\nCauserie - an easily configurable chat tool with simple-to-use user interface that work on Palm, Blackberry, Pocket PC, Symbian and J2ME enabled phones.\nTipicME - J2ME-based Jabber client that is really well done and absolutely free\niSkoot - mobile application that allows you to connect by GPRS, 3G or Wifi and to speak or chat with all your contacts on Skype\nMovaMessenger - a  free mobile IM client, works with MSN, Yahoo, AIM, ICQ, and GTalk\nTurbo MSN - a mobile MSN client for Nokia and Panasonic\nNimbuzz - call your IM buddies on their mobile or on their PC, chat with your IM buddies for free and send text messages for free.\nHeysan - web based mobile messenger, compatible with most of the mobile phones including iPhone.\nYehBA Mobile IM - allows you chat with your friends anywhere in the world, meet new friends across the globe through chat rooms, and have access to an unlimited number of fun services.\nPalringo Vocal IM - transforms your mobile device into a walkie-talkie: communicate with a contact or a group at the touch of a button\nMT Messenger - exchange messages using the most popular IM applications from MSN, Yahoo! and AOL\nEpyxMobile - call all over the world from your mobile phone for SkypeOut tariffs\nGoTalkMobile - Java application for J2ME enabled phones, allows you connect to Google Talk and Jabber\nMSN Mobile - take MSN with you\nMundu - conference with your contacts across IM services in a single chat session\n\nSee also:\n40+ Free Blog HostsONLINE POLLING TOOLBOX: 40+ Online Polling SitesFLICKR TOOLBOX: 100+ Tools For Flickr AddictsHIGH SPEED DOWNLOADS: 60+ Download ManagersIPHONE TOOLBOX: 75+ iPhone Resources30+ WordPress 3-Column ThemesFreelancers\u2019 Toolbox - 30+ Online Freelance ResourcesEBAY TOOLBOX: 50+ Tools for eBay Buyers and Sellers30+ WordPress Plugins To Get More Blog ReadersDOWNLOAD EVERYTHING: 30+ Firefox Add-ons For Downloading Images, Videos &amp; FilesFacebook Powertools: 150+ Apps, Scripts and Add-ons for FacebookCMS Toolbox: 80+ Open Source Content Management SystemsMake Money Online: 100+ Tools and ResourcesQ&amp;A TOOLBOX: 30+ Tools For Questions and AdviceONLINE STORAGE: 80+ File Hosting and Sharing SitesWeb Development Toolbox: 120+ Web Development Resources50+ WordPress Plugins for MultimediaGTD NINJA: 50+ Websites For the Kickass Control Freak50+ Tools For The WordPress AdminPDF Toolbox: 40+ Tools to Rip, Mix and Burn PDFsWeb Design Toolbox: 50+ Tools for Web Design30+ Plugins for Wordpress Comments50+ Tools For TorrentingONLINE MEDIA GOD: 400+ Tools for Photographers, Videobloggers, Podcasters &amp; MusiciansOnline Maps: 50+ Tools and ResourcesWork Together: 60+ Collaborative Tools for GroupsONLINE PRODUCTIVITY GOD: 400+ Resources To Make You Smarter, Faster &amp; a Demon in the Sack30+ AJAX-Powered WordPress Plugins\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2007/08/06/instant-messaging/>