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Instant messaging (sometimes called IM or IMing) is the ability to
easily see whether a chosen friend or co-worker is connected to the Internet
and, if they are, to exchange messages with them. Instant messaging differs from
ordinary e-mail
in the immediacy of the message exchange and also makes a continued exchange
simpler than sending e-mail back and forth. Most exchanges are text-only.
However, some services allow attachments.
In order for IMing to work, both users (who must subscribe to the
service) must be online at the same time, and the intended recipient must be
willing to accept instant messages. (It is possible to set your software to
reject messages.) An attempt to send an IM to someone who is not online, or who
is not willing to accept IMs, will result in notification that the transmission
cannot be completed. If the online software is set to accept IMs, it alerts the
recipient with a distinctive sound, a window that indicates that an IM has
arrived and allowing the recipient to accept or reject it, or a window
containing the incoming message.
Under most conditions, IMing is truly "instant." Even during peak
Internet usage periods, the delay is rarely more than a second or two. It is
possible for two people to have a real-time online "conversation" by IMing each
other back and forth.
A March 2002 Osterman Research study found that 84% of 164 businesses surveyed
use instant messaging.
Above information provided by: searchwebmanagement.com
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