There have been more than a few that have likened Twitter as to being a "slow instant messenger." Yes, the term is an oxymoron, but it fits in this context. Some liken it as turn based messaging of sorts.

See, the deal is that Twitter doesn’t act like IM, nor does it act like email. It’s somewhere in between.

The best way to use Twitter as a messenger is to use a client. There are many to choose from. You could use the web-based way of doing it, but there’s a bit of manual involvement (i.e. clicking the @ for your username).

There are three types of messages that can be posted.

1. Public, addressed to nobody in particular (ex: a generic status update such as, "I’m watching television.")
2. Public reply, where your message includes one or more Twitter users prefixed by the @ symbol (ex: @PCMech I like your site!)
3. Direct message, which is private user-to-user only. This is done by starting your message with a d, then the username of the user you want the message to go to. It doesn’t require the @ symbol (ex: d PCMech example message here). It should be noted that for direct messages, the recipient is also notified via email.

How to use Twitter as a "slow" instant messenger?

The people you follow who follow you back is your "buddy list" of sorts. Send a public reply or direct. Just remember that it’s not real-time like IM is.

How to integrate Twitter with Facebook?

Use this Facebook application. Public status updates to your Twitter account will be posted in your Facebook as well (but not replies or direct messages).

Does PCMech have a Twitter account?

Yes. If you couldn’t tell by the above, our Twitter account is @PCMech. Note that you don’t need the @ symbol to follow. Whenever you’re writing about other people’s Twitter accounts, the standard procedure is to include the @ when linking it. Why this is I have no idea, but that’s how it’s done. I’m guessing that you do it because it’s easy to tell what it is just by the visual.

Do PCMech people have Twitter accounts?

Absolutely.

David Risley: @DavidRisley
Rich Menga: @RichMenga
Lisa Morosky: @LisaMorosky

Why are people gravitating towards "slow" instant messaging in this fashion?

Here’s five good reasons.

1. Operates by username.

Over the course of internet history, one universal truth is that people just plain forget other people’s email addresses all the time. Not so with usernames.

If you want to know why people forget addresses constantly, it’s due to the domain and TLD. For example, if you say to someone, "My email address is example@yahoo.com", chances are high it will be remembered because the yahoo.com domain is widely known. But if you said, "My email address is example@example.org", chances are low it will be remembered. Not only does it use a domain people don’t know, but also uses a TLD (the dot-org) that is sure to be forgotten.

With Twitter, all I have to say is "RichMenga". That’s it. No domain. No TLD. I don’t have to email them first so they can add me to their address book. I don’t have to correct anybody and say, "No, no.. it’s dot-ORG, not dot-COM.." The username way of doing it is far better and easier.

2. Eliminates the need to hide.

Some people simply do not want others to know when they’re online. This is the reason why instant messengers all have "stealth" and "invisible" features. But then comes the point where you want some to know when you’re on and others not. In the Yahoo! Messenger this is called a "stealth" feature. It is decidedly annoying to use.

Twitter has no ability, nor will it ever (I hope) to let anybody know if you’re actually sitting in front of your computer or not.

This is a huge sigh of relief for many. You can message to your heart’s content without anybody keeping tabs on you (other than what you post).

3. The "slow" nature makes for a much better messaging experience.

Instant messaging is and always has been a very in-your-face thing. For many this is the exact reason why they don’t use it. There are lots of folks that absolutely do not want message windows jumping at them (which all IM apps do by default unless you configure otherwise), nor do they want messages such as, "Hello? Hello? HELLOOOOO ARE YOU THERE?" It can get very annoying quickly.

You avoid all the worst parts of instant messaging by using Twitter.

4. Plain text was always the best way to communicate.

In Twitter there aren’t any emoticons, sound effects, rich text, colored text, bold/italic/underline, backgrounds, file transfers or anything else like that. Nothing but beautiful raw text.

Never will you see some jackass using the Comic Sans font in Twitter, because yes, Comic Sans sucks that much. Instead you can view Twitter updates in whatever font you want in a client. That’s a huge score for usability.

5. Extremely portable

Messaging of this type works anywhere. In the browser, in the app, in the cell phone. Only very recently has IM graduated to the browser in a way that’s usable (ex: within web-based mail), but it’s too little too late. On cell phones IM still isn’t as easy as Twitter. IM is best suited using a program specifically designed for the protocol. But as of late more people are drawing away from that since all IM major-player programs for the protocols are so unbelievably bloated, whereas Twitter is very slim and trim.

The Big Question: Is Twitter the new instant messenger?

I say yes.

What do you think?

Putting instant messaging on your web site has never been easy. The only way people could get any messaging on their web sites was to use IRC. The popular way to do it was to embed a channel such as with PJIRC. And later on there was the ability to create an IRC chat "widget" with Mibbit.

Both methods are so-so at best because they rely on IRC servers that periodically have netsplits, kicking you off your own channel. IRC for messaging is an imperfect solution at best.

These days however there are two super-easy ways to get IM direct on your site that is true IM and not IRC.

Yahoo! Messenger Pingbox

This creates a small widget-style box that you embed direct on your web site. It does not reveal your Yahoo ID (big plus). In your Yahoo! Messenger you will see a new "friend" category for the Pingbox you create.

Pingbox allows for any color customization you can think of, three different text sizes and emoticon support.

You use Pingbox just as you would with any other Yahoo! Messenger contact that’s on your contact list.

IMPORANT NOTE:

Pingbox will not work unless you specifically have Allow Yahoo! web sites to show when I am online checked in the messenger client.

To see if you have this enabled or not, launch Yahoo! Messenger, then click Messenger then Privacy.

You should have the "allow" box checked, like this:

If you don’t, check the box, then close and restart Yahoo! Messenger. Pingbox will start to work after you do that.

Meebo Me Widget

Meebo is known as one of the best in-browser instant messengers there is. Something else that it offers is the ability to create custom IM chat widgets for your web site.

To create a widget, login to your Meebo account (if you don’t have one it’s free to register), click preferences then meebo me widgets, like this:

From there you create your widget.

Like Yahoo! Messenger Pingbox, you can configure it to say any name you want and not reveal your Meebo username.

Meebo Me widgets are not as fanciful as Pingbox, but definitely get the job done.

In addition, if you want a way to chat without having a Meebo session open in the browser, just use Meebo Notifier. This will put a small icon (in Windows) in your taskbar. Whenever you receive a message you’ll get a toaster pop-up where you can click and reply.

Why would this be useful?

Here’s a few examples:

• For a gamer that runs a guild that wants an easy way for people to contact you without revealing your IM screen name.
• For a small biz owner that wants a free solution for direct-IM contact with customers that looks nice and works.
• For anyone that wants a universal solution for IM that doesn’t require anyone to use any specific IM service.

I’m sure you can think of a few more, but you get the idea. Having easy ways for people to IM you without the need for specific clients/services is good to have.

I’m an AIM guy. In fact I use the very-very current AIM 7 Beta 3, which I’ve found works great so far. The service does what I want it to do and it’s a reliable network. But I have read on more than one occasion that Windows Live (formerly MSN) is the most-used IM on the planet – maybe.

The Big Question to you, the reader: What IM do you use the most?

I say “the most” because many of you use multiple services. If you do, which do you use most often? Post a comment below and let us know.

Also, which IM client do you use? Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, Pidgin, Kopete, etc.? Or do you not use a client at all and use the browser instead?

What’s available for IM now?

This, to the best of my knowledge, is a near-complete list of all the IM services available. It does not include SameTime or GroupWise because those are mainly used in-enterprise only, such as businesses, colleges and universities. Bonjour not listed because that’s usually meant for LAN-only use.

• AIM
• Windows Live
• Yahoo
• ICQ
• Jabber / LiveJournal / Google Talk (all use Jabber)
• MobileMe
• MySpace
• Facebook (can be used outside browser with Pidgin)
• QQ (main site, Chinese only)
• Gadu Gadu (Polish only)
• Meebo (is a true IM, does have Meebo-to-Meebo chat)
• Steam
• Xfire
• Skype

(If I missed any IM services, list what’s missing in a comment.)

What do you use? Post a comment below.

Bonus question (optional): What’s the worst IM you’ve ever used and why do you think it sucks?

AIM is the primary instant messenger I use. Out of all the IM services I’ve used over the years, it is the most reliable. In addition, it runs flawlessly on any operating system. Whether you’re on Windows, Mac or Linux, you can run AIM.

The latest client offering on the Windows platform is AIM 7 Beta 2.

Short review:

It’s awesome. If you use AIM, get it.

Long review:

This is best given in points.

• If you run multiple computers at home, you can run it on each computer at the same time. Previously I was only able to do this with AIM Lite.
• Following in the footsteps of AIM Express, messages from those not on your contact list will prompt a window asking if you want to chat with them or not. Previously this wasn’t there.
• Linked accounts work great. In addition, you can have them all set to invisible on login instead of having to set each individually.
• The interface is a whole lot cleaner and a lot less "cartoony" (something Yahoo and Windows Live suffer from in abundance).
• "Me" tab makes it super-easy to manage blocked users in just two clicks (you had to really dig for this previously).
• Integrates with Facebook and Twitter easily with new "Lifestream" tab.
• Integrates with Delicious and YouTube.
• Runs light and doesn’t eat up memory.
• I tested on my XP laptop and Win 7 PC. Runs great on both.

AIM 7 is full of awesome stuff. If you use AIM, you will really like this client.

Lots of us have more than just one computer in the home. And with instant messenger apps, that unfortunately means only one computer can use a single IM account at a time.

For example, if you use Yahoo Messenger and login to one PC in the home, then use the same account to login with on another, it will "kick off" the first one.

You can have multiple logins per single account on just about any messenger service, but it’s all dependent on what software you use.

AIM

The AIM service does allow multiple logins per single account. The best software to use to take advantage of this feature is AIM Lite or Pidgin.

AIM Lite by default has this enabled, but with Pidgin you have to check a box:

…and then you’re good to go.

Windows Live Messenger

The current version of WL Messenger does allow simultaneous logins. There should be no special setup necessary to make this work, however the only drawback is that you must use the same software on all computers that connect.

For example, if one PC uses Windows Live Messenger and the other Pidgin, WL Messenger will boot off Pidgin and vice versa.

Everything else

The absolute easiest way I have found to have same-account logins on multiple computers is by using the Meebo Notifier. This is Windows-only software but it works fantastic. The app acts as a gateway of sorts to the web interface, but has a nice n’ tidy icon in the taskbar to notify you of new messages on as many computers as you want.

Meebo will configure any IM account you can possibly think of.

The only drawback I found is that if you put one of the computers in hibernation (typical for a laptop), it will log out Meebo on the other PCs in your home network. But other than that it works flawlessly.

And yes, this is a bit of a hybrid between web-based IM and client-based, but it does work and that’s the whole point.

What about Jabber?

While it’s true Jabber will allow a "login as many times as you want anywhere" type of IM, setup is annoying for non-XMPP messaging services.

In Windows (or Mac OS X or Linux), you’d most likely use the Psi messenger which easily allows for XMPP connectivity. But after than you have to find a Jabber server that allows for non-XMPP IM service "transport", and that’s the annoying part.

So you go to the Jabber server list, connect up to a server, perform a service discovery and see if the protocol you want is available for transport. If it’s not available, you have to move on to the next server. Hunt, peck, hunt, peck.. it’s annoying. And there’s no guarantee the server will be there tomorrow or even prove to be reliable when working.

Jabber is truly awesome. I’m not kidding. This is why Google Talk uses that protocol. And it would be great if all other IM services adopted the protocol as well. But that isn’t the case currently, so we’ll have to stick with what’s useful for us.

Web-based instant messaging is something some people swear by while others (like me) still prefer the client.

Meebo, one of the better multi-service web-based IMs, now has a Windows app called Meebo Notifier that can run the service without having the browser running, sort of.

I say "sort of" because while it is a legitimate app that takes care of authentication, gives toaster pop-ups for new instant messages and so on, it still has to launch the browser when you want to actually chat. Even though that’s true, some of you out there may like this.

Meebo Notifier is small and installs itself as a small taskbar icon. It’s distinctive because it’s orange (but still looks decent, not to worry). When you have messages waiting/incoming or other events, the icon changes to an orange ring and flashes politely for a few seconds (i.e. slowly), then stays as the O until you clear notifications or double-click the icon to see the messages.

One of the best part is that you don’t have to use a Meebo account.

Here’s the login screen for the app:

I can choose just one IM service if I want instead of the Meebo account (which launches all IM accounts you have configured). In fact you don’t even need a Meebo account to try it – and that’s cool.

When logged in successfully you get a toaster pop-up:

Note the orange Meebo icon.

Above, when you get a message, the icon turns into an orange ring and a pop-up appears for a few seconds (or until you close it).

Above, right-clicking the icon gives you the option to clear notifications, set preferences, exit and so on.

Above, when you close the browser, you get this notice. Meebo is still logged in even with the browser closed.

Said honestly this is really good.

My biggest complaint? No sound options. It would be really nice if there were a small WAV you could choose when notifications come in. Other than that it’s tough to complain about.

Try it out, you may like it.

The long (and I mean long) awaited Trillian Astra from Cerulean Studios was made available to those who were willing to sign up for testing purposes. I downloaded it today and installed it. Currently it’s just Windows-only for testing purposes.

Trillian was the first multi-protocol instant messenger I ever used years ago when they were at version 0.74, and for a long time Trillian was the only multi-protocol IM game in town. The currently available public version is version 3.1.12. The Astra version I have is version 4.0 Build 101.

With version 4, the look is different and a notable improvement. And it also supports more protocols. In addition to what it had before, it now supports social network stuff like Facebook, MySpaceIM, Skype and Twitter.

Two opponents Astra would have to overcome are Digsby and Pidgin. Both of these do just about everything Astra does.

Pidgin, while nice, is a bit clunky it its operation. It’s not that it doesn’t work, but it does need some work in the user interface department. In Linux, Pidgin seems to look and work better. In Windows, not so much.

Digsby looks good and performs good as well. But it is a memory muncher.

Astra’s advantage is that it looks better than its competitors, eats up the least amount of memory and does not require any huge learning curve to use it. In fact, Astra could even give Adium some competition if a Mac version is released.

But is Astra too late to the game to make a real splash as a new multi-protocol IM client? It might be because there really isn’t anything new here that the other guys don’t already have. And when it comes to multi-protocol IM clients, people don’t like to switch. The only time anyone changes clients is for features they don’t have with one they already use. And even though Astra looks good, it may not be enough to switch people over.

However.. there is also going to be a web-based version of Astra as well, something neither Digsby or Pidgin has. This means what’s in the client is also accessible on the web no matter where you are. No need to bounce between a client and Meebo sounds quite nice.

Astra is a solid well-thought-out program. It has the look and feel of a modern application, runs great on XP and Vista, it’s easy and has all the makings of a winner.

The largest drawback? This will most likely be a paid application. And that lets Pidgin and Digsby stomp Astra to oblivion. That is unless there’s a free version of Astra like there is for Trillian 3.1.12 at present.

More people these days are getting away from instant messenger programs and using the in-browser way, because there really isn’t too much reason to use an IM app these days. Years ago a large chunk of the IM functionality was provided by the application, but that’s not the case anymore. You can do voice, webcam, manage your buddy/contact list and just about everything else right from the browser.

With web-based IM you have from-service and multi-protocol.

Multi-Protocol

The one most people know is Meebo. It has a fantastic interface and is super-easy to set up and use. However there’s also eBuddy,ILoveIM, IMhaha, IMUnitive, KoolIM, mabber, MSN2Go, radiusIM and Wablet.

Needless to say you’ve got a lot of choice.

Do you have a review of one of the above? Leave a comment. I haven’t had the time to test all the above, so if you’ve got a few moments to spare, let us know what you think of one or more of the above.

From-Service

These are web-based versions of IM from the service providers themselves.

Yahoo: http://webmessenger.yahoo.com/
Windows Live: http://messidog.live.com or http://webmessenger.msn.com
AIM: http://www.aim.com/aimexpress.adp

Here are the rating from best to worst:

Best: AIM

AIM has updated their web interface and said honestly it’s the best there is. Flash-based, smooth animations, no weirdness with extraneous pop-ups (other than just one for the IM window itself), in-window tabbed conversations, familiar friendly sounds – this one has got the works. If you use AIM you will take to this like a fish to water.

Good: Yahoo

This looks very similar to the Yahoo Messenger app itself. However the problem is that it takes up the whole browser and I could not find any way to "detach" the IM. But other than that this is a solid performer. It has tabs, very friendly interface and a simple clean design. If you use Yahoo Messenger you’ll definitely want to try this.

Worst: Windows Live

Where Microsoft excels with it’s Windows Live Messenger client, their web messenger is a joke. It’s absolutely awful. The "messidog" address almost never works. You’ll get "An error has occurred" and be left flat on attempt to login.

The other address does work, but the interface looks like MSN Messenger 7. That’s bad. Bear in mind the current client is version 2009 (version 9). It’s also plagued with pop-up warnings left and right. This is a web messenger designed for 2002, not 2009. I have no idea why Microsoft keeps such a horrible web IM around like this. They’ve made such a huge effort to make all the Live services better and more friendly but haven’t touched the IM portion whatsoever. Very strange.

You’re far better off just using one of the multi-protocol services above.

What’s your take? App or Web?

Have IM web apps come far enough to make you give up your IM client or are there specific features that keep you "local", so to speak? Let us know.

Software bloat is unfortunately all too common in many of the apps that we use, with two of the biggest offenders being email clients and instant messaging programs. While it’s true you could use web-enabled versions of these apps, sometimes this is just as bad because it causes the browser (no matter which you use) to use a lot of memory in short order.

If you’re willing to sacrifice a few features, here are a few apps that are super slim, super trim and barely take up any memory.

AIM Lite (Instant Messaging)
Link: http://x.aim.com/laim/

I use this personally. It surprisingly supports a lot of AIM features (including linking AIM accounts), basic video and sound and a few other things.

The best part is how little memory it uses. When idling it stays around 6,000K and at most fattens up to 12,000K.

To put this in perspective, most other IM programs will eat up at least 25,000K just sitting there doing nothing with no IM windows open.

TerrAIM (Instant Messaging)
Link: http://www.terraim.com

TerrAIM is the only AIM/ICQ client I know of that requires no installation whatsoever. It’s nothing but a single executable file. Run it and go. It idles at around 8,000K and doesn’t fatten up much larger than that.

The app is ugly by default (white text on black background with orange about the client), but fortunately there are simple themes you can download to make it look "normal", as in black-on-white.

The beauty of TerrAIM is that it could run completely from a USB stick with absolutely no problems whatsoever. One of the options in its preferences is "Save settings in a file rather than registry". What this means is that a small .ini file is written where the .exe is. All that’s requires is that both files are in the same directory.

Lastly, this client may not do multiple accounts, however, you can launch as many instances of the .exe as you want to connect to multiple accounts that way.

It doesn’t get much better than this for simple and light.

Miranda (Instant Messaging)
Link: http://www.miranda-im.org

I do believe this is the lightest multi-protocol IM client there is. It supports a ton of them. On first install it will do AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber (Google Talk), Gadu-Gadu, IRC and MSN (Windows Live). From the addons area you can find just about any other IM protocol on the planet.

Miranda has two versions of its client, unicode and ANSI. The unicode is for Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7, the ANSI for Windows 95/98/ME.

Miranda usually idles around 6,000K and usually doesn’t go past 10,000K. It is very slim on system resource use.

Microsoft Outlook Express 6 (Email)
Link: None, you already have it if you have Windows XP.

OE6 may be old and woefully obsolete, but it’s light. Being that mail is stored using individual EML files instead of a big honkin’ PST in the full Outlook version, this actually makes the client quite speedy.

You can store thousands of mails in OE6 and it doesn’t skip a beat. It works fine for IMAP and POP. The interface is simple, easy and friendly.

Possibly the only knock against OE6 is the lack of spam control; it has none. Your only option is to set up Message Rules per account or use a third-party spam utility, of which there are many.

Alpine (Email)
Link: http://www.washington.edu/alpine/acquire/

Those who have been using the internet long enough remember PINE, and some wish there were a modern(ish) variant of it for Windows. There is. It’s called Alpine.

Alpine is ugly and purposely done terminal-style. It does POP and IMAP, but it’s best suited for IMAP. It can also be used as a newsgroup reader.

For those of you thinking, "Does it do IMAP-enabled Gmail?", yes it does. But I strongly suggest you read these instructions if you want to give it a go. Read them before installing Alpine. Don’t worry, it’s not difficult. Not in the slightest. Just follow the dots, so to speak.

Sylpheed (Email)
Link: http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/

I first used Sylpheed in Linux and for a GUI-based mail client it’s very light. Sylpheed harkens back to the way Netscape Mail used to work, except packed with a lot more features, such as Junk mail control, multilingual support and a lot more. Don’t let the simple interface fool you, this client can do the job and do it well.

Claws Mail (Email)
Link: http://www.claws-mail.org/

This client can be run on many different OSes, Windows included. At first glance, Claws Mail sort of looks like a mashup between Mozilla Thunderbird and Evolution, but make no mistake, it is its own client and is packed with features.

Honorable mentions

Mozilla Thunderbird (Email)
Link: http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird

Thunderbird is a great mail client and I use it myself – but I can’t count it as light. It is a bit chunky on resource. When idling it takes around 50,000K when used in Windows XP. Granted, Microsoft Outlook (full version, not express) takes up way more memory than that, but for a freebie I wish t-bird were a bit lighter.

aMSN (Instant Messaging)
Link: http://www.amsn-project.net/

This is for connectivity to the Windows Live messaging service, a.k.a. MSN. Nice client and all but could be a bit lighter. aMSN’s best feature is that the Windows and Linux versions are almost identical to each other – and that’s good.

Pidgin (Instant Messaging)
Link: http://www.pidgin.im

Pidgin is one of the best multi-protocol messengers that exists. It connects to everything and it’s easy. But it’s gained weight over the years and lost its lightweight status some time ago. It’s not nearly as chunky as others but it used to be less memory intensive.

Opera Mail (Email)
Link: http://www.opera.com/mail/

The email client within the Opera web browser is seriously good. Once you get past configuring an account (the hardest part) it’s super-easy to get along with. The only problem is that Opera is a modern web browser and like its counterparts takes up a bit too much memory to be considered light.

What do you use that’s light and speedy?

Let us know in the comments. Even if what you use is Linux and not Windows, chime in anyway.

AOL Instant Messenger, better known as simply AIM, is my preferred way of instant messaging simply due to the fact it’s the most reliable chat network. Out of all the things AOL does wrong, AIM is the only thing they do right.

Windows Live (formerly MSN) and Yahoo both have routine small outages on their networks that can get really irritating really quickly – but this doesn’t happen on AIM. Ever.

And for those that say "What about Google Talk?", yes, GTalk’s Jabber way of doing things is extremely reliable but unfortunately doesn’t have as much of an established presence like AIM does.

AIM Lite is an AIM chat client released the AIM team themselves. It is available for both Windows and Mac. AIM Lite one of the absolute fastest and lightest graphical clients I’ve ever used. The fastest I’ve ever used was Miranda, but AIM Lite comes darn close.

For those who are all about speed (or if you just have a slower computer) and use AIM, I strongly recommend getting AIM Lite.

If you like the software, see the plugins available. These plugins add in features like sound notification, toaster pop-ups (the good kind of pop-up) and a few other options.

I was a hardcore Pidgin user for all my instant messaging stuff but I recently discovered Digsby. I liked it so much that I switched! See video below on why I like it so much.