How to Choose an IM Carrier

When it comes to choosing an instant-messaging carrier, never have there been so many to choose from. IM services are now offered by social-media websites like Twitter and Facebook, email services like Yahoo and Windows Live, and voice services like Google and Skype. Before choosing an IM carrier, consider which will work best with your computer and any other Internet-enabled devices you use, as well as those used by the people you will want to connect with.

Instructions

• Examine websites and services you already use to see which have IM capabilities. Facebook, Yahoo, Skype, Gmail and Windows Live all have IM capabilities. Twitter also includes a basic instant-messaging feature through its Direct Message page.
•  Consider how accessible you want to be on any IM service. Examine each service for privacy settings that allow you to communicate with some people while remaining invisible to those you may not feel like talking to. Most services, including Google Chat, Skype, Windows Live and AIM, let you remain invisible, appearing offline while you are online, even while you're chatting with someone. Facebook Chat lets you limit which contacts can see you when you are online by selecting visibility options for different groups of friends. Note that there are third-party applications that others can use to determine whether you are using an invisibility setting or if you are actually offline. 
• Consider whether you want to install a dedicated client for instant messaging, or if you want to use a Web browser to use the service on your computer. Facebook, Yahoo, Google and Windows Live use Web browsers for their IM services. Skype uses a client you install to your computer. With AIM, you can install a client or use a Web browser.
• Examine your smartphone or tablet to determine which IM services include apps for your device. If there are particular people you want to chat with, ensure their computer operating system or mobile device is able to access the same service you plan to use. Facebook Messenger and Skype both have apps available for Android, Blackberry and Apple phones. Twitter includes these devices as well an app for Windows Phone 7 devices.
•  Consider security before selecting an IM carrier. If being able to chat without your messages being intercepted by others, your chat sessions in a Web browser should use the HTTPS protocol. This is a secure version of the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) that uses Secure Sockets Layer encryption to protect data from being intercepted. Google Chat, Twitter and other services use HTTPS for security. Facebook does not use HTTPS by default, but it can be enabled by changing your security settings. Skype uses encrypted Transport Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datatgram Protocol (UDP) to protect your messages from being intercepted.
   

Consider additional features you may want to use in addition to chatting using an IM carrier. Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Skype are among those that let you use video chatting with their service.

 

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