Social Networking Influences New IM

Instant messaging's gray lady has put on the boxing gloves in an effort to regain what once was readily hers to lose: teen users.

While critics are giving AIM 6.5 mixed reviews after only a month in release, one thing they all agree on is that this upgrade is definately taking the fight to the online social networking circle.

With a splash of bold, new colors and a laundry list of features recognizable to Gen Y (and the Gen Y-at-heart crowd), the little gray messenger is making its dent in territory currently inhabited by MySpace and Facebook.

Through integration with AIM Pages and its networking component, the Dashboard, AIM 6.5 comes out swinging in an effort to build a larger, stronger coalition of tween to 30 users. Whether AIM's efforts to strongarm the competition will work remains to be seen.