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IM Basics: History & Basic Information About IM

Learn more about where IM has been and where it is going in this basic library covering the history of IM, IM acronyms and language and other resources for getting started on IM.
What is IM?
New to IM? Learn more about IM, IM clients, the history of IM and how you can put this great communications tool to work for you.
IM: A Brief History
How did IMs begin? Learn about the first IM clients on the Internet as we span more than 30 years of IM history.
IM: The Timeline
The history of IM is wide, spanning over three decades of new developments and innovations. Check out our timeline of the most common IMs, their release dates and new IM features that swept the world—-and its users—-over.
IM History -- The Founding Father of IM
Meet Mark Jenks, who history might credit for creating the first IM client and social networking experience before the Internet was even born.
How It Works: Instant Messaging
From keystroke to delivery, discover how instant messaging works through this easy-to-read, layman's term article on IMing.
Explore Instant Messaging
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