Resources: Suggested Reading and New IM Trends

Learn more about Jordan Craft, contributing writer for About.com Instant Messaging, part of the New York Times Co.

From saving lives to helping others get in touch with loved ones, instant messaging played an integral role in the hours and days following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Did the Odigo instant messenger office in Israel receive advanced notice of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington D.C.? Learn more about Odigo's September 11 connection here.

Could you imagine getting paid to create Facebook emoticons? For Facemoods co-founder Arnon Harish, dreaming up all those cute little Facebook emoticons is all in a day's work.

Black House is a free online game where users portray President Barack Obama punting former president George W. Bush from the presidency. But, could Black House's racist message be more than fun and games?

Omegle founder Leif K. Brooks may be helming the future of webcam chat. Check out my new interview with Omegle's chief mastermind, and why Omegle might even beat Chatroulette as the Internet's premier webcam site.

New to the Chatville Facebook App? Learn how to use Chatville on Facebook with friends, family and strangers.

Which teen perfomer is better? Greyson Chance or Justin Bieber? Weigh in and tell us why you think Greyson Chance or Justin Bieber is a better performer.

Looking to chat with other moms? Check out the top 7 Mom chat rooms.

Did you go to your town or school's Twestival? Show off your Twestival and tell us why your city had the best Twestival of the year.

Are you going to Twestival? Learn more about Twestival 2010 and how you can impact change at this Twitter Festival.

Edward or Jacob? Which is better? Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Create interactivity on your blog or website by letting your friends, family and readers connect with you using an IM widget.

Whether you want to boost chat with family, friends or business associates, IM is the perfect way to increase your conversations. We have three easy steps to more chat in 2009.

Whether tackling the task of organizing your IM contact lists as a New Years Resolution or a spring cleaning task, it is never too late to make IM a more efficient communications tool at work, at home or at school.

Downloaded Windows 7 Beta yet? If you have, you might find some of your IM clients are not compatible with Windows 7. Find out with IMs will work on Windows 7 Beta OS.

After more than a decade as a communication medium, the instant messaging industry is facing a second-generation surge of patronage spurred by increased cell phone and social networking usage, a new survey reveals.

If your computer freezes up or your computer is running slow, a registry cleaner may do the trick. Registry cleaners fix and remove corrupt of damaged registry keys that may cause your IM and PC to work inefficiently.

Looking to cut costs? Lose your home phone and get cheap home phone service with your favorite IM client. Our guide will show you how to connect to cheap home phone service from your desktop or laptop PC and how you can take service anywhere with an Internet connection.

With a number of high-profile cases, analysts said instant messages and electronic communications are becoming the most sought records under state records request laws.

Linguistics professor Susana M. Sotillo says instant messaging is a great collaborative tool for learning a foreign language with a native-speaking tutor present.

Despite security and performance issues arising from using AIM 6.5 on Windows Vista, IM users can still access their AIM buddies with a number of options.

Want to become an instant messenger developer? dotSyntax, About.com's 2008 Developers of the Year, discuss their Digsby client and where beginners should start in building their own IM.

Voice your choice for president of the United States with these instant messenger icons.

What do you get when you take a video for the 1987 Rick Astley song, “Never Gonna Give You Up?” and an IM client? You get one of the newest Internet phenomenons, Rickrolling. This prank features the Rick Astley song sprung on an unsuspecting victim using IM or email. Read more to find out how to perform the Rick Astley Rickroll.

Whether you are throwing an impromptu party or a well-planned fiesta, sending IMs is a great way to invite people to your next get-together.

In this 2004 Pew Internet & American Life survey, respondents reveal their attitudes and behaviors surrounding instant messaging use.

In July 2007, Nielsen Netratings released the year's fastest growing instant messaging destinations on the Internet.

In this surprising 2006 Comscore study, Europeans were found to share the world's largest base of IM users over any other continental region in the world.

It might not come as much as a surprise to some that researchers with Pew Internet & American Life Project found teens are the driving market behind the Internet. This 2005 study includes statistics on Instant Messaging use.

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