CHATTING IN STYLE |
Are you bothered by the anonymity of Internet Relay Chat? Do the random, inane and offensive remarks often anger and aggravate you? Do uninvited guests interrupt your civilized one-on-one chat sessions? A variety of companies have come to your rescue by offering simultaneous chat programs with a twist. Both Yahoo! and Mirabilis offer Internet tools that allow you to communicate instantly with friends, family and associates in private chat sessions without being bothered by unwelcome visitors. You remain informed of who's on-line at any time and you can contact them at will.
Targeted to meet the needs of frequent, either casual or expert, users of the Internet,
Yahoo! Pager and Mirabilis ICQ (I Seek U) offer
revolutionary ways to keep in touch. They are user-friendly instant messaging tools
that are cheaper than telephone calls, more immediate than e-mail and more private and
personal than IRC. They are appropriate for both home and office and can easily
adapt from personal chatting to professional on-line business sessions. Both have
their pros and cons, however, and it is important for the user to be aware of these when
making a decision of which one (or maybe even both) to become addicted to.
ICQ
ICQ goes beyond simple instant messaging. Not only does it inform you of who's on-line and allow you to contact them, it also gives you a variety of ways in which to do this: you can chat, send messages, files and URLs, play games, draw on whiteboards, communicate through voice and "hang out" with others while surfing the Net.
ICQ is free Internet software that is easy to download and uses 1.6MB of space. The instructions are detailed and easy to follow. During installation the program assigns you a unique Universal Internet Number (UIN) and gives you the option of entering personal information such as name, occupation, age, marital status, interests, etc. It also gives you the opportunity to decide on privacy issues. You have the choice of assuring that every person that attempts to add you to his/her list of contacts must get your authorization first. You also have the choice of publishing your information in the ICQ White Pages so that others can find you easily.
Once you are registered, you begin by compiling a list of selected people from other registered users. If the friends and associates that you want to add are not registered users, it is easy to send them a message asking if they would like to download the software and join the ICQ community. When they have downloaded the software you are automatically notified and a request is sent asking to add you to their list of contacts.
From now on, every time you log onto the Internet, ICQ automatically detects the
connection and the small, unobtrusive red flower on the task bar turns green which
announces your presence to those whose list you are on and notifies you if your contacts
are on-line as well. Now all it takes is clicking the name or the icon next to it to
send a message, initiate a chat session or launch any other interactive session.
| The ICQ window is compact and gives you access to all your options. There is a simple mode which has the basic features of ICQ and satisfactory for the casual user. It allows you to connect/disconnect to the program, add a user to the contact list, send and receive a message and request and respond to a chat request. It also gives you the ability to change your preferences and settings. |
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| The advanced mode window looks similar enough to the simple mode, but provides an
expert ICQ user with yet more options. The user can control his/her availability to
other users by choosing one of the many options. All other users receive this
information as well and have a clear idea on the status. The advanced mode also
allows the user to change privacy settings, to send URLs, to launch Internet
games/telephony, to send files and to draw simultaneously on a whiteboard with
peers. |
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| ICQ's chatting interface is intuitive to use. You can chat in both IRC and split-screen styles. Fonts and colors (both background and letter) can be easily manipulated. Sleep mode can also be enabled. These conference chats support an unlimited amount of users. |  |
Yahoo! Pager is a free instant messaging service that allows you to communicate with friends, family and associates by sending messages or requesting a chat. It notifies you when they are on-line and keeps them informed of your status as well. It offers all the basic services that more advanced instant messaging products offer, with a few added pluses.
Downloading and installation require minimal expertise. The instructions are logical and easy to follow. In order to use this software, you must have a Yahoo! ID/Account. This is simply a way to register with the Yahoo! Network so that your preferences can be customized by you and remembered by Yahoo! This account also gives you access to stock quotes, preferred news updates and a Yahoo! mail account. During installation you are given two important options (that can also be changed later): the choice to always run Yahoo! Pager automatically when the computer is started and the choice to attempt/accept direct connections with your friends on Pager.
Compiling a list of users is extremely easy. Searching the Yahoo! database for
registered users is done in a variety of ways: by real name, login identity, or by
interest for those interest in random chat. No authorization is required, although
the contact is notified of the addition and can chose to block you from their list if they
wish.
| The Yahoo! Pager window is intuitive and most users familiar with applications using windows and icons will have no trouble understanding the images. All of the basic instant messaging features are available: sending/receiving instant messages, notification when your friends come online, printing and saving conversations, blocking or ignoring requests to chat, etc. |  |
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Criteria used to compare and evaluate: (Higher endorsement is given by order of appearance.)
- Using Yahoo! Pager is extremely easy. There is a demonstration with an automated robot to familiarize you with the various functions. The on-line instructions are straightforward and provide enough information to fully utilize the software without overwhelming the user with useless details.
- ICQ comes with very detailed instructions on-line for those who wish to read them. There is also a User's Manual which can be purchased. Those who do not familiarize themselves with the ICQ instructions before attempting to use it, may have difficulty initiating a chat session, especially if authorization is needed on both ends to add a user to the contact list. In fact, while helping friends (who had requested higher security by requiring authorization to be registered as a contact) to find contacts and initiate chat sessions, I noticed that they did not understand the two step process. First, a request for authorization to include someone on the contact list must be made (one time only process) and then the chat request can be made. After this initial obstacle however, chatting is fun and easy.
Convenience:
- Yahoo! is a very visible and integrated network of programs. A link to Yahoo! Pager is found on the Yahoo! home page and registering for a Yahoo! ID is straightfoward. Due to this accessiblity and Yahoo!'s on-going popularity, the number of users is high (and therefore the ability to find a friend, either an old or new one is greatly increased.)
- A user must seek out or be introduced to ICQ. It is associated with a private company (Mirabilis) and not affiliated with any of the big Internet names (such as Yahoo!, AOL, Netscape or Microsoft). But, due to its versatility and its sophistication, it supports a huge community of both basic and expert users. For those who like the anonymity in chatting, random chats are also available. There are always ICQ members who are on-line and registered in the random chat mode.
Interface:
- ICQ gives the user the opportunity to chat in both IRC and split-screen styles. The individuals can therefore determine which style is more conducive to the topic at hand. The split-screen style is the default, and among friends of mine, the preferred style. ICQ's taskbar flower that blinks and changes colors and shapes is very unobtrusive and will notify, but will not disturb.
- Yahoo! Pager provides the IRC chatting style only. The box that pops up in the middle of the screen whenever a message is received or a new friend comes on-line can be bothersome. Yahoo! Pager does allow the contact list to be divided in "groups" - recognizing who is a friend, a co-worker or a family member is easy.
Privacy:
- ICQ's invisible status provides many users with an alternative to simply being connected or disconnected. Those who wish to be on-line without announcing their presence, but still wish to see if others are on-line, have the opportunity to do so. It also includes options of advanced privacy and security issues, such as the choice to refrain from showing the IP address on the software and the exclusion from the public list of registered users.
- Yahoo! is less advanced in the privacy arena. A Yahoo! Pager user has only one of two options: to announce their presence on-line or to be disconnected from the service. More sophisticated security such as not showing the IP address is also not a possibility.
Extras:
Both ICQ and Yahoo! Pager include all the basic instant messaging functions: such as the ability to send, receive, ignore or block incoming messages, the capability to save or print chats and messages, the notification of incoming e-mail, etc.
- ICQ also supports a variety of applications, beyond instant messaging and simultaneous chat. Popular applications include: whiteboard, data conferencing, file transfer and Internet games. This is an added plus for those who want to go beyond more traditional forms of communication.
- Yahoo! Pager's added feature is its integration with stock quotes. There is a tab at the bottom of the Pager window that, when clicked, will show the stock quotes that are registered to your user ID. This could be considered an extra by some and an oddity by others.
Recommendation:
Both ICQ and Yahoo! Pager are popular with the Internet chatting community, excellent
as instant messaging services and fun to use. Equipped with a slightly different
philosophy than IRC, these tools help to create a more "personal" chatting
environment that appeal to those tired of anonymity and harrassment. Yahoo! Pager,
being the more accessible and basic of the two, would be the best choice for the casual
user of the Internet. There are few loopholes to pass through, fewer decisions to
make (due to the fewer choices available) and it is more intuitive than ICQ. Once
the Pager skills are mastered however, moving on to a more sophisticated service might
present a needed and appreciated challenge. Users with expert Internet skills just
starting out on an instant messaging service would benefit most from jumping straight into
ICQ. The extras that ICQ provides are bound to challenge and intrique even the most
seasoned chatter. Supported by a great amount of on-line documentation, ICQ is
capable of a wide variety of communication methods. No matter which service is chosen, the
greatest predictable problem, is the high chance of addiction to the marvels of on-line
chatting.
More Information? Comments? Contact Cathy Marsicek at marsc@ils.unc.edu.
INLS 181, Fall 1998 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Information and Library Science