Out of curiosity about IM mediums

[kajarainbow]

After someone told me he didn't know I was on ICQ, that he was on ICQ too, but that he preferred AIM, I got curious about what my own readers use. So, here you go, a poll with my now paid account.

Also, if you aren't already on my assorted buddy lists and want me to add you, leave a comment with your contact info. All comments are screened by default on this post, and I'll unscreen any comments not listing private contact info.

[Poll #756704]

Comments

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

So far it's worked out that AIM is for personal stuff and MSN is for work stuff. I'm happy to have that division!

[relee.livejournal.com]

I use ICQ entirely. ICQ can communicate with AIM so I have a couple of my friends AIM accounts on it, but otherwise I don't use IM programs.


I had AIM a while back, but it was rediclously godawful on so many levels I had to stop it. ICQ has degraded in quality somewhat over time, probably in order to interface with AIM (and because they were bought by AOL) but it's still my IM proggie of choice.

[otter3.livejournal.com]

I really haven't had much useful conversations in any IM client. Mucks have tended to be my default IM client for a very long time. AIM in particular is a wasteland, as universal as it may seem. ICQ is okay, I guess, but I just haven't seen much need for it.

[kajarainbow.livejournal.com]

I've had some good conversations, but I think it depends very heavily on which people you associate with on IM networks.

As for MUCKs, I'm sorely lacking a good pop-up notification method or the like to alert me to the fact that, hey, there's new content in this window. I've often missed things that way. Sometimes I even forget I'm in the middle of a scene (no kidding, this has happened to me).

[otter3.livejournal.com]

The client I use, SimpleMu, has potential notification by visual cues (blinking the window or the bit in the toolbar), a box in the lower right for activity in other places, and I think has an optional way to notify in the main chat window as well, although I haven't used that feature in a while. Also color-coding of sentences with keywords. Also sound, but I realize that doesn't do you much good.

In theory a good client should do these things, although development on said clients has kinda ended, seemingly.

[kajarainbow.livejournal.com]

I have a Mac, however. Less choice there.

[otter3.livejournal.com]

That's what I was afraid you were going to say.