(no subject)

[mizarchivist]

I've been very careful to only get embroiled in ICQ, but I'm reconsidering... But I want to be precise.

[Poll #657023]

Edit: my LJ name was available on AIM, so... there ya go.

Comments

[kazmat.livejournal.com]

I have AOL IM on my phone, too.

[cos]

Same here.

[broken-gizmo.livejournal.com]

Ditto.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

Ditto. (Actually AIM, ICQ, and Y!M)

[quiet-elegance.livejournal.com]

Aol, actually I have most of the paintball team on my buddies list.

[emerlion.livejournal.com]

gimme your addy so I can addy you!

[quiet-elegance.livejournal.com]

MarquisdePhade

[lifecollage.livejournal.com]

I'd been thinking about this, too. Seems like AIM is the way to go, thus far (people I'd want to be talking to are on it). I wonder if I can get it onto my machine at work?

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

If you can't load it onto your machine, then there is AIM Express which is a web version. You can get to it through the AOL site.

[penk.livejournal.com]

I use Jabber, which connects me to all the services at once (similar to trillian as the end result)

[nchanter.livejournal.com]

I use trillian for AIM and Yahoo! (Though I didn't use Yahoo! before I had trillian) and I log into Darxus's server (Named Serenity. No Firefly connection) for e-mail and IRC. Though I use to use trillian for IRC.

I really do prefer IRC but that actually came later for me than the others. My AIM name is actually an AOL account (which my mother still pays for on top of a cable modem -- she's weird) that I've had since I was 14. I use to have "secret" AIM accounts, which I will fall back on when Mom dies and AOL deletes my account. All of my handles/screen names are variations on nchanter :-)

[broken-gizmo.livejournal.com]

You can actually convert an "AOL" account to an "AIM" account these days. The customer service center should be able to help you.

(Erm, and, uh, hi! Sorry for the random comment. :) )

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

I keep collecting people on different systems. I use Trillian for MSN, ICQ, AIM and Yahoo!

[beowabbit]

At work, we have a Jabber server that just replaced the mud server (really old-school!) that we were using for a decade. I’m on one or both of those conferencing systems all day long at work, but they’re only accessible to my co-workers. (There’s also an IRC server that a student volunteer group runs that I occasionally pop my head in on.)

Once in a great while I start up an IM client outside of work. Mostly (1) I never think of it, and (2) if I had an IM client open all the time, I’d never get anything else done on my computer and I’d never sleep. :-) That said, I’m vaguely toying with the idea of setting up a Jabber or IRC server for Poly Boston. My main concern about that is the legal liability (and the time-sink).

In the past, I’ve been more of a regular on IRC and on various special-purpose IRC channels, but I never seem to stick to it for very long.

The clients I use can all do AIM, IRC, and Jabber at least.

[manderwoos.livejournal.com]

I use it at home, school, and on my phone (if I'm desperately bored and trapped somewhere)... but not work, cause I'd get in a big stink with that.

But I use aol (with my email name, yo) but it won't work on my cell - but my yahoo (email name with miz added in front) works everywhere ;)

*hug* I only ever turn ICQ on to talk to you :P if you didn't use it, I would delete it.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

I'm rarely on; when I am, it's generally because I'm talking planning-stuffs with my artist or graphics chica. But sometimes a particular person hijacks my AIM time.

[dr-memory.livejournal.com]

Other: I occasionally use upIrc to irc from my cell phone.

[kazmat.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. I do that too. Treo's rock.

[brjulia.livejournal.com]

I go through phases where I'm on more than usual. I would recommend against using Trillium as it does a lot of intrusive poking into your computer. I'm currently using Adium for mac, but I believe there is a windows counterpart called Gaim.

[caulay.livejournal.com]

And as a note, my place of employment is making rumblings about blocking "unsecured messaging clients". That will not happen soon (too many people make use of them for work related stuff now and the "secure messaging clients" still leave a lot to be desired) but I figure it's coming. The secure ones seem to talk to AIM and Yahoo! OK, MSN maybe and ICQ not at all.

So I may well have to add AIM and/or Yahoo! to be able to stay in touch with people.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

I use Gaim on Linux and Adium on OSX, to deal with AIM, Y!M, ICQ, gtalk and (for one or 2 people) MSN{p'too}

[marmota.livejournal.com]

I use gAIM as a client from home, which supports AIM, YIM, and IRC under linux.
Very very rarely, such as when I'm not at home and trying to get specific info on something and can't reach anyone by calling, I'll AIM or IRC from my phone. AIM looks to be the most widely used, although I tend to think of IRC as the "just hanging out to chat" medium (channel format seems friendlier for that, somewhow) and AIM as the "ask/answer quick questions of specific people" hive mind medium.

[mizarchivist]

I used to addictively visit IRC type chat rooms in college and a little after, but unless you have a core group of friends, it's not so great.

[emerlion.livejournal.com]

I started with yahoo and got Trillian because I know so many people on other systems.

I *only* use aol through trillian, and it's the least popular among my friends: the first is Yahoo, followed by MSN.

[awfief.livejournal.com]

I have accounts on yahoo and IRC that I'm not on at all, and have used IRC in the past. AIM is the main one, but MSN is what work uses.

[also-huey.livejournal.com]

I've been on IRC pretty much constantly for the last six years or so.
Work used to use AIM, then switched to MSN, and now blocks both at the firewall, so now I'm pretty much back to just IRC.

[catness.livejournal.com]

IRC first (three different networks, two "private"), talkers and moos second, and AIM third. I have an ICQ account, used it exactly twice. Hate it. ;)

[keyne.livejournal.com]

I wasn't sure if IRC counted as "an instant messenger", and the only other two people to say they used IRC exclusively answered that question differently, so I punted on that one. :)

I didn't choose home vs. work because I work at home.

[xeger.livejournal.com]

I use IRC, AIM, jabber and SILC in an overly broad set of locations.

As far as security is concerned, I can wholeheartedly recommend the OTR (http://www.cypherpunks.ca/otr/) plugin for AIM (which is built into Adium), as well as setting up your jabber server(s) to use ssl/tls.

On its own, AIM (and irc for that matter) are plaintext and readily snooped/shared with anybody that can get near your network traffic. SILC is encrypted, but it's more overhead than most folk care to put up with.

[sebastian-tombs.livejournal.com]

Work uses Lotus Sametime, which lets you also log on to AIM