Out with the Old, in with the New!
As I was surfing the net, commenting on blogs, and looking at a number of CSS galleries for inspiration, the random thought occurred to me: Who instant messages anymore?
I’m pretty sure the number is still high up there, but I feel the fad of instant messaging is dying out as the wave of blogging, Twittering, and sites like Skype are all the rage now.
Maybe it’s just me (and please tell me if it is), but AIM and MSN just aren’t the same as they were before. I remember when I used to have about 5 different screen names for AIM. I had over 200+ contacts that I didn’t really know, nor needed to ever talk to, but had them nevertheless. My MSN account wasn’t too far behind either, but at least with this account I could actually set my setting to “offline” and still be able to talk with people.
Now-a-days, I rarely use AIM or MSN! When I do, it’s because a friend of mine asks me to or I’m just hella bored and wanna see if anyone who I used to talk to on a daily basis is on, which they rarely are.
Also if my current job uses it, well I have to jump on that band wagon!
So tell me, do you still instant message? If so, who are you talking to (ie: online friends, family…etc.) why do you like it, and which client are you using?
Hello, my name is Roxanne and I am an outgoing friendly type of gal who likes to see life in a different light then most people. I am an aspiring filmmaker and professional web designer with a passion for multimedia. I don't judge a book by its cover and live life to the fullest. Want to get to know me more? Don't hesitate to contact me. LIVE LOVE LAUGH!
Lingling | March 29th, 2009 at 11:28 pm #
Before college, I used to go on AIM a lot. During my freshmen year, I had AIM on, but I didn’t really talk to a lot of people. It was mostly set to “away”. I also had MSN, which I used to talk to my online friends, but I was always “away” on there too, even though I’m not. So now, I don’t sign on to any of them. Once in awhile, I sign on to AIM because I’m bored or need to talk to my sister/brother, but that’s it.
Felisa | March 30th, 2009 at 2:53 am #
I used to AIM everyday in middle school (to at least 7 people at a time) but you’re right, it’s kind of a dying trend. I don’t twitter but I text… probably a little bit too much!
The only time I instant message (on google chat) is when I want to talk to my best friend while doing my homework… which never really works out
Ongaku | March 30th, 2009 at 11:53 am #
I’m always on msn at work… haha I don’t know. I still use my msn and aim a lot, but probably more of my msn, which is weird because I use to be on aim more.
I really think it’s just fazes you can go through though. I haven’t gotten into skype and twitter and don’t really plan too so that might be why.
Ongaku’s last blog post..Hollywood + Anime = ?!
Lingling | March 31st, 2009 at 4:22 am #
I tagged you http://dream-ling.net/wordpress/?p=714
Cheri | April 1st, 2009 at 6:43 pm #
You know, I don’t know anyone offline who’s taken part of the twitter trend. o_o I thought it was only for websites anyways, lol.
I still ALWAYS use MSN. I keep it logged in at all times, lol. It’s pretty much if I need to contact someone and I don’t have their cellphone number, or to keep in touch with my old high school friends who went to a different university than me. XD
Cheri’s last blog post..April fool’s Dayyy
Tammy | April 4th, 2009 at 10:14 pm #
I don`t know anyone offline that uses twitter either now that I think about it. Skype`s useless for people who don`t have a microphone… like me
I don`t go on MSN as much as I used and when I do more often than not, I`m either appearing offline or away. I only talk to a handful of the people I know online versus more people I know offline. Who knows, I know that I`ve gone periods without and if I ever went on,m it was to catch up on group work updates or something of the sort.
Tammy’s last blog post..Drawing up~
B. Good | April 7th, 2009 at 9:45 pm #
I only use Instant Messenger at work now……and that’s to talk to my other friends at work who need some entertainment throughout the day.
It used to be ALL the rage back in college. Same as you, I still have 200+ contacts. Don’t talk to nearly that many today, lol.
Dayna | April 7th, 2009 at 11:01 pm #
I have never tried AIM before though I still use MSN on a daily basis. All my offline friends used them, we chit chat and get updates about each other’s life etc.
It’s more cost savings to use MSN rather than text message if the person happens to be online and I’m lazy to pick up the phone to call when I have something to ask. 
Dayna’s last blog post..Vote for me at Best WordPress Design Awards
Nathalie | April 8th, 2009 at 5:02 pm #
I’m still IM’ing right now (using digsby to combine all of my usernames/pass’s)
I also twitter like crazy, but haven’t gotten into SKYPE yet.
Nathalie’s last blog post..Wp Advanced Newspaper Theme
jay1 | April 9th, 2009 at 12:14 am #
i havn’t instant messaged in forever. i didn’t really notice or think about it until i just read your post. it’s funny to watch technology become outdated before our eyes.
jay1’s last blog post..Hot Dog Eating Contest? Worst. Idea. Ever.
Rose | April 9th, 2009 at 2:07 am #
I don’t, but I still know at least two people who do.
Still, I guess two is pretty pathetic compared to the EVERYBODY that it used to be!
Gel | April 10th, 2009 at 12:39 pm #
Until now I still log on to my Yahoo Messenger whenever I go online. I guess it became part of my online routine. But I haven’t been talking to anybody there in ages. Probably just my boyfriend coz he’s really not into stuff like Twitter or other social networking sites. But yeah I have to agree with you.. not much people are into chatting nowadays.
Kiera | April 12th, 2009 at 4:31 am #
I think people who use instant messaging the most are high schoolers. I use aim, but not often. I only go on when I want to speak to a specific person that I know is already online or if I’m really, really bored and I want to see if there is anyone online to pass the time. I actually don’t mind using IMs but a lot people I know don’t bother with them anymore. I’ve never used Skype, so I’m going to have to give that a try.
Kiera’s last blog post..I need to start over. | 4-12-09
Gemma Wild | April 14th, 2009 at 6:37 am #
At some point or another, I have downloaded and tried pretty much all the major IM programs available and I have to say, I just don’t get the fascination. Like you, I had quite a few ‘friends’ [most were people I didn't know in the real world, nor ever talk to] and about 2 or 3 actual friends spread across each different IM.
When I was new to the internet, I did use them because everyone else was but now I’m older and wiser [I hope...] I don’t bother. And when I open up MSN or Yahoo, I’m bombarded with friend requests from sleazy web cam sites and still people who I’ve never talked to before.
It seems to be all about Facebook at the moment, which I have to admit I waste far too much time on doing nothing particularly constructive. Anyone care to join me? =)
Kim | June 15th, 2009 at 7:03 am #
I have an AIM account that I never use and an MSN account that only ever gets used if someone asks me to come on-line to chat. I use twitter a lot though.