Their firms blocked access to America Online's AOL Instant Messenger and competing services. They were worried about viruses and other security threats, and that the content couldn't be monitored and ...

Online marketers are combining the power of instant messaging with that of peer-to-peer networks such as Napster to create a new wave of Web advertising that some critics call more invasive than spam.

As users are exposed to an increasing variety of mobile communication forms--mobile e-mail, voicemail, SMS, and, of course, voice--managing one's availability, or presence, becomes important. Wireless ...

A once-popular but now extinct "buddy" on America Online's Instant Messenger that freely answered questions on movie times, weather and stocks is poised to make a comeback next month--but at a price.

Instant messaging is booming. Almost everywhere you look, people are typing messages to friends and work colleagues at a frantic pace. These are not e-mails but rather short messages that often travel ...

First popularized by adolescents sharing gossip and homework tips, instant messaging is going mainstream: In the U.S. 13.4 million people are IM-ing (yes, it has become a verb) at work, each averaging ...

The use of instant messaging in the U.S., for both work and play, is up 19% over last year, according to an Instant Messaging Trends survey released yesterday by America Online Inc., which makes AOL ...

Does Gmail want to be an instant messaging client? Last month the popular webmail app shipped an emoji reactions bar in the mobile app, where a single tap would send a new email with your emoji ...

One of the internet's oldest instant messaging services, ICQ, is closing down. Credit: Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images One of the oldest, still-running online platforms is finally closing its doors ...