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 ...

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.

These days, we take internet-based chatting for granted. We're spoiled by a massive (and admittedly fragmented) ecosystem of direct messaging (DM) services on our phones and PCs, ranging from WhatsApp ...

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 ...

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 ...

Long before writer Jeremy Gordon covered music and pop culture for the New York Times and The Outline, he was an elementary schooler who logged onto AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) for the very first time ...

The actual number of chat messages sent each day is hard to come by, but with WhatsApp alone accounting for billions of users, you can imagine the sheer volume of ongoing conversations. Not all of ...