Spouses at home can ask a quick question of a spouse at work, kids can gossip or share ideas while playing games or working on their homework.
Instant messaging is as common among Internet users as picking up the telephone.
Unfortunately, there's a difference. When you pick up the phone, you can talk to anyone else who has a phone. Instant messaging software talks only to its own kind. The good news is that it's free, and anyone on the Internet can download it. There are many such applications, but the three that follow are some of the most popular.