But despite the buzz, most of what the industry press publishes is at the level of press releases and trade show patter. Forget all the he said she said. Here are the essentials. Instant messaging is hot .
Instant messaging is political .
The fun's just beginning . It's a platform story . Each week brings news of new products and services that leverage instant messaging technology. The industry is reaching critical mass, with analysts and conferences to prove it. Amid this flurry of activity, the Internet standards process provides a point of relative calm.