Instant Messenger: Which Most Popular?

[TomBrooks]

Which is the most popular Instant Messenging Service?

AIM
MSN
Yahoo

Is it so by a wide a wide margin or is it close?

Are any of the services particularly popular for any particular use, user group or demographic?

Discuss.

[PoBoy321]

I hear that the only people who use Yahoo are trying to meet trannies in dive bars.

[Phoenix1010]

I think AIM is the most popular by a very wide margin, at least in the US. In some other countries (Brazil is the only one I know for sure), MSN is more widely used.

[manpower]

Correct, I don't even know anyone using MSN or Yahoo.

[lorinda]

Correct, I don't even know anyone using MSN or Yahoo.

In the UK I had always assumed people here were making some kind of in-joke when they said they used AIM /images/graemlins/blush.gif
Pretty much everyone uses MSN here.

Edit: Pretty much everyone I've met.... which has turned out to be an odd demographic in the past.

Lori

[HopeydaFish]

[ QUOTE ]
Correct, I don't even know anyone using MSN or Yahoo.

[/ QUOTE ]

I only use MSN, mostly because all of my friends only use MSN.

[YourFoxyGrandma]

[ QUOTE ]
Correct, I don't even know anyone using MSN or Yahoo.

[/ QUOTE ]

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
I hear that the only people who use Yahoo are trying to meet trannies in dive bars.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's exactly why I use it.

[contentless]

The correct answer is ICQ.

[istewart]

If you actually had doubts about the answer to this question, you are not smart enough to own the internet.

[Jack of Arcades]

Most of the MSN people I know are UKers as well.

[Slow Play Ray]

[ QUOTE ]
The correct answer is ICQ.

[/ QUOTE ]

...but only for Linux users. Seriously, nobody I know uses ICQ anymore.

[AncientPC]

ICQ was #1 maybe 5-8 years ago, before they were bought over by AOL.

Even most *nix users seem to use GAIM these days. The only ICQ users I know these days are geeks who have been using ICQ for a while.

AIM is not used anywhere outside of the US, MSN is much more prevalent in China / Taiwan. Probably because it's pre-installed and supports Asian languages (AIM doesn't support Unicode or something).

QQ is actually the most dominant messenging service in China as it's integrated into most cell phones and there's desktop versions available. I keep hoping that Trillian will release a QQ plug in someday.

[stabn]

[ QUOTE ]
Most of the MSN people I know are UKers as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

In a similar fashion, YM owns large parts of asia, and isn't widely used outside of asia (at least not for those who primarily use one messenger).

[stabn]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The correct answer is ICQ.

[/ QUOTE ]

...but only for Linux users. Seriously, nobody I know uses ICQ anymore.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yah, but back in the day it was the [censored].

[jesusarenque]

I use MSN and Yahoo. I don't know anyone who uses AOL.

[imported_stealthcow]

depends. i'm from boston and everyone from boston (and teh rest of the states it seems uses aim) but i go to school in canada and they all use msn - something about aol canada not catching on up there (must be the name). i tink europe is msn biased too

stealthcow-

[Jamey Saunders]

I use 'em all. Thanks to Trillian (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/) I can monitor all three networks with one very nice, very free piece of software.

[fluxrad]

[ QUOTE ]
I use 'em all. Thanks to Trillian (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/) I can monitor all three networks with one very nice, very free piece of software.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you.

Who the hell isn't using most of these? Although for some reason I scorn Yahoo IM. But I'm always on ICQ and AIM.

[waffle]

i use irc. my friends and i have our own irc server

[AncientPC]

[ QUOTE ]
i use irc. my friends and i have our own irc server

[/ QUOTE ]

Why not private forums then?

[Stupendous_Man]

I use Yahoo's IM, only because it was the first one I used and never looked for a different one.

As for AIM, wasn't it initially only for AOL users? As I never personally used AOL, I never tried AIM. With all the people on 2+2 using AIM, I'm assuming that now you don't have to be an AOL user for the instant messenger.

[AncientPC]

You could download the AIM client seperately from AOL as early as 8 years ago.

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
I use 'em all. Thanks to Trillian (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/) I can monitor all three networks with one very nice, very free piece of software.

[/ QUOTE ]word...use this if you have friends on MSN, Yahoo, and AIM. It also works with ICQ as well.

[Gamblor]

ICQ was number one until about 2 years ago.

In Canada, it's all MSN.

I don't even have an AIM account.