View Feedback | Send this Article | Published 4/11/03

Graphic By: Jonelle Thackston

The interface is very easy to use and gives you several customizable features, most notably the user icon. This small image can be personally made, selected from the preset icon lists AIM offers, or downloaded from one of many web pages, such as Buddy Icon and Bad Ass Buddy.

There are some downsides to AIM, however. First, it is constantly updating, and sometimes the new versions and the old versions become incompatible. Second, there is a lot of advertising, not just for AOL. Third, it has some bugs; for example, one day out of the blue a friend of mine's login stopped working. It just stopped working everywhere he tried it, and he had to get a new name.

If you are new to online chatting, I would definitely suggest AIM. Even with its flaws, it is one of the most user-friendly chat programs available, and it is so widespread that it's not hard to find a friend who also uses it. AIM is a great resource for social chatting, schoolwork and looking up general info (just ask VaVaVirgil). If you haven't yet, check it out at AIM.com and give it a try.

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