The Amway Salesman in the Driveway

Actually, what the really techie friends I have do is sign up for each messenger program and then use one of those other programs that unite them all so that if you IM me from MSN, I get it on AOL or whatever I use. This is all to say that I agree that this alliance is a non-event.

Jeff is right – I read that article this morning and thought the same exact thing. As a 20-something who was in college not all that long ago, no one uses anything but instant messenger.

Some people have accounts on all the different services and use them all, but they tend to be techie’s, not everyday type users.

AIM is one of those things like you use not because it may be the best, quickest, most user friendly, but because everyone else uses it. Kind of like Ebay.

The only IM program I use is Bloomberg’s, which isn’t even on your list.

I use Trillian to hold it together with about 50% Yahoooooo and 50% AIM, I am waiting for Trillian to include Google in their software so it will be complete, although no-one is using that yet.

All the techie guys I know use AOL or Yahoo while many companies and people who are not too computer literate tend to use MSN in my experience. The funny thing is Yahoo clearly has the best product if anyone has used all 3 but it is all but useless. Chalk it up to network effects. Personally I am not sure this really means anything for the AOL Microsoft news because AOL knows that it’s instant messenger is just about it’s only redeeming quality and the instant messenger really is not that good unless you compare it to Microsoft but than again Microsoft always has the worst product.

Charles, while everyone is entitled to their opinion, I have tried all three IMs and have found MSN to be best for my needs. And again, everyone that I communicate with uses it, including those of us who are very computer literate. In fact, I don’t like AOL’s IM and would refuse to use it unless I used Trillian to access it. I simply don’t like its user interface.

I had to fire up AOL again to remind myself of what it looked like. In the process, I discovered that I am using an outdated version 5.9. I am still not interested in upgradeing it. I’ll stick with MSN or with Trillian if my needs change.

Jeff,

Interesting post. I’ve been using and following instant messengers and their development for awhile. Here’s what I’ve discovered:

-AIM is favored by younger users, but its popularity seems to be on the decline.

-MSN has found itself useful in the corporate world. I know for a fact that employees working for large conglomerates, who need to communicate with their counterparts in foreign countries, fully utilize MSN’s instant messenger. This is a huge cost savings method for those who conduct business outside the country… think about those in the U.S. who need to communicate with the manufacturing department (most of which have gone overseas). Now think about what the phone bill would cost without instant messengers. Here’s probably what’s going on… make corporate users rely on MSN IM product so they can support Microsoft’s continued dominance/monopoly. If you think about it, MSN’s instant messenger is not really free… you’ll pay for it one way or another.

-Yahoo’s messenger seems to be slowly taking away MSN’s users. Which leads me to believe why MSN wants to do this deal with Yahoo. They probably also realized that Trillian poses a threat.

Let’s face it, IMing isn’t just for kids anymore. You really don’t want to get left behind in this communication-driven world. Sensitive data flow through these means, and IM developers will need to prove their security protection abilities against hackers. I will also note that I have seen the webcam function being used more often. Video conferencing is right around the corner. Who will take that market? AIM, MSN or perhaps Skype…

Home is

30%/0%/5%/0//Google 65%

Since it came out my most intelligient friends and I have used GTalk exclusively. I put up an away message on Gtalk indicating that I had forsaken AIM forever.

Work

0%/0/0/0/0

We are too worried about having communication logged and possibly used against us in litigation. Overly paranoid imo. It’s a mistake, IM is the most efficient communication, because the barriers from initiating a thought to the recipient receiving it are so small.

My wife and I work for two extremely large corporations and the crackdown is beginning these days. I have typically used Yahoo myself with a bit of AOL and some MSN. Now both of our companies are mandating that we can no longer use any of these on our corporate network and must use internally provided software. My company is using something called Real Time Collaborator and my wife’s is using something else. I know one of my client’s that uses Notes for email only allows employees to use Sametime (the Lotus product). I think this is the real trend at the workplace in large companies that want to ‘keep and eye’ on IM.

“Every time my computer boots up, Microsoft Messenger is there, lurking, like an Amway salesman in the driveway.

And I ignore it, like I ignore that Amway salesman, hoping it will go away.”

Good 1 Jeff! Nice humor!

How about pestering Amway salesman trying to recruit you or worse invite you to their meeting to get brain washed to join the “cult” and buy the useless inspirational tapes!

Here is some advice on getting rid of the pest from loading up.

Go to run then type msconfig. Go to start up tab and disable all JUNKS except for firewall and antivirus and voila you boot faster and prevent junk from running in the background.

PS – Hey how about your insights on Patty’s latest PR blitz?

MD,

I didn’t know Henry Blodget was still analyzing techs. How is his blog analysis without the pressures from you know whom? I should check it out.

Jeff,

It is my attention to detail that has allowed me to scale the heights of the business world. : )

MD

are those numbers for global market share? or just in the US?

I would hazard to guess that MSN and Yahoo are much bigger outside the US.

Jeff: I guess I must really be “illiterate” as I have never used an instant messaging service like AOL or Yahoo. But then again, I always figure a good letter/email or quick phone call on my cell phone allows me to “reach out and touch someone” as that old ATT ad used to say…

One thing that intrigues me about the partnership is why would Terry Semel partner with Bill Gates at Microsoft instead of with Dick Parsons at AOL-Time Warner? Maybe there’s some “bad blood” between Mr. Semel and Mr. Parsons during TWX’s post-AOL merger days (I could be wrong though).

I agree with previous posters that AIM is not as heavily used outside the US, while Yahoo’s and MSN’s IM services are HUGE outside of the US. MSFT and YHOO are on to something that AOL is missing.

JM may not make it up – but his ideas sound idiotic …not that I’m trying to personally attack JM – but commenting solely on how the ideas he expresses come across to me. AOL exists within a closed, for fee, realm using dying technology. Other options strive to break beyond these barriers and while perhaps not perfect at this point, poised for continual improvement. The reference to an Amway salesman in the driveway can only be made up (I thought he didn’t make this up?) – if only because it is so factually incorrect in so many ways…here’s two for a start: One, there’s never been an ‘Amway salesman’ – if only because that company has never hired staff to sell their products. Two, Amway itself has ceased to exist in the U.S. since the late 1990’s – having morphed beyond their 1950’s business model. Like the IM world — their business model is not perfect — but has demonstrated and is poised for continual improvement in an open-architecture world…something AOL is not.