IM:

Instant Messenger (IM) is a great way of chatting with your mates, and one of the reasons it’s so popular is because it’s private, so only the people involved can see what’s being said.

When a message is sent, it appears on the screen almost immediately, so it’s like having a real conversation. In IM, you can keep track of your mates using a contact list and this list shows when they are online at the same time as you, so you can see who you can talk to. You can even talk to lots of mates at the same time. You can upload pictures to your profile and use webcams when you are logged on meaning you can see who you’re chatting to.

Find out more about how to protect you on IM here