I am a big fan of instant messaging. I have about 30 people listed on my MSN Messenger buddy list. Seeing friends logging on and off the Internet in real-time gives a special sense of nearness and presence. In fact, instant messaging is to me the best way to exemplify what we mean when we talk about cyberspace as presenting us with a special social dimension. As my instant messenger client I use Trillian. From the Trillian web-site: “Trillian is everything you need for instant messaging. Connect to ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and IRC in a single, sleek and slim interface.” And Trillian is freeware! Not all the instant messaging service like Trillian. See AOL again blocks Trillian instant messaging users. It is of course up to AOL entirely to decide whether AOL will permit Trillian users to log on to AIM. Of course, there might be some anti-trust issues involved. Nevertheless, I think that it is a short-sighted strategy from AOL’s part to do this. It will alienate many users. For my part, I have cancelled my AIM account because of this! Let’s just hope that AOL sticks with technical defenses and does not involve the legal artillery. We have seen far too many situations were big corporations with deep pockets manipulate the legal system invoking copyright law to the disadvantage of end-users.