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Download these FREE Tools for Instant Messaging applications
from BitDefender.com
Information excerpt quoted from website
www.bitdefender.com/html/freeware_products.php
Freeware Products 
SOFTWIN is the first company in the world to foresee the explosion of Instant Messaging applications and the need to close the security loopholes left by these applications in the IT environment. SOFTWIN is the world leader in the protection of Instant Messaging Software (IMS) communications. We invite you to download our freeware products and use them to protect your IMS communications. 
www.bitdefender.com/html/freeware_products.php

Read and Chat on this site:
Libraries of the 21st Century
http://library.tamu.edu/21stcentury/

Chat in the Special Library Association's Chat Rooms
http://www.sla.org/content/interactive/chat/index.cfm

The Chat Reference Experience at Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~matthewm/ALA_2001_chat.html

ARL Bimonthly Report 219
December 2001
Chat Reference: An Exciting New Facet of Digital Reference Services
by Jana Ronan, Interactive Reference Coordinator, 
George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville
http://www.arl.org/newsltr/219/chat.html

The Teaching Librarian
Index of Chat Reference Services
http://pages.prodigy.net/tabo1/chatindex.htm

Providing Chat Reference Service: A Survey of Current Practices
Matt Marsteller and Paul Neuhaus, Carnegie Mellon University Libraries 
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~matthewm/survey.html

TechRepublic is a site designed for "Tech" IT staffs for Businesses.
but there is a considerable amount of information that they provide that
can be used and adapted to a "Library" Customer Service environment.
Everything from "templates" and "cheat sheets", & checklists, to 
documents and articles, covering a wide range of IT topics as well as
Business software such as MS Word, Excel and Power Point.

Readings of interest~

Instant messaging reference: how does it compare?
by : Christina M Desai
The Electronic Library
V. 21 No: 1 Page: 21-30 2003
Abstract: The use of instant messaging (IM) technology for providing
online reference services is increasing by leaps and bounds.
This article compares a digital reference service, Morris Messenger,
with traditional, face-to-face reference, using quantitative
and qualitative data from experience with this service at Morris Library,
Southern Illinois University. The article addresses differences arising
from the medium itself, differences in the categories
of reference questions received, using several different categorization schemes,
and differences in factors affecting willingness to return,
to determine strengths and weaknesses of this medium.
Since many libraries are considering implementing such a service,
it also describes what it is like for staff to provide reference service
this way and suggests ways of addressing some of the challenges of this new medium.

Library Journal - NetConnect Online article Jan 2003
Chat Reference Gets Marketing, Evaluation Tools
Brian Kenney -- 1/15/2003

TechLearning.com article
Excerpt quoted from article:
November 15, 2002
Using Instant Messenger Services
By Jeffrey Branzburg
This page is designed specifically with the new-to-technology educator in mind. Please feel free to reproduce it for use in your teacher training sessions or other staff development efforts
In addition to e-mail and the World Wide Web, instant messaging (commonly called "IM") is one of the most popular services on the Internet.
In its simplest form, instant messaging allows users to have instant, live, text-based "chats" with others over the Internet. Unlike e-mail, in which one sends a message that is stored in the recipient's electronic mailbox until he or she logs on to read it, when using an IM service both sender and recipient are online simultaneously; the moment one sends a message, the other sees it on his or her screen.
Read complete article:
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/11/inservice.html
 

Instant benefits (instant messaging)
Author: K. Cushing | Computer Weekly (UK)
18 Jul 2002: p. 24 (1 page) 
Reports on the increasing popularity of instant messaging (text messaging), once the domain of Internet enthusiasts and teenagers, for communication within and without companies. Lists the advantages of the technique: immediacy of the telephone with the power of written words, ease of use, useful for collaborating on projects and sharing applications, and the use of less storage than electronic mail and a much reduced archiving problem, whilst content is still held at server level. 

Darwin Magazine article:
What is Instant Messaging?
By Danielle Dunne 
August 16, 2001 

EffectiveIntranets.com online article/comments
Instant Messaging  2/18/2002

Techsoup.org articles - The Technology place for nonprofits
An Introduction to Chat and Instant Messengers  (May 2000)
Another Form of Internet Communication 
Read the answer to this question asked on Techsoup:
The Question: 
Is a message board the best way to build a virtual community?
How does a message board compare to the use of email lists or online chats?
Which option is best for a small nonprofit? 
Like many NPOs, our organization is relatively low on budget and on manpower. 
The answer at: http://www.techsoup.org/qod_answer.cfm?qotdid=230

**Note** see related items/resource links about Creating your own listservs, email newsletters, etc
on my Subscribing to popular library lists page
and also the resource links on using the internet to effectively market your Library
on my Marketing libraries page

Lotus Sametime
Quoted from site:
http://www.lotus.com/products/lotussametime.nsf/wdocs/homepage
As the leader in real-time collaboration for e-business, Sametime can make working with your extended team easier than ever before. It's not only about instant messaging, it's about using the Web to improve customer service, reduce travel costs, and create communities among your employees, customers, partners, and suppliers. 

Tech Instant Messenger
Quoted from website
www.kingofmath.com/Freeware/tim/
Tech Instant Messenger (TIM) is a simple messaging utility designed for local area networks. Modeled after AOL, Yahoo, and MSN Instant Messengers, TIM has the essential functionalities but not ads or fancy but useless features. The server is a light-weight program that can run on any Windows system. Any user on the local network or over the Internet can get on TIM if given the server's computer name or IP address. Communication in a household or business building no longer requires active Internet connection. Get your TIM today

www.kingofmath.com/Freeware/tim/

NetLert
Quoted from site:
http://www.netlert.com/
Globally recognized Authority in Real-Time Communication
Live, Reliable, Timely Support 
No costly hardware upgrades 
Custom Solutions for your company 
Platform Independent 

Network Assistant
What is Network Assistant ?
Quoted from site:
http://www.gracebyte.com/nassi/
 Network Assistant is a multiple-mode user-friendly network communication utility, including real-time chat, shared whiteboard, and instant messaging. It is intended to be used in small office or home office (SOHO) local networks.

Jabber
Quoted from site:
http://www.jabber.com/products/index.shtml
Jabber Communications Platform (JCP) is a robust software platform for instant messaging and presence-enabled applications and services. The platform has been designed to meet the rigorous demands of large-scale deployments, where requirements mandate superior server scalability, security, performance, reliability, and network integration.

Odigo
Quoted from site:
http://corp.odigo.com/products/index.html
Instant Messaging Solutions
Odigo offers the most robust, interoperable and customized Instant Messaging & Presence Solutions available. Our suite of products and services include:
Open IM Server - Odigo's highly scaleable, robust, reliable, and fault tolerant IM server is available for licensing or hosting by Odigo.
Custom IM Clients - including fully customized Windows, Macintosh, Java, WAP, SMS, I-Mode and HTML clients, as well as additional community products and opportunities.

People Link
Quoted from site:
http://www.peoplelink.com/genome/os_apps_im.html
PeopleLink Instant Messaging delivers the power of one-to-one and one-to-many real time text messaging to your business. Instant Messaging enables your employees, customers, and partners to quickly and easily communicate and share documents over your Web site, intranet, and extranet. 
 

VyPRESS
Quoted from site:
http://www.vypress.com/about.asp
Founded in 1997, VyPRESS Research is a leading provider of instant messaging solutions for LANs/WANs and customized instant messaging systems for business. The Company's products are currently licensed in more than 60 countries. VyPRESS's clientele includes large corporations, government education entities and individual users worldwide.

12Planet
Quoted from site:
http://www.12planet.com/en/software/messenger/
12Planet Instant Messaging Server software offers a powerful solution for private business instant communication and collaborative work.
12Planet Instant Messaging Server enables the quick deployment of a powerful, dynamic, easy-to-use, reliable and cost-efficient instant messaging network allowing companies to offer either MSN, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo compatible public IM services or totally secure and private intranet or extranet instant messaging. The software is very easy to install and there is no need for client-side software.

Related:
Online forum for:
Instant messaging corporate applications 
http://www.tek-tips.com/gthreadminder.cfm/lev2/67/lev3/73/pid/611

Download these FREE Tools for Instant Messaging applications
from BitDefender.com
Information excerpt quoted from website
www.bitdefender.com/html/freeware_products.php
Freeware Products 
SOFTWIN is the first company in the world to foresee the explosion of Instant Messaging applications and the need to close the security loopholes left by these applications in the IT environment. SOFTWIN is the world leader in the protection of Instant Messaging Software (IMS) communications. We invite you to download our freeware products and use them to protect your IMS communications. 
www.bitdefender.com/html/freeware_products.php

CHAT Reference Service: An Analysis of one Semester's Data
Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship  Fall 2001
JoAnn Sears
http://www.istl.org/istl/01-fall/article2.html

Live Chat - Session 1
Academic Libraries of the 21st Century

Reference Services Review
Volume 29 Number 3 2001 
 An analytical survey of chat reference services 
    Stephen Francoeur (pp. 189 - 204) 

Could chat software help your CRM? 
Oct 6, 2000
Gartner Research 
http://www.techrepublic.com/article.jhtml?src=search&id=r00520001006ggr01.htm
NOTE: this "link" was not available when checking Links on 9/29/201

Summary by TechRepublic's Paul Baldwin

Enter the words "chat" and "business" into any search engine, and you'll get a laundry list of sites with chat rooms that feature small business advice, sites that offer ways for singles to meet, and sites designed for people with common interests, such as anglers or lawyers.

But you're also beginning to see plenty of chat software companies that are working to integrate chat's functionality into business. A recent report from Gartner, "Chat Software: Perspective," outlines how companies are using chat software for e-commerce and how vendors of integrated CRM suites have also included chat components.

What is chat?
Gartner describes chat as a client/server solution that permits numerous users to conduct live public or private communications sessions via the Internet or corporate intranet. Users must first install chat software on their machines.

Many of the chat products offer Java-based client software, which requires a Java-enabled browser. Others also offer an HTML client that works in any Web browser or native clients, such as plug-ins for Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer.
 

Analysis snapshot 
"Chat can be an important component of a business' CRM strategy, since it can help electronic business sites maintain a persistent customer base, cultivate customer loyalty, and build brand awareness by encouraging visitors to remain on a site longer and then consistently return to it. Chat can make a Web site less static and more dynamic."
To read more on networking services and service providers, download Gartner's full report or visit our Product Analysis center. 
 

Should businesses use chat?
Gartner gives several compelling reasons why businesses should use chat. First, it allows customer support to communicate with consumers in a one-on-one conversation, answer their questions in real time, and moderate product demonstrations.

Building communities
Gartner also suggests that chat can build customer communities increasing a customer's sense of ownership and compelling them to return. Scheduled chats, for example, have the potential to attract prospective customers who can discuss their experiences and share opinions. Companies also have the ability to incorporate advertising into chat rooms.

Chat on the intranet
Chat sessions can also be held on a corporate intranet to improve communications and collaboration. Supervisors, for example, can schedule team meetings in a chat room with passwords required before employees can participate.

Weighing the risks and expense
Gartner also outlines several risks that businesses may experience with the use of chat software to reach consumers. The most damaging is customer resentment. Gartner suggests that some Web site visitors may not welcome a chat window that offers them assistance, or they may be concerned that the use of a chat session will compromise their anonymity.

Gartner also addresses the potential expense of chat software. It estimates that businesses that use their own servers for chat hosting must first license chat software at a cost of between $500 and $1,000. Other businesses may incorporate chat into their Web site through a remote server maintained by a chat-hosting company, requiring such businesses to pay monthly fees.

"Instant Chat Finds Home in E-Commerce Sites" 
This article from Computerworld discusses the use of 
online chat in e-businesses and their efforts to turn browsers into buyers.
The Fast Company article "It's Real Time to Talk," 
discusses how blue-chip companies are experimenting with chat and features a 
discussion about the merits of the technology in the workplace.
 

Chat Software Companies

**NOTE** Read:
Live On Line Reference
Article from Duke University Libraries with "evaluation"
of some of these software company services

Considerations When Selecting Chat Software 
Florida Distance Learning Reference & Referral Center 
Real Time Reference Using Chat - Poster Session 
 

Convey Systems
http://www.conveysystems.com/
Convey Systems’ OnDemand technology allows the 
essence of a physical library to come alive electronically

CYRACLE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Cyracle provides immediate, affordable and reliable online customer service software for 
companies of any size.  Cyracle's flagship software, is a fully integrated 
customer service product suite - including a real-time customer monitor, 
customer self-help capabilities, live online and pro-active assistance. 
Cyracle's software integrates these online communication channels through a 
knowledge engine and utilizes Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning technologies. 
Cyracle's fully integrated solution is the first software that focuses 
on enhancing the customer experience while lowering support costs 
for companies by eliminating the need for customer representatives to answer repetitive questions. 

As an online enterprise service, Cyracle eliminates the need to buy, 
install or maintain hardware, software or networks and can be 
implemented in hours at a significantly lower cost than traditional enterprise software. 
Cyracle's software can be accessed any time and anywhere from a Web browser
and requires little or no training or IT support. 
http://www.cyracle.com

Human Click
http://www.humanclick.com/

Live Assistance
LiveAssistance is 100% platform independant requiring 
only a few lines of HTML to be added to any web site
http://www.liveassistance.com/features.html

Live Helper
Livehelper is a customer service tool for your website 
that enables web site visitors to instantaneously communicate
with your customer service personnel
http://www.livehelper.com/

LSSI
Virtual Reference
http://www.virtualreference.net/virtual/

LivePerson
Have You talked to your Website Visitors today?
http://www.liveperson.com/

Webmaster, Inc.
ConferenceRoom is the browser-enabled 
Chat/Conferencing server application for: 
economical conferences , 
customer support without the aggravating wait, 
distance learning, whenever people need to work together... 
or when people just want to chat.
http://www.conferenceroom.com/home.shtml

CHAT Freebies
We've scoured the Net and found you tons of cool chat freebies like free software,
browser plug-ins, utilities, pagers and much more. 
Plus, we've reviewed a bunch of the best free chat services on-line.
http://www.coolfreebielinks.com/Chat_Freebies/

the software can be downloaded here:

http://styro.lib.muohio.edu/rakim/

here is a brief rundown of features:

* unlimited number of operators/librarians
* librarian-patron chat
* page-push
* shared queue of patrons
* ability to refer patrons to other librarians (personal queue)
* shared/personal bookmarks
* email transcripts to patrons
* audible alert to librarian when new patron arrives
* audible alert to patron when their call is answered
* editable preferences for librarian
* browser-based - no plugins (except to play alerts, and this
  can be turned off)
* needs frames/javascript/css; right now, this means Netscape 4.X
  and IE, but support for Mozilla (and its offspring), Opera,
  Konqueror, and others is planned (clean up some javascript code)
* relational database backend, using PHP's database abstraction
  layer provided by PEAR; in english, any relational database that
  PHP can connect to can be used to run the software...PHP runs on
  Unix-es and Win32, so the server platform is quite flexible.
* currently, the only databases supported are MySQL and
  PostgreSQL; this will change in the near future as i test it
  with more databases and make some tweaks to SQL queries (for a
  standard, SQL queries on dates sure are non-standardized ;)
* its Free software....Free, as in speech, and free, as in beer.

things to think about (and do) for the future:

* finish administrative/reporting features
* scripted interactions (automated-walkthrus)
* exit surveys
* librarian-to-librarian messages
* voice over ip, if there is a Free, cross-platform solution
* more configurability
* lots of others.....any suggestions?

anyway, i thought people on this list might be interested in a Free
alternative to the LSSI's of the world....it may not have all the features
of some of the commercial products, but its also a very young project, and
the source code is available, just waiting for others to tear it apart,
fix it, add to it, or ignore it and write your own....;)

the software can be downloaded here:

http://styro.lib.muohio.edu/rakim/

there is some basic documentation, along with some installation
instructions for Unix-like systems; we run Debian GNU/Linux here, but i
know others have had no problem putting it on other Unix machines.

look forward to any feedback/discussion....if you need assistance in
installing, i'd be more than happy to help trouble-shoot....it would help
me identify any bugs, and iron them out ;)

rob casson
electronic information services librarian
miami university libraries
rcasson@lib.muohio.edu

Creating a Winsock chat application using Visual Basic
[Jul 6, 2000] Looking to learn more about Visual Basic and ways it can be used in your enterprise? TechRepublic's Lamont Adams steps you through the process of building a VB Winsock ...
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 ISP Chat Hosting - Talk Is Cheap 
     Published: July 1, 1997
Publisher: eshare communications, inc 
Document Type: White Paper 
Description: For the corporate and consumer Web communities, 
those responsible for on-line content at ISPs are taking advantage of the opportunity to host live Web communication and discussion forums for
two very simple reasons: Chat hosting makes money, 
Chat hosting creates loyalty. 
Subjects: Customer Interaction Services  |  Electronic Messaging Software  |  Servers 
 

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 7 Reasons to Add Live Chat and BBS to Your Web Site 
     Published: January 1, 1997
Publisher: eshare communications, inc 
Document Type: White Paper 
Description: Chat and BBS technology provides users
with a meeting place and a common language,
fostering an environment where people with 
common interests come together and are 
encouraged to share ideas and exchange information.
Subjects: Electronic Messaging Software 
 

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 Synchrony: Hosted Electronic Customer Care for the Mid-market 
     Published: October 1, 1999
Publisher: Aberdeen Group
Document Type: Analyst Report 
Description: Synchrony Communications is an Ohio-based
supplier of Internet-based customer care software 
that combines text chat, e-mail, phone, and 
fax communications into a modular, 
integrated solution that it calls 
electronic relationship management (eRM).
Subjects: Customer Relationship Management 
|  Host Management  |  Internet Business Services 
 

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 Using Online Community as a Crucial Market Intelligence Resource 
     Published: October 1, 2000
Publisher: The Yankee Group 
Document Type: Analyst Report 
Description: The online community, defined by the 
Yankee Group in an earlier Report as a large targeted audience 
of loyal and highly interactive users, 
began as an Internet Relay Chat communication
phenomenon during the Web's embryonic stages.
Subjects: Customer Relationship Management  |  Sales and Marketing Software  |  User Groups 
 

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 Providing a Personal Touch to Internet Customer Care 
     Published: July 1, 2000
Publisher: Aberdeen Group 
Document Type: Analyst Report 
Description: In a market environment that emphasizes the value of customer
Subjects: Call Center Software  |  Customer Interaction Services  |  Distributed Computing  |  Web Software 
 

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 The Web and Virtual User Groups 
     Published: January 1, 1997
Publisher: eshare communications, inc 
Document Type: White Paper 
Description: eshare Expressions and the eshare Midway Server provide the most full-featured and effective means for converting Web sites into true communication centers for user groups and other affiliated organizations.
Subjects: Customer Interaction Services  |  Electronic Messaging Software 
 

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 Customer Interaction Management 
Published: October 4, 2000
Publisher: Continuity Inc. 
Document Type: White Paper 
Description: A primary factor in both the qualitative and 
quantitative success of an online business is the capability 
to manage the complete spectrum of customer 
interactions that form the customer relationship -- 
from online product assistance and 
customer queries to real-time chat and cross-selling, and to 
have a complete view of the customer's interaction 
history that spans all of these media.
Subjects: Call Center Software  |  Customer Interaction Services 
 

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 Handling Multi-media Work 
     Published: October 20, 2000
Publisher: Pipkins, Inc 
Document Type: White Paper 
Description: Data collection for forecasting must be enhanced to provide interfaces for all the different multi-media events (email, fax, web chat, etc). 
Subjects: Call Center Management  |  Call Center Software 
 

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 The Interaction Center Platform TM 
     Published: July 27, 2000
Publisher: Interactive Intelligence, Inc. 
Document Type: White Paper 
Description: The Interaction Center Platform™ is a powerful platform for implementing comprehensive interaction management covering not only telephone calls and faxes but also e-mail messages, Internet text chats, Web callback requests, and voice over Net calls.
Subjects: Communications Software  |  Customer Interaction Services 
 

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via e-mail, write to: mary@librarysupportstaff.com
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