Chat Freebies Chatting may be the single most popular activity on the
Net, outside of E-mail. Below we list a roundup of the Web's best
and most popular free chat programs and services. We also include
some of the more cutting-edge programs that allow you to assume the
form of an avatar and roam around a three-dimensional "virtual
reality" world, chatting with others. And we haven't left out
Webmasters, either. We also list many of the top free services that
allow you to easily set up your own chat room on your Web site.
ChatFiles
Basic Would you like to have your own
custom chat room on your Web site? You can easily set up a chat
room with ChatFiles' free, ad-supported "Basic" service. This
remotely-hosted service includes such nifty features as insert
smilies, optional private chat windows, sounds, and more.
Chatzone Here's a popular,
family-friendly free chat channel that you can access via your
browser. Chatzone is one of the more enduring IRC chat channels,
dating back to 1996. It's aimed at English speakers who are at
least 15 years old.
Chatzy Need a quick way to chat
with your friends? Here's a top-notch free service that lets you
easily create your own chat room, in which you can invite people
via E-mail to chat. No installation or registration is required
and the service doesn't pester you with banner ads or popups.
FreeJavaChat.com Here, you can
get a free, customized chat room for your Web site.
FreeJavaChat.com offers Java-based chat rooms that include a
feature-rich IRC-compliant Web interface. A big plus for this
service is that it displays no ads.
CyberNet Worlds Immerse
yourself in the fascinating world of 3D chat with CyberNet Worlds'
free 3D chat browser. Here, you can roam around various colorful
3D landscapes, chatting with users from around the world and build
your own virtual home. The CyberNet community also stages social
events, parties and contests. (For
Windows).
PalTalk The best free chat
program we've seen yet, this state-of-the-art multimedia client
features both instant messaging and Net telephony. An ad-supported
program, PalTalk lets you make local and long distance calls for
free to anyone who has Web access. (For
Windows).
Trillian Basic Are you tired of
having an instant messaging program that always seems to be
incompatible with the ones your friends use? Trillian Basic is an
outstanding freeware program that allows you to access any of the
Web's five major instant-messaging services: AIM, ICQ, MSN
Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and IRC. This new version adds useful
features such as 128-bit encryption and group chat. It's free for
non-commercial use. (For Windows).
IMpersona Liven up your instant
messaging sessions on MSN
Messenger with this nifty free program, which lets you select
an animated "virtual character" to represent yourself. These 3D
talking heads display facial emotions and speak the words you
type. There's a wide range of characters to choose from. (For Windows).
Chatway.com This service offers
a free online chat community, as well as message boards and chat
rooms for your own Web site. For more experienced users, there are
instructions on connecting to Chatway.com via an IRC client, such
as mIRC.
Active
Worlds 3D chat We think that this is one
of the coolest freeware programs on the Web. It's a browser that
lets you access AlphaWorld, a unique, 3D virtual community
populated by real people. The Active Worlds universe boasts
thousands of users who you can chat with. You can explore over 100
worlds in real-time, high-color graphics. You can even own land
and create buildings on your property, from a simple house to an
elaborate palace. (Available for Windows, Macs
and Linux).
ICQ
Pro 2003a A must-have instant messaging
and chat program from Israel that ranks as one of the Web's most
useful freeware programs. ICQ's features could fill a book but the
most important innovation it offers is "awareness" (the ability to
determine whether other people are online at a given moment).
Available for Windows, Macs and Palms.
OnChat (Note: This service is no longer free, as of Feb. 1,
2002). An impressive, state-of-the-art visual chat service.
Here, you select an avatar (a graphical representation of
yourself) and then you may roam around large, colorful graphical
worlds, populated by real people (who're also representated by
avatars). No downloads are required; it's all Java-based (which
means you should have a relatively new browser). If you haven't
tried this sort of chat before, give it a shot: it's quite fun.
(For Windows and Macs).
ChatPOP (Note: this site is temporarily unavailable).
A nifty, 3D graphical animation chatting service. To get started,
just download the freeware chat client and select your avatar to
represent you. This program even comes with a scene editor, that
lets you design your own custom home. ChatPOP is available in
English, Korean and Japanese. (For Windows).
