chat - aol
Real-time communication between two or many users via computer. Once a chat has been initiated, either user can enter text by typing on the keyboard and the entered text will appear on the other user's monitor. Most networks and online services offer a chat feature.

Chat can be used on the World Wide Web with your browser to conduct online chat sessions with other users and can accommodate between 50 and 1,000 users simultaneously. This feature can be used on a websites to facilitate communication with customers or as an information-based value-added feature.

Chat rooms are great for:

instant messaging - info
A type of communications service that enables you to create a private chat room with another individual. Typically, the instant messaging system alerts you whenever somebody on your private list is online. You can then initiate a chat session with that particular individual.

There are several competing instant messaging systems. Unfortunately, there's no standard, so anyone you want to send instant messages to must use the same instant messaging system that you use.

Instant messages are great for:

file sharing
File sharing and document conferencing allows people in different locations to work together on projects via the Web, without the need for high bandwidth connections.

Some programs allow conference participants to make basic annotations to documents; others let participants jointly use a word processor or spreadsheet.

Software programs for multimedia conferencing and screen-sharing on the Internet provide basic tools for connecting work groups and in-depth collaboration tools that enable users to control and synchronize applications and presentation of text, graphics, images, sound, and video.

Whiteboard applications feature real time sketching, viewing, and annotation of documents. The performance of conferencing technologies depends greatly on the kind of hardware and software being used by the interacting parties.

File sharing is great for:

audio/video conferencing - cuseeme, webex
Conferencing can take many forms, such as videoconferencing, audio conferencing, multimedia conferencing, and screen-sharing.

Conferencing can be done one-to-one, one-to-many (called multicast), and many-to-many (called multipoint). Most conferencing software is built on open industry standards so that a connection with a 28.8 Kbps modem is enough to get you in the game. However, higher connection speeds will give far best results.

Videoconferencing via the Web is a promising technology poised for takeoff. It has enormous potential for enhancing communications for small and mid-sized companies, as well as distance learning. However, because at the very minimum you need a high-speed connection for acceptable video quality, entry barriers remain high. As a result, desktop conferencing is not yet widely implemented for business and educational use. As bandwidth increases, expect to see desktop videoconferencing blossom.

Conferencing without audio or video can be accomplished on the Web with various document management, multimedia conferencing, or screen-sharing packages. Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 4.0 and higher) has a built-in conferencing program, called NetMeeting. To learn how to use it, read the NetMeeting tutorial under the Help menu of Internet Explorer.

Conferencing is great for: