I’ve always thought that instant messaging (IM) could be a very powerful social catalyst. Likewise I think that it can be a more effective business tool. One reason that many businesses shy away from using IM more is the lack of security. Another problem with IM as a communication tool has been the difficulty integrating the disparate services.

We now have AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Skype and ICQ versions of instant messaging platforms. Integrating all versions so you can chat with all of your friends and colleagues is nothing less than a pain in the neck. For years I’ve used Trillian to bridge the gap between the services. And while the Trillian Basic program has worked well for me so far it still hasn’t helped me to integrate the Google or Skype versions of IM.

A service called Meebo gets me part of the way there. Meebo is a web based, multi-platform IM service that allows you to login to all of the above mentioned services, except Skype, from your web browser. As far as I know you can’t get Skype anywhere but using the official Skype client so their lack of support for that platform is due to the closed nature of the Skype system. Not the end of the world since everyone I know who has Skype also uses one or more of the other services.

Meebo is really easy to use. You can use the service without setting up an account by entering your login info to the various IM services on the Meebo home page. If you create a Meebo account you will be able login to all of your IM services with a single sign on.

I’ve been using the service for a week now and I find myself using IM much more as a result. I’m using it to get quick questions answered for business reasons. I’m also running into family members who I rarely connect with online. I have more access than I do with Trillian because corporate firewalls that I frequently work behind block my Trilian client. I’m not having those problems with Meebo.

The improved access and integration provided by Meebo has reinvigorated my outlook on IM as a powerful tool for social networking and business communication. Heck, I can even use IM to send out updates using Twitter.

[tags]Social Media, IM, Meebo, Business Communication, Social Networking, Twitter[/tags]