Instant Messengers

What started off as a personal tool, that more often than not was thought to have no use other than to while away time, is now a recognized communication tool, both for personal and corporate use. Yahoo Messenger wins in this new category, with MSN Messenger and Rediff BOL at second and third place.

Surprisingly, unlike with free e-mail, loyalty levels with instant messengers is fairly high. Do buddy lists and the fact that the major instant messengers cannot communicate with each other have anything to do with this?