AIM Chat Rooms are a quick and easy way of communicating via the Internet. Two or more people can create a private environment and have control over who can enter the chat room. While many people use AIM Chat Rooms to keep in touch with friends and relatives, other people use AIM Chat Rooms to communicate with educational instructors and business acquaintances.

How do I start an AIM chat room?

Before anyone can begin or participate in an AIM chat, you will need to install AOL Instant Messenger client on your computer. Downloading from the AIM site is quick and easy. Once you install the software and load it, you can send out invitations via AIM to other users and initiate the chat session.

To send out the invitations, click on "People" on the menu bar, then select "Sign On a Friend." A separate box will pop up that you can use to enter the email address of the persons you want to invite to the chat session. You will notice that there is an icon next to the individual's information that will let you know when they have logged onto AIM.

You may invite several people to participate in the private chat room with you. If the chat session is used for committee meetings or other events where notes or minutes should be taken, it is easy to download the text of the chat before you close the browser window.

Do I have to be an AOL subscriber to use AIM chat?

You do not have to subscribe to AOL Internet service in any form in order to utilize AIM Chat for chat sessions. You do need to have an AOL or AIM screen name, but you can create one of those when you download the AIM Chat software.

Do I have to use netscape as my browser?

You do not have to use Netscape as your browser. AIM Chat works with Internet Explorer and other types of browsers. Check the AIM homepage to see the versions of browsers that can be used with the latest release of AIM Chat software.