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Messenger Services
Messenger services offering instant chat between people are a commonly used application online. The 3 major messenger services used by Australians, MSN, Yahoo!, and ICQ, all offer member directories allowing you to locate and contact users.
The MSN member directory incorporates all users of MSN Passport services, which includes Hotmail. Not all members choose to display a public profile, and many fake names are used, but it is worth the time to search as it can be a quick and free way of contacting someone.
Yahoo! also incorporates all users of it's range of services, including free mail and groups, into its directory. Again there are many fake details used to sign up, and users may opt out of having a public profile.
The ICQ directory covers a comprehensive range of details, however there appears to be less current users than the former two services mentioned. The interesting thing to note with this directory however is the age of certain listings. Each person who has signed up, regardless of when they did, or how long its been since they used the service, is still listed in the directory. This can be very useful for finding out historical information about a person, or even if they are an internet user. Personal details were not nearly as protected on the internet as they are today, and this becomes quite obvious when looking through the directory.
Updated: 28th May, 2005
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