The most popular use of the Internet is still electronic mail (e-mail) and not the World Wide Web. While millions of Internet surfers find e-mail very convenient, most still encounter the same frustrations as when they leave voice mail, send a postal mail or even a fax. When you send a message you don't know when your recipients will check their messages.

Most online users would agree that it would be great if there was some way to know when a friend or business associate was online and could be reached. Even better would be the ability to immediately chat with the person or send files with a simple drag of the mouse.

Fortunately, there are three major programs available for free that let you do just that: ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger and Ichat Pager.

ICQ, by Mirabilis, is a "user-friendly Internet tool that informs you who's on-line at any time and enables you to contact them at will." Once contacted, you can chat, send messages, files, URLs (Internet addresses) or play games while still surfing the Net.

When you install ICQ, the program asks you to register at a server, which is connected to a broad network of servers spanning the Internet. At the time of registration, you receive a unique UIN (Universal Internet Number), optionally enter personal information and compile a list of friends and associates. Once installation is complete, ICQ waits quietly in the background without interrupting your other programs. As soon as you log onto the Internet, ICQ automatically detects the Internet connection, announces your presence to the Internet community and alerts you when friends sign on or off.

If the thought of someone keeping track of you bothers you, there are security settings to block all or specific users from seeing your online status and thus effectively removing any ICQ contact to you. You can also accept or deny messages, chat requests, file transfers or URL requests on a global or individual basis.

The chat feature is very robust, has lots of "bells and whistles" and gives you two layouts to chat in. The split-screen layout is great for two or three people. Each participant shows as a separate window on your screen. You can see letter-by-letter as each person types and corrects his or her chat message. If you intend to have a larger chat group, you may want the traditional IRC chat style which list each person's conversations in a single combined list displaying additions only when a person has typed in and pressed the enter key to send.

In either mode, you can add someone to your chat just by dragging their name on to the existing chat, assuming they have their security options set to allow that.

My other favorite feature is the file transfer. It just doesn't get any easier than selecting a file and dragging it to a users name. Again, assuming the recipient has authorized you to do this, the file is immediately transferred to their computer in a waiting directory. Truly amazingly simple.

ICQ claims to be "the world's largest online communication network" and had over 3.5 million registered users and over 200,000 simultaneous users online at peak in October, 1997. Additionally, ICQ works on Windows and Macintosh-based personal computers.

Other programs similar to ICQ are AOL Instant Messenger and Ichat Pager. Neither work as well as ICQ, but if all your friends or associates are already using one of these alternatives, you may want to make a switch.

With these tools, you can now keep up with associates and friends as they come online, and transfer information more easily and quickly. ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger and Ichat Pager let you communicate instantly all day long.