AIM had defined instant messaging in America for a decade, with its running-man icon, buddy lists, door-opening sounds and passive-aggressive away messages. By 2010 it was losing users to Facebook Chat, Google Talk and texting, though it still had a large base.
- Domain in 2010
- aim.com
- Launched
- May 1997
- Owner in 2010
- AOL
- Status today
- Shut down
What people used it for
- Instant messaging from a buddy list
- Away messages with song lyrics
- Chat rooms and file transfers
Interface characteristics
- Yellow running-man logo
- Buddy list window grouped into Buddies, Family and Co-Workers
- Door open and door close sounds
Notable features
- Away messages as a form of self-expression
- AIM Express in the browser
What happened later
AOL shut down AIM on 15 December 2017.
Archived on the Wayback Machine
Archived pages open on web.archive.org (Internet Archive). They are historical captures, not part of this exhibit.
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