You don't have to search in vain for your friends on the Net so you can talk with them online. Why would you still do a directory search or hang around IRC unnecessarily if there's a much better, easier, and quicker way to warn you of your friends' presence online?

With more than 20 million registered users (and still growing), this nifty program alerts you in real time when your friends log on. It's a user-friendly Internet tool that informs you who among your friends are on line and enables you to communicate with them at will.

Called ICQ (I Seek You), the program quietly runs in the background, allowing you to work with other applications while also enabling you to have a wide range of internet applications available at the click of the mouse. The program's icon is actually a small eight-petal flower that sits quietly on your system tray. The little flower is green when you're connected to the ICQ network and red when you're not.

With ICQ, you can chat with and send messages to friends, transfer files and URLs, and play games with your Net friends while you surf the Net at the same time.

The program also allows multi-user chatting or conferencing.

Once you've got the program downloaded, your next step would be to install it. Do not disconnect from your ISP. When you install ICQ, the program will ask you to register at a server. This server is connected to a broad network of servers that span the Internet. While you're registering, you're going to receive a unique UIN (Universal Internet Number). After being assigned your UIN, ICQ will give you the option of entering personal information along with your UIN. This will allow other ICQ users to recognize you when you get connected to the Internet.

ICQ will tell you if you've been registered. One registered, you can start searching for your friends and putting them on your ICQ contact list. Remember though that in order for you to be able to communicate with your friends using ICQ, your friends should also have ICQ installed in their computers or they should have their own UIN.

When you get online, ICQ will detect the connection and will launch itself and find your friends for you and alert you if they are logged on. Once you know who's on, you can initiate a chat request, send your friends messages, transfer files from your computer to your friend's computer and vice versa, conduct Microsoft Netmeeting or Netscape Conference, play games, and exchange contact lists with your friends.

Your ICQ Status Button indicates your availability for chat or any other activity on the Net. ICQ lets you choose any one of the nine status:

1. Available for Random Chat - Notifies other ICQ users that you are available for Random Online Chat
2. Available/Connect (online)- Connects you to the ICQ server.
3. Free for Chat - Informs ICQ users that you are available for chat.
4. Away - Informs users trying to send you an event that you are away from your computer.
5. N/A (Extended Away) - Notifies other ICQ users that you are away for an extended period of time.
6. Occupied (urgent messages only)- Notifies other ICQ users that you are occupied and that you are only receiving urgent messages.
7. Do Not Disturb - Informs users trying to send you an event that you do not want to be disturbed.
8. Privacy (Invisible) - Causes you to appear offline to other users. You can send events, but other users will not be able to send online events to you.
9. Off-line/ Disconnect. - To disconnect from an ICQ server.

To add a user to your contact list:

Messages are notes that you can send other people in your contact list. To send a message:

1. Open your ICQ Window.
2. Right-Click on the person you wish to send the message to.
3. The User Menu will appear.
4. Click on Message. A window will open.
5. Type the message you wish to send.
6. Click on Send.

When another user sends you a message, a flashing icon will appear. If your ICQ Window is closed, the message icon will flash in your system tray. If your ICQ Window is open, the message will flash next to the sender in your contact list. To read the message, simply Double-Click on the Message Icon.

To chat with another user in your contact list:

1. In the ICQ Window right-click on the user you wish to chat with. This will open the User Menu.
2. Select ICQ Chat.
3. A dialog will open and you're required to Enter Chat Subject.
4. Click Chat.
5. The chat will begin when the recipient answers.

When you receive a request to join a chat, a flashing chat icon will appear. If your ICQ window is closed it will appear in your system tray. If your ICQ window is open, it will flash in your contact list, next to the name of the sender. To receive a chat, Double-Click on the flashing chat icon and choose Accept.

For more information about ICQ, please go to the following web sites: