ICQ ù acronym-speak for "I Seek You" ù is one of the most popular Web utilities around (see our cover CD). What makes this instant chat tool a favourite among Netizens is its ability to locate friends and colleagues online and alert you when they're available to chat. Unlike some other chat tools, which seem to cater to teenagers, this one is gaining popularity among business users as a handy communication tool.

The utility ù whose full name is ICQ 99 ù is offered free of charge by ICQ, a division of AOL. Like AOL's Instant Messenger and Microsoft's NetMeeting, ICQ logs you in to a central server whenever you connect to the Net, and tells you when your pen pals are online. Unlike with e-mail, you can use a chat tool to "converse" in real time, sending short messages that appear on the recipient's screen almost instantaneously. ICQ can also work hand in hand with conferencing software, such as NetMeeting and Netscape's Cooltalk, for both audio and video. ICQ 99 offers better Web integration than previous versions, including built-in search tools for finding news, software, and Usenet groups. It provides some non-chat tools, too, such as desktop notes, a reminder feature, and a to-do list.

In case you've never used an instant messaging tool, or ICQ in particular, the rest of this article consists of helpful tips and tricks.

The first thing you'll want to do after installing ICQ is add names to your contact list. Open the ICQ window by double-clicking the green flower in the system tray (in the lower right of your screen). Click the Add Users button. In the next dialogue box, enter your contact's name, e-mail address, or ICQ identification number (if you have it) to add him or her to your list. Then click Next. Repeat this procedure for everyone you want added to your list. If ICQ finds people who match the information you've provided, you'll receive a listing of all matches. If you see a match you're interested in contacting, click that entry, then click Next. If ICQ can't find any matches for the information you provided, you'll have the opportunity to send an invitation via e-mail. The other party will receive a message asking him or her to download and install ICQ so the two of you can start communicating.

Get more functionality

Before we go any further, it's a good idea to put the program in Advanced mode. Don't fret ù it's no harder to use than Simple mode. The advanced setting just gives you access to more functions, like file transfer and e-mail. From the main ICQ window, click the button that says To Advanced Mode. Then, in the dialogue box that pops up on the screen, select Switch to Advanced Mode.

Who's Online? When people in your contact list are online, ICQ moves them to the Online section of the ICQ window. To send a short message to a user, double-click a name (or click once and select Message). Type your message in the resulting dialogue box and click Send. To open a real-time text chat, click once on a user name, then click ICQ Chat. A dialogue box will permit you to enter some invitation text (like "let's talk for a second about the 3 o'clock meeting"). After you click the Chat button, ICQ will invite the user to chat with you. Once he or she accepts, the chat will begin.

Caption: ICQ makes it easy for you to tell who's available to chat

To send a file to another user, click a name, then select File. A familiar Windows File/Open dialogue box will appear. Find the file you wish to send, select it, and click Open. The next dialogue will let you enter a description of the file before you click Send. Fill it in if you know your recipient is suspicious of unknown attachments. ICQ will then ask the recipient whether he or she wants to receive the file; if the person says yes, the transfer will begin.

Note that ICQ is not a secure environment. It provides a handy means of sending messages and files instantaneously, but ù in theory, at least ù unknown third parties could intercept any information you send through ICQ. Therefore, we recommend that you use more secure methods (for example, PGP-encrypted e-mail) to send confidential messages and files.

Privacy Issues. To keep strangers from finding out when you're online, set ICQ to require your authorisation before others can add you to their contact list. To do so, click the ICQ button in the lower left of the ICQ window. Select Security & Privacy. Head to the Security tab and select My authorization is required. Then click Save. Alternatively, you can go to the Ignore List tab and check Accept messages only from users on my contact list to block unsolicited messages from strangers.

To prevent others from sitting down at your PC and posing as you on the Net, password-protect your ICQ program. Click ICQ-Security & Privacy, and then click the Security tab. Type in a new password and uncheck Save Password. Under Security Level, select High. Now, every time ICQ loads, it will prompt you to give your password before letting the world know that you're online.

With ICQ's "floating" feature you can create a desktop icon for your boss or client, so you can monitor their availability. To do this, drag their names, one by one, from the main ICQ window and drop them onto your desktop. Floating icons on your desktop will remain visible above all other open windows. If you'd like them to be anchored on the desktop, permitting other windows to cover them, select ICQ-Preferences; then, on the Contact List tab, deselect Make "Floating Users" Always on Top.

Out to Lunch. You can configure ICQ to display different messages when you're away from your desk or otherwise wish not to be disturbed. Click ICQ-Preferences and select the Status tab. ICQ uses several availability modes to let the world know what you're up to.

Caption: Can't talk right now? Set your availability on this menu

They include Away, N/A (Extended Away), Occupied (Urgent Msgs), and DND (Do Not Disturb). Select a mode listed in the drop-down menu that appears to the right of Enter Default Availability Mode Message For. Then use the text box to enter the text you'd like other users to see when you're in that mode. For example, if you would like to let people know you're out to lunch when you set ICQ to N/A mode, select N/A and enter I'm on my lunch break. Will return shortly. or some such in the text box. ICQ also offers preset text messages that you can choose from.

Caption: Beyond Chat, ICQ can serve as your answering machine,
letting you leave messages for friends and colleagues

To put ICQ into a different availability mode, open the main window by double-clicking the flower icon in the system tray, then click the flower box to the right of the ICQ Menu button. Now select a new mode. ICQ can automatically switch to Away or N/A modes after a specified period of PC inactivity or whenever the screen saver kicks in. To find these options, select ICQ-Preferences, and look on the Status tab.

You may find that you have trouble sending messages to some users in corporate environments. In organisations where computers share IP numbers, ICQ has difficulty figuring out where to send your messages. Fortunately, the messages can be sent through the main ICQ server rather than directly to the target PC. If ICQ finds that one of your messages needs to go through the server, you'll receive a dialogue asking whether you really want to take that action. You do. To set ICQ to send messages through the server automatically when it encounters trouble, select ICQ-Preferences, click the Events tab, and select Auto Send Messages Through Server.

ICQ notifies you of incoming messages, requests, and files in many ways. By default, the main ICQ window pops up when an event occurs. You can choose to have ICQ just flash its flower icon in the system tray instead. Select ICQ-Preferences, click the Contact List tab, and then deselect Popup Contact List upon Incoming Event. Sick of that "Uh-oh!" sound already? Select ICQ-Preferences, click the Events tab, and uncheck Play Sounds.

Want to clean up your contact list window a little bit? Remove the ICQ Now! button, the search box, and some other less useful controls. Click ICQ-Preferences, and on the Contact List tab, select Remove Contact List Buttons.

For more ICQ information and tech support, check out the message boards and the frequently asked questions section on the ICQ Web site (www.icq.com).