Instant Messaging through Twitter Becomes Reality with t.imo.im

With the uses of Twitter growing daily, it is no surprise to see a dedicated IM client appear. t.imo.im is the Twitter based IM service from Imo.im, an instant messaging services founded by a former Google employee.

In essence t.imo.im it is taking the usual direct message conversation that you may have with someone and turning it into an instant messaging experience  we have yet to see elsewhere. From initial tests we found it to have awesome potential. After playing around with t.imo.im for a little bit, there are actually some things that you NEED to know if you wish to use it.

After adding t.imo.im to your services on your Twitter account, you are presented with a 3 column page. The first column is your Twitter buddy list, the second is where a small window pops up where your Twitter chats take place, and the third is your Twitter stream, so you never miss a tweet.

First off, the list of people who you are following in the left column only works if they are both following you and using t.imo.im, if they are logged on t.imo.im it will show up that they are online and you can chat with them; if not then they will remain blank.

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The second thing to be aware of is the little chat button on the bottom of users tweets in the far right column. This is used to add people to your chat buddies list or let your friends know that you are using t.imo.im via direct message and that they should join you. Sort of like an invitation system.

Using the gray “gap” in the far right and left of each column (except the middle one), you can collapses the right and left column leaving more space for chat windows.

t.imo.im may be a great way to connect and chat with your Twitter friends, but since it is still relatively new and a can be a little buggy at times (with followers, and who should go in what contact list etc…), using actual Instant messaging platforms still take the cake. I’m sure that if t.imo.im becomes more popular in the future it could really make a difference in how people experience and connect with Twitter.