The world we live in ask that we try and be social. And chances are, whether you like it or not your usually are. This fact makes instant messaging very popular. There are all kinds of chat out there. Web, IRC, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, MSN. The options are long and your choices are many. So, today I will be rounding up a number of top mac chat clients. My first choice Adium, is by far, the most common in the mac community. However this is a good thing, and one to be expected seeing as it supports

* AIM
* Google Talk
* ICQ
* Jabber
* LiveJournal
* MSN Messenger
* Yahoo! Messenger
* Zephyr
*.Mac
*AIM
*Bonjour

The numerous extras, add-ons, and plugins also make it a popular choice. I personally have been using Adium for along time and have never run into any problems, its frequent updates and free price tag make it a must for any mac user. Get more info on Adium HERE

Another popular choice is the Multi-protocol client for mac. Fire. Fire is unique in the fact that aside from being able to connect to your traditional clients such as yahoo and msn, it can also do IRC chat. And not to bad I might add. It’s user experience isn’t quite as smooth as Adiums but it is very powerful. Overall a great tool once you master it.

However, one of the most unique chatting experince will probably happen to you if your willing to wade in the waters of IRC. This crude yet very useful protocol is a favorite of most underground folk. The difference between IRC and a MSN type serice is the fact that in IRC chat you have channels that connect you to rooms full of people, communicating as a group. This is often okay since most people are usually talking about the same topic and subject. My two favorites are Xchat and Colloquy. The both of them support the saving of nicks as well as favorite rooms to auto-connect to and “friend list” They are both offered free so I suggest you try them both out to see which one feels best to you.