IM wars
Yahoo! claims to have started blocking third party IM services from accessing their chat network this week. Again. The difference this time is that they have pledged to continue changing protocols, etc. as services like Trillian find new ways to connect.
Oh, and Yahoo! says this is necessary to stop IM spammers from taking advantage of their systems. Uh-huh.
I’m a Trillian Pro user, but I have yet to be kicked off Yahoo!. The ability to connect to multiple IM networks (even if I only know 2 people on each) is an incredible service. It also helps that Trillian arguably has the best interface, and many unique features.
The largest IM providers have each been successful because of their closed networks, but that growth is limited without understanding the evolution of IM communication. Imagine if every ISP required you to use their own email client, and you could only send and receive email from others in the same network. As a Road Runner user, could I talk to my friend that subscribes to Earthlink? Unfortunately, I could not.
The real irony is that Yahoo! partnered with MSN several years ago to cry foul when AOL blocked outside communication with its AIM network.
I understand that these services are free, and mostly ad supported. It makes sense that if users don’t connect to the Yahoo! client, they won’t get the custom messages and links to other Yahoo! content. The problem is that without opening the IM networks to allow users from any of the major services to talk to each other, it only encourages people to find a way around having to deal with multiple clients and services. In this age, inefficiency is quickly countered by solutions from multiple sources. While the competitiveness of these alternatives is often slight, it’s undeniable that they influence development. Just ask Microsoft.