"America Online, Microsoft and Yahoo are teaming up to link their separate instant messaging services for use in the workplace, the first major step by the industry leaders to enable computer users to communicate with one another no matter which of the three systems they use. To use the new system, companies will have to license new Microsoft network software that will serve as the hub connecting messaging systems operated separately by AOL, Microsoft's MSN division and Yahoo. Instant messaging through computers, phones and other handheld devices is similar to the telephone, in that people communicate with each other directly and immediately. Most instant messages involve short text notes traded back and forth on computer screens, although some systems allow users to talk and see one another through the use of cameras, microphones and speakers or headphones. For now, the three companies have no plans to permit users outside the workplace to communicate with one another over different instant message systems. Thus far, most instant-messaging use in the workplace has occurred informally and from the bottom up, with individuals, rather than corporate computer systems mavens, driving the activity and traffic. While millions of individuals use AOL's AIM instant messaging service at work, AOL collects no fees for the free service, and corporations often do not control its use. The new service being touted by Microsoft, AOL and Yahoo would have features, including the electronic recording and saving of instant messages, and the guarantee of secure communications, that the free instant messaging services do not include. While consumers have been enthusiastic users of instant messaging, it remains to be seen whether corporations will be willing to spend more on the service."