The world of communications has changed dramatically since Alexander Graham Bell filed his application for a patent on his telephone in 1876.

The moment he uttered the words "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you" to his assistant in the next room, the world was a different place. Within 15 years, it was possible to be in London and converse with someone in Paris, and within another 25 years it was possible to converse with someone in New York whilst sitting in Kensington.

Although the technology has advanced greatly in the last 100 years, the same basic premise remains the same though, in that the technology enables one person to speak to another person in a remote location.

Indeed, real-time communication between more than two people simultaneously has largely remained a privilege of corporations and other businesses, where conference calling is used to connect people in remote locations. But with the advent of the internet, all this has changed.

Not only can people now talk over the internet using VOiP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology for free, there are many instant messaging services now available too, where people can type messages to each other in real-time. Not only does this mirror real-life social situations more effectively than a telephone call, in that people can enter a conversation and then leave a conversation to carry out other tasks, but it also enables group conversations. And furthermore, it's free.

Another advantage instant messaging has over traditional telephonic communication is the ability to embellish conversations with direct links to websites, pictures or news stories, which can save a lot of time having to explain an issue.

As many as 100 people can participate in group conversations, too, making it a good forum for remote business meetings as well as private one-to-one dialogues. Importantly, the conversations are saved so if someone needs to go offline, they are still able to follow what was said at a later time.

Instant messaging services have been around since the early days of the internet, but some timely improvements have been made since the basic versions of 10 years ago. It is now possible to edit or delete any messages that have been posted, meaning errors can be amended with ease, rather than having to type additional text to explain the mistake.

The internet has changed the world of communications greatly. VOiP and instant messaging services allow people to exchange dialogue with people on the other side of the world at minimum expense, and looks set to change the way people interact forever.

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