Chat without IM software?

January 3, 2007 3:33 PM

Is there a website that people can use to chat and IM without actually using the the IM software? I thought I had read about such a site in an article about teens outsmarting the filters on their school computers, but I cannot remember what the site was called. Does this ring a bell with anyone?
posted by foxinthesnow to computers & internet (22 answers total)

meebo.com is one.
posted by wearyaswater at 3:35 PM on January 3, 2007

Hopster.
posted by Burhanistan at 3:36 PM on January 3, 2007

eBuddy.com
posted by Burhanistan at 3:37 PM on January 3, 2007

Also, if you have Gmail, you have Google Chat right there in the browser.
posted by DefendBrooklyn at 3:37 PM on January 3, 2007

Lingr?
posted by goml at 3:39 PM on January 3, 2007

Meebo! That's it! Thank you!
posted by foxinthesnow at 3:39 PM on January 3, 2007

Gabbly - allows you to chat on any web page.
posted by goml at 3:41 PM on January 3, 2007

If you've got your own web server and want to use IRC, CGI::IRC is ok
posted by singingfish at 3:46 PM on January 3, 2007

If you already have an AIM account, there's AIM Express.
posted by muddgirl at 3:47 PM on January 3, 2007

Gmail has IM that is purely browser based (or thick client if you're interested).
posted by purephase at 4:05 PM on January 3, 2007

webmessenger.msn.com
posted by mphuie at 4:16 PM on January 3, 2007

So, does anyone bother to read previous responses or just go straight to pulling their own cord to answer the question?
posted by Burhanistan at 5:04 PM on January 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

Just because the question has been answered for the poster doesn't mean that there are not other answers.

If the site he wants to use will not work because of the school filter there may be other the that will work.

I can get to http://www.chatcreator.com/ without getting stopped by our district's filter.
posted by nimsey lou at 5:13 PM on January 3, 2007

ICQ has a web client.
posted by Area Control at 5:22 PM on January 3, 2007

You might want to consider marking the best answer rather than just saying "oh yeah, that's the ticket..."
posted by allkindsoftime at 6:33 PM on January 3, 2007

Yahoo hosts their messenger on their site too.
posted by Glitter Ninja at 6:43 PM on January 3, 2007

KoolIM.
posted by JPowers at 11:41 PM on January 3, 2007

Yahoo messenger and meebo have been blocked at my office, so you still might not able able to chat on those.
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:38 AM on January 4, 2007

Google chat!
A google webpage module, created by Garett Rogers.
It is IRC based but uses port 110 to by pass any blocked ports from work or school.
posted by convex at 10:15 AM on January 4, 2007

Can anyone suggest a website or similar mechanism that hasn't been blocked by WebSense? :)
posted by badlydubbedboy at 7:20 AM on January 26, 2007

For Meebo, I find that if I use https:// I can still get through past Websense.
posted by Karmakaze at 8:08 AM on February 5, 2007

koolim is still working for me--thanks, JPowers!
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:54 PM on August 8, 2007