ICQ is a popular type of instant messaging. As the name implies, it allows you to contact people from all over the world via instant messages, or "ICQ." It was originally developed as a free web service and later was developed into a MacOS application. Windows and MacOS users can use the program to find friends, make new friends, and play games.
The application itself is fairly simple. There are eight categories for users to choose from: Human, Group, Technology, Groups, Sports, Leagues, Friends, and Web. Each category has a leaderboard and matching picture that players can send to each other. The colors used to distinguish the leaderboards indicate the length of time that players have been in that category. Individual tiles can be selected and sent, with the goal being to have them be received by the person in the other person's category. Players can also send and receive game messages which, when clicked, will direct the user to their profile page.
A feature that many people have enjoyed about using the ICQ program on Windows is the ability to use the Bing search engine to search through the ICQ database. These search results come back with a general user list, and the user of the application can see a list of the groups in which they belong. This is great for helping out the one who can't seem to find anyone locally. On the other hand, there are times when a new friend turns up via instant message, and the application doesn't recognize them. It's also possible to check your Microsoft Outlook calendar on the application, and see who is coming up on that day. The application is able to do this, because it uses Microsoft's calendar, which is on the computer itself. This feature of the application makes it an excellent choice for students who want to check the time of their classmates, or people who need to know what time class starts.
