Meebo

Hey, I’m back to serve you another fix of my scramblings-cum-review. Today’s topic is Meebo, the web-based IM client.

According to its blog, Meebo has been in business for about 8 months now. I heard about Meebo from a friend of a friend. He heard me complaining about The Company’s über-firewall system which renders all Net-traffic other than a web-browser’s (i.e. IMs, atomic-clock synching apps, games, you name it) impotent with such raw efficiency. He then told me the existence of Meebo.

I use only Yahoo Messenger, so in writing this review, I’m comparing Meebo to it. Meebo is quite user-friendly. Its interface are very similar to the regular IM clients we usually use, thanks to a helpful dose of AJAX. Quite-advanced features include showing your buddies’ avatar (though not vice-versa yet), your buddies’ standard and custom online statuses (still, no vice-versa), display of online profile, chat logs & logging on to different IM network simultaneously (if you apply as a free member) and sounds.It also supports several prominent IM networks.

Pros:

• Recognizable interface.
• Supports Yahoo Messenger, AIM, ICQ, Jabber, GTalk, and MSN Messenger.
• Quite-advanced features are available.
• Passwords given are encrypted using 1024-bit key. (Though what happens before it’s encrypted is questionable, considering Meebo’s log-in page uses conventional http instead of the secure https).
• Available as a widget at your site’s disposal, enabling your visitors to chat directly to you.
• It’s FREE, people! The only thing that beats free stuff is GOOD free stuff…

Cons:

• Prone to network congestion.
• Some offline messages got sent, some don’t.
• Its widget gives out your online status, even if you’re in invisible mode.
• If you’re using it to outsmart your firewall, its popularity is bound to attract the attention of your mean net admin.

All in all, I’m very satisfied with Meebo: 5 out 5 stars!

Meebo guys, if you’re reading this, thanks a gazillion for helping me overcome the communication hurdle that is The Company’s firewall. You’ve saved me sums of money that would otherwise be used to call (oh, so nineties!) my girl… :) Now if someone can do something about that pesky content-filtering app that The Company uses, my days would be Web-surfing nirvana! ;)