[JDEV] What does een IM system need to reach the end user (Was: Re: [JDEV] Poll about who will use Jabber when Trillian comes out)

[Mattias Campe]

Peter Saint-Andre wrote:
[...]
> I agree, much more is needed than just an easy user guide. If we really
> want to reach the average IM user, we need an icq.com-style portal that
> makes users happy by providing general-interest chatrooms, easy ways to
> find like-minded users, fun little quizzes and polls, games, and all
> that jazz.

IMHO, what most of the end users want is:

1 multiprotocol, good loking, localized client with basic features 
(chat, file transfer, presence) that they can download in 1 click.

-) Multiprotocol:
*client-side* support for AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, Jabber

-) Good looking:
most of the users are interested in how a client *looks*, not what it 
*does*: skins, avatars, emoticons,...

-) Localized:
they want the client in their *native language*, by downloading *1* file 
to have it all

-) Basic features:
as I said, most of the users are interested in the looks, not the does. 
Still, add 1 more feature to it (next to chat, file transfer, presence) 
and their lying at your feet: file sharing.


What I don't think they (="most of the users", not all the users) are 
interested in is an icq.com-style portal, that's at least what I "feel" 
in my group of friends. And I'm living in a building with 200 people 
where a lot of them *ask* me about info, because they don't like to look 
it up. So, I think they rather expect a client out of the box, without 
having to look at any documentation. So, a localized free version of 
Trillian which supports Jabber...

Let me start another poll on the Trillian community, comments are 
welcome (even if you would rather want another poll):

What needs an Instant Messaging system for you alone (multiple answers 
possible):
1) file sharing
2) icq.com-style portal site
3) skinnable client
4) avatars
5) lots of emoticons
6) file sharing
7) ...

greetings,
Mattias