Gmail chat not meant for bulk AIM buddies Dec11 '07

It's great that the Gmail team implemented support for AIM - consolidating chat and email into a single interface. Problem is, the Gmail interface is not meant for bulk instant-messaging. It worked great for the minimal chat amongst other GTalk users - since that was typically only a handful of people, but now that I can interact with all of my AIM buddies, I'm sensing a bit of an overload occurring.

The interface is not designed properly to handle dozens, or hundreds of buddies, all online at once.

Here's the tiny chat widget, floating along the side of the page:

Screenshot of Gmail

This list doesn't grow or expand - it remains the same size. When you have dozens of your buddies online, you can only see a small handful. What if you need to instant-message someone who doesn't appear near the top of this list? How do you find their name?

Organization is also a problem. With Meebo, I can create different groups, which pertain to various segments of my life: work, family, friends, etc. This helps organize my contacts visually. The Gmail interface for chat is too basic and underdeveloped.

It seems many people wanted AIM support from within Gmail, but simply cramming it in there doesn't make things better. It makes things more cluttered and overwhelming.

If Gmail continues to support chat from within the same interface, they must come up with a better design and layout for the chat-related sections.

Categories: AIM , Gmail , Google , Instant Message

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matthom is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from a suburb of Chicago. Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.