If you're looking for a more personal way to stay in touch, iChat enables you to see and hear your friends, family, and coworkers no matter how far away they are. It lets you text chat, audio chat, or video chat over the Internet without accruing any text messaging, long distance, or video streaming charges. Not only can you chat one-on-one, you can also set up a multiperson chat for work or play.

Tip: You can also use FaceTime to make video calls on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (requires a FaceTime-enabled Mac with an Internet connection or a FaceTime-enabled iOS device with a Wi-Fi connection; not available in all areas).

To use iChat, all you need is access to the Internet and one of the following accounts: iCloud, MobileMe, AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), Google Talk, Yahoo, or Jabber. Here's how to set up and use iChat.

1. Open iChat from Launchpad, the Dock, or the Applications folder.
2. Follow the instructions on the screen to configure iChat. If you don't have a me.com account or Mac.com account yet, open System Preferences and click iCloud preferences. Then click "Create an Apple ID" to sign up for a free one. You can get an account name that ends with @me.com. This account works within the AIM network so you can use iChat to chat with your AIM buddies.
3. Once everything's configured, iChat opens and displays the different kinds of iChat buddies. This is where you'll be able to see who is available to chat once you add people. Your account appears at the top; your current status should show you as being "Available." Other iChat and AIM users who've added your account to their lists can view your name and status.
4. If you want to change your status, click your status and choose a new one from the pop-up menu. You can choose one of the existing status messages such as Away, or choose Custom Available and type your own customized status message.
5. If your computer has a built-in mic, or you have an external one plugged in, you may also see a green "phone" icon next to your iChat picture, which lets your fellow iChat buddies know that you're available to audio chat. If you have a built-in camera, USB camera, or FireWire camera (such as iSight or DV) connected to your computer, a movie camera icon displays to let your iChat buddies know that you're available to video chat. Visit the iChat Support page for information about iChat system requirements.

To add a buddy, simply choose the type of account he or she has, and type the account name.

1. To add someone to your buddy List, choose Buddies > Add Buddy.
2. From the "Add to" pop-up menu, choose the type of account your buddy.
3. Type the account name. iChat will help by searching through your Address Book. You can also enter your buddy's first and last name.
4. From the "Add to group" pop-up menu, choose the group you want to add your buddy to.
5. Click Add. Your new buddy should appear in your buddy list. If he or she is online, a status indicator appears next to the name. If a buddy's name appears dimmed, he or she isn't currently available to chat.

To ensure that your words convey a certain emotion, you can pick an emoticon to send along with your message.

1. To start a text conversation with an available buddy, just double-click on a their name in the buddy list.
2. A chat window opens. Type a message in the text box at the bottom of the window and press Return to send the message. Your buddy will receive a chat invite. If he or she wishes to chat with you, you'll receive a reply back in your chat window.
3. You can send a smiley face emoticon with your message: just click the smiley face icon in the bottom-right corner and choose an icon from the pop-up menu. You can also drag or paste images into the text box to send them directly to your buddy.
4. To end the chat, close the chat window.

If you and your buddy have a built-in or external microphone and have it enabled (in the Video menu, make sure that Audio Chat Enabled is checked), you can talk to each other over iChat just like you would on the phone.

1. To start an audio chat, select your buddy in the buddy list.
2. Click the phone button at the bottom of the window.
3. An audio chat window opens on your end, and an invitation gets sent to your buddy (he or she will hear a ringing sound if using iChat). When he or she accepts, your Audio Chat window will show a "connecting" message, and then display a levels meter when you're connected.
4. To end the chat, close the audio chat window.

If you and your buddy have built-in, USB, or FireWire video cameras, you can see and hear each other over a video chat.

If you and your iChat buddy both have a built-in, USB, or FireWire cameras on your computers and have it enabled (in the Video menu, make sure that Video Chat Enabled is checked), you can video chat with each other. For information about Mac supported USB