Google Talk with AIM, MSN, & Yahoo

I like Google Talk. I’ve been using Meebo to talk to contacts using different Instant Messaging platforms and have been very impressed. However, I’ve wanted to use Google Talk more since it integrates with Gmail so nicely.

Getting these different platforms talking together isn’t so difficult. BigBlueBall.com provided a tutorial on getting all your contacts recognized by GTalk last year when Google opened their servers to the Jabber Network.

It goes:

  • 1. Download PSI or a similar Jabber client.
  • 2. Go to Service Discovery and choose a Server. I chose something local.
  • 3. Register each particular Transport [MSN etc] and enter your login details.
  • 4. Authorize all the System Messages you get [a lot].
  • 5. Exit PSI, with no requirement to start it up ever again, and open Google Talk.
  • 6. Your new contacts will be available in GTalk! Add new contacts using: [screenname]@[transport].[server]

It works pretty well. There’s still no features like file transfers but I’ve had no trouble talking to MSN contacts through Google Talk.

My main benefit from doing this is archived chats in Gmail. I’ve been trying to get all my information in there so I can search Gmail when suitable. Now all my IM conversations are archived there.

If there’s an easier way, let us know.

Connect Google Talk to AIM, MSN, & Yahoo – [BigBlueBall]