IM chats are a great way to exchange real-time messages with your friends. Before you start an IM chat, you first have to take a moment to set up an instant messaging account.

Tap , Conversations, and then select My Accounts from the menu. Now choose an instant messaging service from the list and follow the onscreen instructions. You will be asked to define a user name and password.

After creating one or more accounts, simply sign in to start multiple IM chats at the same time.

Strike up a conversation with one or more of your friends through your favourite instant messaging services. All messages are exchanged in real time as your conversations go back and forth.

First, tap > Conversations > New instant message and select a contact from your list. You can also start a new chat from the Conversations menu by selecting Chat with and entering a chat address. Follow these steps again to start another chat at the same time.

Write your message in the message editor and select to send. To add smilies, simply tap the smilies icon, choose the one you want, and select .

An avatar is a visual representation of you and helps to add a personal touch when you're exchanging messages with friends. Choose a preloaded avatar by tapping > Conversations > Settings. Then select My accounts, choose an IM account from your list, and press the field next to your current avatar to view all the available avatars. Now select your preferred avatar and tap Save.

You can also add any image stored on your Nokia N900 to represent you as you chat. Select > Conversations > Settings > My accounts > Browse. After finding the image you want, tap Save.

With Maemo you can start multiple IM chats and keep them all running at the same time.

After you start one or more IM chats, they will then sit conveniently on your dashboard for you to access whenever you like. All you have to do is tap to keep an eye on your ongoing IM chats.

To access one of your ongoing chats, tap a chat window from the dashboard and continue the conversation. When you're ready to switch back to another chat, simply select and jump from one conversation to another by tapping the screen.

Depending on what you're doing and where you are, you can easily change your availability to match any situation. After tapping the status menu once, choose Availability from the list of options and simply select online, busy, or offline.

All your registered IM services will be updated simultaneously as soon as you change your availability. You can even add a message to let your friends know exactly what you're up to.