Yahoo offers one of the best chat systems that I have seen on the web. They offer thousands of rooms on many subjects. Any one can set up a room by starting a yahoo club. You need to get a yahoo ID before you can chat this takes about 20 minutes to set up. For each ID you create you can make a profile page with some basic info and a picture. Then you can enter one of the chat rooms either using a Java applet or the HTML version. The Java has more option but can be a bit buggy depending on your OS and Browser. Some rooms are very good for finding out info or if you have a computer problem.
Yahoo also offer an Instant Message system which ties in very well with the chat rooms. You can move easily from a busy chat room to a private conversation with some one. You need to download Yahoo Messenger to do this. It is available for many different systems but seems to contain more features on the windows version. It also gives you weather, news, sport, and shares which can be customized to your interests. You can also send files with it.
I would recommend this to anyone who chats on the internet or just as a quick way to get today’s headlines and weather.