Instant Messaging - the modern way to communicate

The talk of telemedia town right now is instant messaging, which is starting to deliver a much quicker (well, instant), cheaper and richer set of chat services that have traditionally been the preserve of PRS and PSMS.

IM has long been looked at for what it can do for chat services, not least because people using MSN, Skype et al use it to chat to each other. It seems a simple step to monetise it for telemedia use and start to reap the benefits of it having unlimited characters (compared to SMS's 160 limit), the ability to transfer files, the creation of buddy lists and, perhaps most importantly, the fact that it can also carry still and video imagery. Oh, and who actually regulates it is also an 'interesting' point.

As a result, IM is starting to get some serious traction. Sundial Telecom has developed a proprietary IM platform to deliver tarot, life coaching and psychic services. It is also looking at the potential to do adult too at some point. All these services generate revenue by offering access to the chat service by buying credits via a website, using credit card, PayPal and PSMS. The user then eats up a credit per message to chat with the service.

And very lucrative it is too. Sundial estimates that the average session per user nets £10 - based on a credit rate of 50p per message. This is much higher than on PRS and PSMS. And it is only in its infancy. By being proprietary, issues with who regulates it - and the fear that established 'wholesome' IM brands will block this sort of use of it - means that it is open to anyone. The addition of visuals, especially in showing the tarot cards as they are turned as in Sundial's offering, make for a hugely compelling offering.

Paul Skeldon

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C3's multimedia platform provides billing capabilities for "live" tarot via Instant Messaging

Nick Booth on the earning potential of working for a question answering service (The Guardian )