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In today’s very connected world, it seems like we are constantly communicating with our friends, family and co-workers. Current technology has made it even easier to stay instantly connected — we have smart phones, instant messaging and video conferencing.

However, sometimes we want to make all this communication a little simpler. Many people who engage in online instant messaging find that they have to implement several different chat platforms and services to keep in touch with all of their multiple contacts. This may mean a single user has installed and is using messaging services such as AIM, Google Talk, IRC or any number of other chat platforms.

There are actually some software programs out there that can actually gather together all the different contacts from all the different platforms onto one single interface. If you are one of those users who regularly has several windows open for all your chat clients, you will love these options.

There are several chat platforms including Miranda IM and Pidgin IM that will consolidate all your chat contacts together so you no longer have to switch from program to program just to chat with several people. These applications are simple to download and install and will almost automatically go out and gather all of your buddy and contact lists and present them to you in an easy-to-use interface.

And for the final frosting on the cake: these two applications are free. They are part of the open source community and are distributed free of charge. Check them out today!