Now to talk about chatting on the Internet. Here are some very cool chatprograms and links to chat servers that I have grown to love.
The first one is 
POWWOW. It is a chat and communication program for the web that allows you to locate and page other PowWow users. You can communicate by text typing or by voice, and when connected to other users you may transfer files, view pictures of the persons you are connected to, cruise the web together, or join in group chats of up to nine people. A conference mode is also supported which allows up to 75 people to communicate. The newest features are the Buddylist, where you can see which of your friends are online while you are, the Games Feature and the ability to leave voice messages.
PowWow provides a search function that allows you to locate and chat with other PowWow users based on geographic location, age, sex, profession, specific interests, and other profile information. When operating in server mode, users may set up their own conferences for friends and associates.
PowWow is free
No 2 would have to be 
.ICQ is a revolutionary, user-friendly, Internet program that tells you who's online at all times. No longer will you search in vain for friends & associates on the 'net. ICQ does the searching for you, alerting you in real time when friends or colleague sign on. In addition, ICQ continually tells you which of your friends & colleagues are online.
With ICQ, you can chat, send messages and files and even e-mail, play games or just hang out with your fellow 'netters while still surfing the net.
The program runs in the background, taking up a minimum amount of memory and net resources. While you work on other applications, ICQ
alerts you when friends and associates sign on, allowing you to work
efficiently while having a whole range of Internet functions at your fingertips.
ICQ also supports a variety of popular external Internet applications.
With ICQ, launching an Internet phone or video call is a breeze. With a
click of a button, you and a friend (or friends) are instantly connected.
These events may be executed among multiple users, so you can conduct a conference or just hang out online. All these functions are organized in one easy to use program that integrates easily into your desktop.
Then there is the WebChat Broadcasting System, which has tons of different chat rooms for different interest areas. My favorite room is the German Chat.
And of course I can't forget ATLANTIS-Tiefseeparty. It's similar to WBS but doesn't have any of the picture viewing pleasures and some of the other features.
And last, but not least I can recommend ChatCitybut this one requires a Java capable browser
Of course these chats are not the only ones here on the net, I just picked my favorite ones. Just type the word Chat into any of the searchers and you'll find many, many more.
And now I've decided to get my own chat. This is for everybody young and old, who just
wants to stay in touch with some german friends and family. So if you speak German, or
are just interested in Germany or german people, join right in. Everybody is welcome.
All I ask is that you keep this chat clean.
Deutscher Chat (Parachat)
Here are some links to some of the pages, that explain about many of the used abbreviations and emoticons.