STEP TWO (Creating Accounts So You Can Chat)

To use iChat, you will need either an America Online Instant Messenger account (called an AIM account, which is an acronym for AOL Instant Messenger) or a .Mac account with Apple (which I strongly urge you to sign up for, but email and chatting is just a small part of why you should have a .Mac accountmore on this later). If you have a .Mac account, you can enter your Account Name and Password in the fields provided. If you don't have a .Mac account yet, you can get an iChat account and a 60-day free .Mac trial by clicking on the Get an iChat Account button that appears just below the Password field in the iChat setup window. This takes you to a website where you can sign up for the free trial (it also tells you some of the benefits of getting a .Mac account, so take a minute or two to check it out). Otherwise, you can create an AIM account (by visiting www.aim.com and downloading the AIM software). The website will have an online form in which you create an AIM account (and it's free).