Yahoo will probably cease to exist as we know it since it was sold to AOL. I hhave not used IM in years. I used to use ICQ. I know some of my friends who are on Facebook use that messaging.

Nope

I used to use aol instant messanger many years ago when I was in middle school but I haven't used IM since then

I've also read that a "yahoo.com" email address reveals one to be an ancient dinosaur!

No I don't. Raven, what a blast from the past hearing bout ICQ again. I'd forgotten all about it. Used it all the time back in the day.

I think SMS messaging (text messaging) has helped to bring on the decline of PC-based messaging. It's everywhere anyone goes, and even young retirees (my age peers) use it a lot. But care is needed - some react poorly to receiving a text message when there's really no urgency and an email would serve fine. Among teens and some younger millennials, the preceding doesn't apply.

I agree that some email addresses are uncool. I would add to the list @aol.com and @ any internet provider (comcast or any cable provider, att or any telco).

I use SMS when out with my phone, but when at home and on my laptop, I really liked Yahoo's IM window. It made it easy for me to shoot off a message or a question, or link something (mostly to DH).

What are the "cool"er email addresses these days? I kept on hearing about Mailchimp when I listened to Serial.

Gmail is probably the most popular, I have my original Hotmail and use it and Gmail daily. I have a yahoo that I never use and a few other for when I don't want to use my regular emails.

I have a yahoo.com mailing addy -- but I only use that one for an archaic mailing list I'm still on. I use gmail for nearly all my mail -- I decided that my ISP kept switching names and being bought out, or transferred -- the latest being AT&T to Frontier -- that I was tired of having to update all my friends and accounts about the mail addy, that some time ago (before the last two changes) i switched to gmail. I think Google will be around a while.

PS, my brother still uses AOL.

"Uncool" email addresses? Now I've heard it all. I guess I'm uncool, but everyone and their brother still seems to find me.

I use my iPhone or iPad. Love the IM.

Nope just text.

I'm uncool, not only do I have a yahoo addy, I also still use "lol". hahaha. :)

Hahaha, yahoo is my primary email. I have a gmail account for junk. I don't like it.

I remember ICQ! Wow.

I still use it and am going through the frustration of Yahoo. I'm trying to hang in there until Pidgin gets an update to keep using it. I used Pidgin for the client and it worked great until the update. I'd rather eat grits and pickled herring than have to text. I despise screwing around with a tiny screen when I can have a 17" monitor in front of me. Text is for emergency or times when someone isn't available. I've never contracted the phone addiction from which so many suffer.

I went so far as to set up an AOHell account to keep in touch with people until Pidgin/Yahoo is resolved but the others with whom I IM are either too stubborn or too scared to make a change. I've been looking for another option so I can continue using Pidgin. Haven't had time to do massive research though. Indications were that ICQ is still around, which surprised me.

I agree, I think gmail is hands down the most popular and cool (or at least not uncool) email address.

Re some of the comments above, many don't know that one can send SMS messages to many phones from an email account, and also the reverse, send email messages from an SMS app.

I have a Verizon cell phone. An email addressed to xxxxxxxxxx(my phone number) @vtext.com arrives as a text message. In the other direction, if I address a text message to an email address, like donald_duck@disney.com (instead of to a phone number), it arrives as an email.

For ATT phones, I think the domain is @sms. att.net. Try sending an email to yourself from your text app. If it goes through, you'll see what your return address is.

I have my iPads set up to receive any calls or texts sent to my iPhone. I rarely have my phone near me when I'm home, but I'm seldom without an iPad.

Ditto what Ravencajun has.

It's not that it's really uncool to have one email over another. More so that it is unprofessional to have a business and be using an email account like hotmail or yahoo or your local service provider. You will generally be taken more seriously of you have your own domain email addy. Gmail is fine in most cases for non tech services but use your business name not some cute username.

But nobody informed is going to take someone seriously who offers technical services that uses a free hotmail account.

Does anyone remember Prodegy? That was the first instant messenger I used in 1995. The usernames were just a number, no personalization then.