Before Twitter/Facebook/Google+, your instant messenger status had to not just tell people whether or not you were free to chat, but serve as a rudimentary thought dump of quotes and witty sayings.

WASHINGTON — Beth Marchessault, 23, bumped into someone at a recent wedding whom she hadn’t been in touch with for years. But the old friend had kept up with Marchessault’s life through notes she’d ...

The popularity of instant messaging has grown exponentially in the past decade, but the communication platform’s immediacy presents users with endless opportunities to come off the wrong way. These ...