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Live chat software tools and practices continue to evolve to keep up with the changing environments and technologies. This column brings some interesting developments and services introduced in the past week in this space.

For example, IntercontinentalExchange (ICE)’s instant messaging (IM) platform YellowJacket has been renamed ICE Chat, according to TMCnet contributor Jayashree Adkoli’s report entitled “IntercontinentalExchange Rechristens YellowJacket as ICE Chat.” As per the report, ICE Chat will be available as a value-added feature of the company’s WebICE.

Another contributor Sujata Garud reported that Iddin Live has recently released its latest online chat application for Web surfers and date hunters. The report indicates that the newly launched Iddin chat app is now faster and can maintain connection for hours. As it specializes in random chat, it has become  attractive for many Web surfers, added Garud.

As per this report, the concept of random chat is witnessing increased popularity because users can assume any identity and they are not forced to reveal any personal information.

In another news, TMCnet contributor Rahul Arora reported that using Netop’s Live Guide video and text chat solution, Redwood City Police Department has been having real-time, interactive video chats with community members. With Live Guide solution, Redwood City has become one of the first municipal government agencies to provide such video interactivity directly between its police department and its community, wrote Arora.

To give aspiring online bloggers a new interactive element to their blogs, Chatwing has introduced a new version of its free chat widget, Shoutbox. This tool not only accommodates up to 600 users, but integrates with social media, wrote Adkoli in another report.  

Apart from making the blogs active, the new version of Shoutbox turns the blog into an interesting chatting lounge where people can discuss various topics. In general, the widget helps users engage visitors of the website with real-time communication, noted Adkoli.

Concurrently, Chatwing has also announced that forum makers within the Lefora community will now be able to access the latest version of the Chatwing chat widget to increase visibility and to effectively promote their products and services, reported contributor Calvin Azuri. By installing Chatwing to a blog, the user can take advantage of various communication benefits, wrote Azuri. As per this report, installing Chatwing Shoutbox simply requires registering the blog or the website domain name.

Meanwhile, real-time live chat feature is helping Grand Rapids, Michigan-based E-commerce company SupplyGeeks.com to experience improvement in online shopping business, reported contributor Madhubanti Rudra. The report shows that live chat helped the startup to significantly improve conversion rate. SupplyGeeks.com boasts a massive inventory of over 35,000 products including toner cartridges, break room snacks and office cleaning supplies

Lastly, contributor Mandira Srivastava reported that Ping, an Insurance Group of China, has started implementing video chat to offer customers a unique and personalized customer service. The report indicates that the company has become the first to utilize this feature on customer service platform.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO click here.

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