<p>Truth be told, you probably don't need a desktop instant messaging client. Chances are pretty good that you're already in your browser, hooked in to any number of Web-based communication platforms with all your contacts Facebook, Google Chat, Skype, etc. Since you've already got such quick access to all your contacts right from your browser, switching over to a desktop chat client isn't always necessary, but we realize that they do still come in handy in certain situations.</p><p>For example, here at Digital Trends we use chat for quick inter-office communication to save our email inboxes from getting clogged up with countless brief messages, and we don't have to get up from our desks to ask somebody in another room a question. We don't all use the same chat clients, but these instant messaging clients combine all the services we use into one simple communication tool.</p><p>We've all got different preferences, and after taking a quick office poll, we've come to a general consensus on the five best instant messaging clients no matter what operating system you're on.Adium</p><p>Adium is a multi-protocol chat client for Mac OS X. Among the handful of Mac users here in the office, Adium is the client of choice. It includes a Cocoa interface that's clean, simple, and designed for maximum convenience. As with any multi-protocol chat client, Adium supports dozens of services (AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Gtalk, etc) and allows you to chat with all of your contacts, no matter which client they happen to be using.Pidgin</p><p><a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/best-instant-messaging-clients/">Keep reading...</a></p>