As always, the NTK mailing list http://www.ntk.net/ has summed up a large number of net-user's opinions on this topic : A contrary couple of weeks among the forces fighting the good fight - or at least, convincing everyone else they are. MSN certainly added a few people to their buddy list after many outlets ran MSN's cancelling of their chat services without a glimmer of analysis. MSN UK head Gillian Kent was on all media, recommending people switched from "free and unmoderated" chatrooms to... MSN Messenger. Oh yes, much safer. Anyone wanting to write a real follow-up story might want to try opening MSN Messenger. Click on "Search for a Contact". Choose "Search By Interest". Browse "Profiles By Interest". Click on "People > Romance". Click on "13-19". Voila. A list of potential penpals, sorted by age and gender. Any chance of MSN Messenger getting shut down now? Or is the AIM-killer a bit more profitable than free, moderated chat? Paul ---------------------- Paul Bevan Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences University of Wales Aberystwyth Ceredigion Wales SY23 3DB Tel. +44 (0)1970 622610 Fax. +44 (0)1970 622659 eml: ppb98@aber.ac.uk