Filed under : “Instant Messaging”

The Best IM Awards of 2009 honors the year's top IM clients, as nominated and chosen by About.com readers each year. Click ahead to view the 2009 Best IM Award nominees and select your favorites in each category:

1. Best IM Experience 2009
2. Best Third-Party IM Client 2009
3. Best Mac IM Client 2009
4. Most Improved IM Client 2009
5. Best IM Feature 2009
6. Best Chat Rooms 2009
7. Best IM Design (GUI) 2009
8. Best IM Developers 2009