What is a Screen Name ?

Hi,

Names used in iChat or the Messages app to Login to one of the services, sometime referred to as IDs in some cases.

iChat (or the Messages Beta) can log in to the AIM servers, the Jabber servers and from iChat 6, the Yahoo Servers.

To do the first of these it needs a valid AIM Screen Name.

These can come from registering with AIM, having Apple IDs that end with @mac.com or @me.com liked to iCloud or one that ends @iCloud.com or in some cases some United States ISP email are also valid AIM Screen Names.

iChat 4 and 5 used to have a Button that linked to the @mac.com registration page or the AIM registration page.

(iChat Menu > Preferences > Accounts > Press + Button > In the add Pane chose AIM then the Get an iChat Account Button to go to AIM or the @mac.com option and go to the @mac.com registration page).

MobileMe (replaced the .Mac service that original gave @mac.com names) gave out @me.com names.

These will be valid until the end of June 2012 in Paid-for accounts. (which is when iCloud took over)

Along side of this Apple have started iCloud Registrations. These are also @me.com names. However these will not work in iChat 5 or earlier due to the way Apple allows AIM to verify/access the password

Quick Summary.

AIM valid names can be from AIM themselves, Apple IDs ending in @mac.com and @me.com and possibly some emails of United States ISPs that have similar deals to Apple's with AIM and since iCloud the @icloud.com version of Apple IDs as well

The AIM Registration site is Here

You need to supply a secondary email for verification and Password recovery.

That secondary email can be use as many times as you want to create AIM names.

In fact it (the secondary email) CAN BE THE NAME itself (this can be confusing if it is a name that could be valid with another service like a Facebook or Googlemail ID)

You can no longer register fro a separate @mac.com ID as you could when this User tip was originally written (It continued as "iChat Names")

Currently all IDs issued by Apple end @iCloud.com See Create your Apple ID here

This needs an external to Apple email address that is valid. It cannot be an email already used with an Apple ID (as an Apple ID or linked to one)

Keep the password to 16 characters or Less (AIM Server Limit)

Jabber IDs

Rather than have a central server, Jabber have loads of servers all over the place.

Your ID is based on a Username part and the Server Name.

In most cases the registration has to be done through a third party App such as Psi (Some Pics of an older version are here)

List of Jabber/XMPP servers

Google Mail IDs are also Jabber IDs if you enable the Chat or Talk option on your Account setting at either of those services.
Facebook alos used to run a Jabber server but ended this in June 2015

Google don't stick to the Server name protocol that the rest do and that is why iChat and Messages has a separate line for Google in the Add account screen

Yahoo

iChat 6 added Yahoo and you can only use an ID registered at Yahoo (where as the Yahoo for Mac beta can use MSN/Hotmail/Live ID as well)

The Messages App uses your Apple ID to "register" the account with the iMessages Server.

The iPhone version "registers" the Number.

10:07 pm Tuesday; March 29, 2016