Welcome to your new Mac! iChat AV is Apple's version of AIM (AOL Instant Messenger). To begin using iChat AV, you first need a screenname, which can be obtained from AIM.com (free) or from .Mac membership (free trial - screenname stays active after 60 days, but beyond that it's a $99 per year fee).
Some tips on screennames: Never user your name if you're a minor (under 18). If you're under 13, you'll need your parents permission to use the AOL servers, anyway. Be sure to never use a portion of your birthday or anything that could easily identify you. Remember, security is your top issue and anything you use that can identify you is probably not a wise idea. In the end, it's your decision to choose a screenname wisely.
Once you've obtained the screenname of your choice and a strong password consisting of numbers and letters (symbols not allowed and password should not be easily guessed nor should any portion of the password be a word found in a dictionary), proceed to the next step. The last step in the process is to download the AIM client (if you're using the AIM registration link above). There's no need to do this as iChat AV is the client you'll be using.
You're now ready to begin setting up iChat AV and will need the screenname you just created as well as the password for that account. Click on the icon in the Dock (blue chat bubble with a video camera in it) at the bottom of the screen or navigate to Macintosh HD > Applications > iChat and double-click. This will launch the iChat Setup Assistant. The first screen you will see is
Click the "Continue" button and it will lead you to the second page in the setup assistant. This is where you will enter in all of the informtion for your AIM or .Mac membership account. Enter in your first and last name (which will only be viewable by you and those on your local network if you choose to use iChat Bonjour - discussed later). Choose the account type you signed up for, enter in your screenname and password. The screen looks like this:
Click "Continue" once more. If you want to use Jabber, an instant messaging protocal that supports ICQ, IRC, AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, and other services, feel free to check out the servers and create a screenname at jabber.org. If you're not sure what Jabber is, it's best not to use it since you more than likely won't need it. You can always change this setting later on if you feel inclined to do so.
The next item to decide on is whether you want to use iChat Bonjour messaging. This allows other people on your local network to contact you. It's local to your network only, so no active internet connection is necessary to the outside world, just locally.
If you have a webcam connected to your computer (assuming it's Firewire), the next screen you will see is what the camera is showing. The image is reversed but to the person(s) you chat with, it will look correct. If you have a USB camera, you will need to download and purchase iChatUSB from Ecamm. There is a trial version available to test the software out first, which is recommended. This screen will look like the following (with your image instead):
If there is no camera connected to your Mac, iChat will skip the above step and just use audio-only features for AV chatting.
Congratulations! You're now all set up and ready to use iChatAV!! The next pages will walk you through the steps in setting up iChat's preferences and what each one of the preferences does.
