MEDIA-I: ICQ battles MSN as IM users soar 57pc in region

<p>AOL Time Warner's ICQ and Microsoft's MSN Messenger are battling to </p><p>attract Asian users as the number of teens and office workers wasting </p><p>time at instant messaging (IM) sites jumped 57 per cent since January, </p><p>according to NetValue. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Vice-president of sales and marketing, Clayton Fitts, said: "These </p><p>networks are fertile ground for businesses to experiment and explore a </p><p>myrid of new marketing possibilities. Microsoft in its Windows XP has </p><p>leveraged upon this and offers users the ability to write on another's </p><p>Word document." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He added that while usage of IM was highest in Hong Kong and Singapore, </p><p>the reach of ICQ and MSN Messenger was "markedly lower" in Taiwan and </p><p>Korea. "Right now ICQ dominates in most of the Asian markets." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>