How do you install it?
Just click the button above
If you don't already have Central and the AIM client for Central installed then you'll be prompted to install them.

What is it?
AIMWatcher builds a chart of the usage history of people who are in your Buddy List^©. It shows when they have been online, offline, idle, away, etc. You can set it to check their status at different intervals (every 15 minutes works well).

The names in your Buddy List^© and their usage data never leave your computer. There is no data collected and sent to a server, so your privacy is maintained. The privacy of the people you are monitoring is also maintained since their "screen names" are not recorded or captured.

With a standard chat application you can tell whether other people are online, offline, idle, away, etc., and so you could sit with a pad of paper and a pencil and create a graph of their usage history. This application just simplifies that task and does not show any additional information beyond what you normally see with a chat application.

Currently the AIMWatcher app only shows usage data of AOL^© Instant Messenger™ users, but.. it runs on both Windows and Mac.

How does it work?
AIMWatcher uses a very small (less than 50k) application written with Macromedia Flash. The application is delivered in the Macromedia Central application framework, and so acts as a desktop application. You launch it from a desktop icon. If you have not installed Central then you will need to install it (it's fairly small). Central is free.

How do you use it?
You have to be signed onto AIM for AIMWatcher to work. Once you have signed onto AIM AIMWatcher will begin building a chart. You can set the interval for data collection from 30 seconds to an hour. It's best to set it to check every 15 minutes and leave it running.

How much does it cost?
$5, and you get to try it for 15 days for free.

And.. why would you want it?
It's been said that this is a "novelty" application. Well, it is for most people. But if you have employees or co-workers who work remotely (possibly in different time zones) it might be handy to see whether they've been online or not. If you're a parent you might want to keep an eye on your childs AIM usage. Or you might just want to see when all your friends are normally online/offline.