The research of the authors investigates an alternative
interface for Instant Messaging (IM). This paper presents
SWIM (SWinburne Instant Messaging), an IM tool that is
developed based on MSN Messenger. SWIM presents an
innovative interface design that combines the
conventional sequential interface with the adaptive
threaded interface. In addition, SWIM supports persistent
conversation which facilitates users' participation to a
group conversation. The integrated interface and support
for persistent conversation allow SWIM to be used both
as a convenient tool for social conversation and as an
effective tool for task-oriented group discussion. In this
paper, we discuss the design approach of SWIM, describe
details of our implementation technique, and report a
preliminary evaluation of SWIM. The evaluation shows
that SWIM holds great promise in supporting group
conversation..