Real-time text

Text is transmitted instantly to participants as it is being typed, which mimics voiced conversation in an effective way, making it a more direct and personal type of text-based interaction.

But why?

In a conventional instant messaging application, conversation functions the same way a letter exchange does – a message is composed in its entirety before it is sent to its recipient. Instant messaging is intended to mimic natural conversation, but fails to effectively do so for at least two reasons:

• Low exchange rate – participants have to wait for a message to be composed and sent before they can start reading and interpreting it, let alone reply to it.

• Poor synchronization – it often happens that participants "speak past" each other and thus accidentally split the conversation into two, ending up in a situation where they maintain two conversation with each other at the same time.

• Natural conversation however, happening face-to-face or over the phone, is perfectly continuous in the way content is delivered; as one party speaks, a listener can interpret the words and prepare a reply, and even interrupt the speaker should they wish to.

A real-time text messaging protocol, which lets participiants talk in a way that is more akin to natural conversation than letter exchange, disperses with the issues explained above, making online communication more direct and efficient.