Some friends and I started a small, Internet based business selling debate sourcebooks. We use Google Pages to create our web pages so the world would know about it.

As we developed the product, the phone could not have been a worse medium. Talking is no good when we're trying to send each other text to review. So I discovered this IM service that also does voice: Google Talk. After that, production couldn't have been easier. We quickly picked up the pace and finished ahead of schedule. After creating some Writely documents to keep everything in order, we were ready for distribution. Google Talk kept us in contact throughout and without Google Talk it might not have happened.

- Steven
  Coventry, RI

I was an early adopter of Google Talk and I must say, it's very lightweight and easy to use. I was able to talk with a prospective client in Japan without a landline. We had been trying to communicate via email, but a lot of time was lost because of delayed replies. With Google Talk we were able to speak in real time and sealed a $5,000 deal. Google Talk is my #1 choice for online communications.

- SeanRox
  Monterey, CA

We replaced Wildfire and an internal mail server with Google Apps for your Domain, including Google Talk. All the employees are thrilled because it's easy to use Gmail and Google Talk together. Recently, our sales manager visited a client and couldn't believe he could talk with his peers (using the hotel's WiFi) in the office like they where on the same building. The owner of the business uses it so his family can reach him anytime, for free.

- Ivan Vega
  Mexico City, Mexico

Last year upon launching a new company, I decided our team would use Gmail as our email service. A few months later, with the launch of Google Talk, we were thrilled, and now all the employees speak with one another as well as chat. When it became possible to save IMs as email files, I jumped for joy — no more lost IMs or forgetting where I read that. Now I'm able to search Gmail and find answers quickly.

- Mayer Reich
  New York, NY

Being a journalist who works on several magazines at once, I have found that Google Talk has been nothing but indispensable for me and my colleagues. Our entire company happily uses Google Talk for everything from basic communications right through to the layout process.

The ability to quickly drag and drop an image on to a name, showing a preview of a page layout or image that needs to go on the page, has saved so much time and effort — that constant 'getting up to see what image they're talking about' is over. Google Talk chat archiving to Gmail helps with finding information and even functions as a timeline for events within the production process. Combined with Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Google Talk has become a part of our family – we can't do without it. How something so useful and functional can be free boggles our minds!

- Miktar Dracon
  Johannesburg, South Africa

We use Google Talk a lot for business communication. I typically record voicemail and send it to my development team without the hassle of multiple programs. Previously, I had to record audio files separately and send them by email. And audio files used to be very big, so I had to compress them separately. Google Talk records in an efficient file format which shrinks the file size (so they can open it easily on the other end in their email client). I can describe things in detail over voicemail, and it's many times effective than plain text mail.

One major feature I like about Google Talk is archiving and searching chat with my developers. Everything is managed within the same account and helps to search for any conversation right inside Gmail.

- Vinayak Patil
  London, UK

I have my own chess retail site in the UK and manage franchises in Canada, the USA and France. I regularly use Google Talk to communicate with all the branches. One day the USA team initiated a conversation during which the Canadians and the French joined in also! Everything worked perfectly. I'm a fan of Google Talk through and through!

- Baron Turner
  Cannington, UK

With Google Talk, I can "meet" with my MBA study group in different cities. We share ideas and share files. If I want to remember something we type, I just go to my chat history right through my Gmail and refresh my memory. Fast and easy: the Google way.

- Rodrigo
  Distrito Federal, Brazil

I was driving along the interstate and blew out my tire. I didn't have a spare and couldn't afford to get towed. My cell phone died, and I didn't pack the car charger. I had my laptop with me and attached a Yagi antenna. To my delight, I got a signal, tried Google Talk and found a friend online. Saved me some money, it did. Thanks Google.

- Joshua Gauthier
  Panama City Beach, FL

Before moving in together, my girlfriend and I would play online games and chat by voice - sort of a virtual date with swordplay instead of, uh, foreplay. She only had a cell phone, so Internet chat was preferable.

We tried many voice chat clients, but they all had latency or CPU-usage issues which made conversations awkward or outright indiscernible. We already text-chatted daily via Google Talk and were amazed to learn that the ideal one-on-one gaming voice chat solution had been one click away the whole time. Google Talk was the only voice protocol that ran neatly reliably backstage while our CPUs blazed in the foreground.

- Brian Devins
  Toronto, Canada

I began dating a girl who decided to go on a school trip to Romania to help in the hospitals and orphanages there. Not wanting to lose communication with her, we started using Google Talk more and more. Saving on expensive phone bills, we can even hear each other's voice, even clearer than a landline! She always comments about how happy she was when we she first used the microphone, but she didn't think I had one. I then spoke over the speakers, and she was so happy to hear my voice! For two poor college students in love, Google Talk is the best thing. Thanks again for a great product.

- Ryan Moore
  Sandy, Utah

I met my girlfriend using Google Talk, a year ago, and we started to chat and talk a lot. The program was basic, but fine for us (minimal and functional style is what the world's software needs nowadays). We liked the interface a lot, the smiles and everything. Thanks a lot for your software!

- Javi Sastre
  Barcelona, Spain

Google Talk is probably the best chat program that I've ever used, not because of its amazing features and aesthetic design, but because it helped me find the girl of my dreams! About two weeks ago, I received an email from a girl that I'd met about a year ago and completely forgotten about. I started chatting with her on Google Talk, and in two weeks, I started going out with the most amazing and beautiful girl I've ever met in my entire life! Thank you, Google, for your wonderful program!

- Alvin Y.
  Duluth, GA

Google Talk has allowed me and my husband to stay in touch. I have a hectic schedule with 3 part time jobs and full time school. With Google Talk we can keep in touch, no matter where I am. It has helped us keep our relationship strong despite my lack of free time. I love Google – thank you.

- Morgan McLaughlin
  Fullerton, CA

I recently moved to the UK from Melbourne, Australia, and I use Google Talk to speak to my girlfriend in Melbourne through VoIP. Not only is it cost effective, but more practical as I am sitting at my computer whilst I'm talking. The best feature is being able to access it via Gmail.

- Kourosh
  London, UK

Google Talk helped me to meet a like-minded individual overseas, and although we've only actually met once, I still am proud to consider him my best friend -- thanks to Google Talk, we're able to stay in touch every day.

- Danny Stewart
  Montgomery Village, Maryland

I use Google Talk since the very first day it was released. When I started chatting with it, I realized most of my dreams came true: a small, clean, fast web messenger, fully integrated with my Google account. Then I decided I had to abandon the other messengers I (used to) use.

- Bart Rabelo
  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil