instant message

AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) was a pioneering instant messaging client introduced by America Online (AOL) in 1997. Although it was discontinued in 2017, AIM played a crucial role in shaping the landscape of online communication. One of the notable features of AIM, and many other early instant systems, was its use of peer-to-peer (P2P) connections for various functionalities.
for further details: https://www.mirrorfly.com/blog/best-instant-messaging-platforms/
I do not find the using of this site to be very intuitive, and am struggling to figure out how to chat with friends that are online. Any help would be greatly appreciated.