A general standard outlining a logging system is the Syslog standard (described in RFC 5424), which allows the filtering and recording of log messages to be performed by a separate dedicated subsystem, rather than placing the onus on each application to provide its own ad hoc logging system.
•
Internet Relay Chat (IRC), instant messaging (IM) programs, peer-to-peer file sharing clients with chat functions, and multiplayer games (especially MMORPGs) commonly have the ability to automatically log (i.e. save) textual communication, both public (IRC channel/IM conference/MMO public/party chat messages) and private chat messages between users.