Jun 12, 2001 07:16 PM
4039 Views
Tring!!! goes my messenger and it's chat time again! I personally believe that yahoo messenger is the best messenger you can have! I used Aol instant messenger for about 2 years till I was presuaded to download it, by my bestest buddie Assethound. Yahoo is far superior to AOL due to the fact that it's a little more sophisticated but just as simple to use.
Yahoo messenger can be downloaded from Yahoo.com, it took me about 10 minutes all told - but I'm not very computer orientated I can just about sign on to the net! So it might be even quicker for you! The downloading process came with the usual idiots guide to get it up and running which I personally found very useful!
So what is a Messenger?
Basically it allows you to chat/type to people and you'll get instant replies back if they are on line. My phone bill has been cut massively since Assethound and I discovered the delights of typing to each other!( We both have NTL world as our ISP)
How do you know if someone is online?
As with all the messenger service's you have a buddy list which will tell you if a friend is online! Also you'll get a rattat noise and a little logo stating who's online as they sign on. You also get a list of buddies on line if you click on your messenger logo.
Creating your buddy list
This is relatively simple, if you know the yahoo name of the person then you can just follow the simple instructions and it'll be done instantly. This is one area that yahoo differs from AOl in that if you want to put someone on your list it then sends them a message basically asking them if its acceptable. I actually like the idea of knowing who's buddy list I'm on! If you want to find a friend the search for a buddy is ok but I did find that I couldnt find 2 people that I knew for definetly were with yahoo and what their yahoo name's were!
Offline messages
Again this is where AOL and Yahoo differ. With AOL if you send a message and the other person isnt online then you just get a message stating this fact But with Yahoo, if you want to message someone who's not online then you still can, as it has an offline message facility. The offline message logo comes on automatically when you log on if you have a message. I love this idea as its a great way of leaving a short message with out going to the hassle of writing an email.
Conferencing
As with all the messenger services you can set up confrences where you can talk/type to more than one person by setting up a chat room of your own! Strictly by invite only! I have experienced a few hick ups using the conference facilties ie people not being able to get in or not being seen!
Can you have it on but not be pestered?
Not if Assethounds your mate! Sorry serious hat on now basically yes! By clicking on the status icon you can be out to lunch,invisible, on holiday and doing various other things!
Anything else?
Yep you can get up to date news, start searching on yahoo, it'll also give you reminder calls! you can also use it to make telephone calls from your computer
Why Yahoo?
Having used both AOl and Yahoo I'd definetly use yahoo because it does have the additional facilities but if you havent tried any of the messenger services then download both, as you can run them similatinously. The one thing that makes me prefer Yahoo to AOl messenger is the offline message facility which is great if you want to leave a quick message.
