Making sense of Messenger
March 24, 2009 12:49 PM Subscribe
Explain windows Live Messenger to a luddite.
I have had a Hotmail account for ten years or so, and I gather that at some point Messenger got bundled into this. I have never used it and it was only by accident I discovered that it was there (clicking "Home" once while in Hotmail and figuring that would take me back to my inbox and discovering it actually brings me back to home.live.com).
As a stately old gen X-er, I think I am half a generation too old to be enthralled by instant messaging, so I have ignored it. However, I see the number of network invitations is steadily growing and now there twelve or fifteen people who have apparently invited me.
First of all, if I were to accept these invitations, what is the deal? These dozen people can now see when I am online and open up a chat window? Or do I misunderstand what this is about?
As well without my ever doing anything, I seem to have a connection already. It is from a Spanish-speaking woman I knew years ago but lost touch with. There is a single word after her name and I, being a novice (both with regards to Messenger and Spanish), am struggling to put some sense to it. What I see on the "home" page (beneath the three most recent e-mails):
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What's new with your network
Maria: extranandote | Post a note
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I gather "extranandote" is "extrañandote" ("I am missing you") stripped of its tilde. But is this a message for me? Is the long-lost Maria letting me know she misses me? Or is this just a handle that she uses that will appear after her name?
I have had a Hotmail account for ten years or so, and I gather that at some point Messenger got bundled into this. I have never used it and it was only by accident I discovered that it was there (clicking "Home" once while in Hotmail and figuring that would take me back to my inbox and discovering it actually brings me back to home.live.com).
As a stately old gen X-er, I think I am half a generation too old to be enthralled by instant messaging, so I have ignored it. However, I see the number of network invitations is steadily growing and now there twelve or fifteen people who have apparently invited me.
First of all, if I were to accept these invitations, what is the deal? These dozen people can now see when I am online and open up a chat window? Or do I misunderstand what this is about?
As well without my ever doing anything, I seem to have a connection already. It is from a Spanish-speaking woman I knew years ago but lost touch with. There is a single word after her name and I, being a novice (both with regards to Messenger and Spanish), am struggling to put some sense to it. What I see on the "home" page (beneath the three most recent e-mails):
------
What's new with your network
Maria: extranandote | Post a note
------
I gather "extranandote" is "extrañandote" ("I am missing you") stripped of its tilde. But is this a message for me? Is the long-lost Maria letting me know she misses me? Or is this just a handle that she uses that will appear after her name?
Best answer: Maria's "extranandote" is part of her MSN messenger handle, yes, and not (necessarily) a special message to you. For example, I have the following on my Hotmail page: "Laura: Happy Spring!"
When you're running the messenger program, there's a spot for the name and another spot for the general message. Some people leave it blank, others write something in there.
If you add them as contacts, they will see when you're using the messenger program and you've put your status as "online"... but they won't see you if you're just connected to the internet generally.
posted by cranberrymonger at 1:31 PM on March 24, 2009 [1 favorite]
When you're running the messenger program, there's a spot for the name and another spot for the general message. Some people leave it blank, others write something in there.
If you add them as contacts, they will see when you're using the messenger program and you've put your status as "online"... but they won't see you if you're just connected to the internet generally.
posted by cranberrymonger at 1:31 PM on March 24, 2009 [1 favorite]
Well, I'm a little bit confused.
Are you talking about messenger? or your hotmail, with the new home.live.com page... ?
Hotmail is now Windows Live Hotmail, and good ole messenger is Windows Live Messenger, and on the home page of hotmail, it shows updates from whatever things people are putting in their messenger nickname and status.
It has nothing to do with you.
In the olden days (a year or two ago?) messenger was NOT connected to your hotmail inbox (not in a way that I really noticed).
Actually, I find the home.live.page to be really annoying, 'cause it shows me updates from persons I had forget even existed.
In my messenger, those people were long ago blocked and/or erased. However, hotmail still has these emails there someplace, and I haven't taken the time to see how to erase contacts - I didn't need to, until this whole live.com thing...
The home.live. com page and the whole network thing is just trying to get you sucked in, so it has become much easier to invite people to join your network, which is why you have received so many invitations recently.
But feel free to ignore it! And don't pay attention to the messages you see in the updates, people who use messenger put all kinds of crazy things in their status, and change it frequently.
Does that help at all? Messenger is still pretty separate though, as far as I know, you won't get any unexpected IMs, unless you are signed in to messenger.
posted by Locochona at 4:45 PM on March 24, 2009
Are you talking about messenger? or your hotmail, with the new home.live.com page... ?
Hotmail is now Windows Live Hotmail, and good ole messenger is Windows Live Messenger, and on the home page of hotmail, it shows updates from whatever things people are putting in their messenger nickname and status.
It has nothing to do with you.
In the olden days (a year or two ago?) messenger was NOT connected to your hotmail inbox (not in a way that I really noticed).
Actually, I find the home.live.page to be really annoying, 'cause it shows me updates from persons I had forget even existed.
In my messenger, those people were long ago blocked and/or erased. However, hotmail still has these emails there someplace, and I haven't taken the time to see how to erase contacts - I didn't need to, until this whole live.com thing...
The home.live. com page and the whole network thing is just trying to get you sucked in, so it has become much easier to invite people to join your network, which is why you have received so many invitations recently.
But feel free to ignore it! And don't pay attention to the messages you see in the updates, people who use messenger put all kinds of crazy things in their status, and change it frequently.
Does that help at all? Messenger is still pretty separate though, as far as I know, you won't get any unexpected IMs, unless you are signed in to messenger.
posted by Locochona at 4:45 PM on March 24, 2009
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Yes, Messenger got bundled in to your Hotmail account, along with a bunch of other stuff like an online calendar and free storage space online, a while back. They're trying to play catch-up with google and yahoo who offer similar stuff for free. Some IM programs like Pidgin can use multiple IM networks simultaneously, like Messenger and AIM and yahoo messenger, etc, but Live Messenger only gets you in touch with other Live Messenger users by default.
Messenger is Microsoft's version of instant messaging, and most instant messaging has some sort of what's called a "Presence Indicator" - meaning that when you're signed in to an instant messaging program, others who are also signed in and designated as IM "friends" or "buddies" or whatever the term can see if you're available to be contacted via IM.
Sort of the big red ON AIR light over the studio door. Various IM programs have various ways of changing this, too - you can appear as offline when you're not, indicate that you're online but busy so leave you alone, etc.
You have to be signed in to Messenger (or whatever program) for people to see your Presence Status, and they have to be part of your IM Contacts (list of invitations you've accepted or that you've sent and have been accepted) as well. Same in both directions.
So if you don't want to use it, just never sign in (and make sure none of the various buttons that sign you in automatically when you open Hotmail or start up your computer are set to On).
Otherwise, when you're feeling open to being IM'd by people on your list (after you've added to the list by accepting or sending out invites) who also use Messenger , then sign in to Messenger, adjust your Presence indicator accordingly, and "wait for the phone to ring".
posted by bartleby at 1:27 PM on March 24, 2009 [1 favorite]