Post by preraph on Sept 28, 2007 19:44:20 GMT -5
SETTING UP INSTANT MESSAGE IN YOUR PROFILE
While this board doesn't provide an on-site chat room, users do have the capability to easily make their Instant Messenger names available to other users who may want to chat at any one of the browser-sponsored chat engines.
In order to include your Instant Message name on your Profile so that other board members can see it and "add" you to their Instant Message (IM) "friends," follow these easy steps:
1) Once signed onto Childfree by Choice, click on Profile in the menu at the top of your topic screen. You are now inside your own Profile.
2) At the top of that green screen, click on Modify Profile. Once it opens, down towards the bottom, you will find this:
Instant Messengers
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AIM: ______________ Your AOL Instant Messenger screen name.
ICQ: ______________ Your ICQ UIN number.
YIM: ______________ Your Yahoo! Instant Messenger screen name.
MSN: _____________ Your MSN Messenger email address.
3) Simply insert your Instant Message screen name for one (or all) of the Instant Message engines listed there.
4) Go to the bottom of the page and click on Modify Profile to save the changes.
Your IM user name will now appear to other members who visit your profile, and they can send you an invitation from their IM engine and invite you to be a chat friend. You may accept or refuse such invitations.
Of course, each of those chat browsers provides options for privacy. For example, if you do not wish to be interrupted while working by having your chat engine pop up with a visitor, they each provide the option to select "Busy" or "Away," which will tell the visitor that now is not a good time. There are also options within each IM browser to block unwanted visitors, or you always have the option to remove your IM name from your Childfree by Choice Profile at any time by simply following the same instructions but removing your name from the blank and again saving changes.
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For those of you who are not yet signed up on any Instant Message engines and want to be, simply type "google.com" into your computer browser's address (URL) bar. Once at Google, type the name of whichever engine you want to acquire into the Search field, for example, "MSN Messenger" or "Yahoo Instant Messenger" in order to find the website address. Then click on that link, look specifically for "Instant Message" if a general menu should come up, choose the link and then follow the directions at the link it takes you to in order to download and open an Instant Message engine. They are free and easy to use. If you wish, you may leave your IM browser running on your desktop so that people can always see when you are online -- or you can opt to remain invisible.