Filed under : Facebook, Skype

"Even before Skype revealed a deep Facebook integration last month, there was speculation that Facebook might add Skype video chat functionality within the social networking site.

Although that hasn’t happened yet, Facebook application developer Tal Ater has rekindled speculation around the idea in spotting a “VideoChat” object in Facebook’s code.

Interestingly enough, the code has several properties that refer to Skype and Skype user IDs. Ater also postulates that Facebook is testing the feature with a select group of users as the code doesn’t appear every time the page is loaded..."

Continue reading : Skype Video Chat Coming to Facebook?

Posted by Vadim Lavrusik @ Skype Video Chat Coming to Facebook?

Filed under : Instant Messaging

1. Opening pictures, downloading files or clicking links should be avoided at all cost in case it comes from someone you do not know. Do not open suspicious files or links even if they come for someone you know; try to confirm with the person on the origin of the attachment.

2. Do not reply to messages from people you don’t know if you were not expecting them. If someone you do not recognize sends you a request to add him/her to your contacts, decline the request if not sure about the indetity of the contact.

3. Unwanted messages ought to be blocked - blocking spam or messages from strangers might be easier than you think – most IM software allows you to create your own contact list.

4. Do not post sensitive information and private data in instant messages, especially refrain from sharing credit card numbers, banking details, paswords or important personal identification data like phone number or addresses. You should also avoid sharing information about your IM name or e-mail contact over the Intertnet.

5. Your Instant Messaging should also have a strong password as any other account. Always use different passwords for different accounts and other online services (such as online banking, e-mail). Do not recycle your password. If you log in on public or shared computer, make sure to uncheck the automatic login feature.

6. Avoid meeting strangers that you have met online while instant messaging. If you decide to meet someone in real person anyway, take safety precautions – bring someone along with you.

7. Turn off your Web camera if you are not using it, as some malware allows criminals and strangers to spy on you through your own webcam. If you have an integrated camera, always check the control light that it is off when you are not using it.

Posted by Victor Philip @ pcmag-mideast.com

Filed under : Facebook, Messengers

FacebookDiscovery is a desktop app that makes it more easy and lets you to keep in touch with your Facebook friends even when you are at work. It's made to work with Windows XP, 2003 Vista and 7.

FacebookDiscovery looks like Yahoo Messenger or Windows Live Messenger except without all that bloat and it only works on Facebook. This app is very lightweight with only 700KB in size.

FacebookDiscovery Features:

* Update your Facebook status easily
* Choose to show alerts for any contact event
* Fast and lightweight
* Message history, emoticons and typing notications are all supported.

Download FacebookDiscovery

Filed under : Yahoo Messenger

The new Yahoo! Messenger 11 Beta is now available for download. The new Yahoo! Messenger Beta offers more ways connect with friends and family. Not only can you instant message, text, and make voice and video calls, you can now play social games right within Yahoo! Messenger.

* Play socially – Play some of the most popular social games with your friends, starting with offerings from Zynga, Elex, and OMGPOP. Games include:
o Fishville and Mafia Wars from Zynga – Coming soon
o Balloono, Pool, Draw My Thing from OMGPOP
o Happy Harvest & Happy Manor from Elex

* Get your friends involved – Share your game activities and play-status so that friends can join your game and you can join theirs.

Yahoo! Messenger Beta also brings together your social experiences from across the web and provides a single destination to see what your friends are doing or let them know what you are up to.

* Keep up with friends wherever they are – View, comment on and like updates from Yahoo! Pulse, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and more, all from one place, right within Yahoo! Messenger.
* Post one status to multiple social networks – Share your Messenger status simultaneously on Yahoo! Pulse, Facebook, and Twitter.
* Chat with Facebook friends – In addition to your friends on Windows Live, you can now IM your Facebook friends right within Yahoo! Messenger.

Download Yahoo! Messenger 11 Beta

Filed under : Yahoo Messenger

Yahoo Mass Messenger allows you to send the same message to Yahoo users from a list (just a text file pasted into a text box ).

You can use multiple accounts in order to avoid yahoo from blocking your account (yahoo blocks an account that sends too many messages per minute to users that are not in their friends list).

Also to check if your account(s) is still sending messages you can use a verification account that checks if the messages come through (since yahoo won't notify you that your messages aren't going through).

Yahoo Mass Messenger Features:

* Multiple account send (you can add multiple - unlimited - accounts )
* Easy add recipients (just paste them in the message box) - you can paste even comma delimited yahoo accounts
* Optional use of verification account (so you are sure that your messages are getting through)
* You can use a proxy (socks)
* Configurable wait time between message sends
* Mass add to buddy list (you can choose to add a lot of users at once to your buddy list - skipping the annoying wizzard of yahoo)
* Mass send message to buddies from one account
* Mass send message to ALL buddies in ALL Accounts
* Message sending is throttled in order to avoid Yahoo to block your account from sending

Download Yahoo Mass Messenger

Filed under : Windows Live Messenger

"A particularly malicious worm (a self-replicating computer virus) is currently trying to spread itself through many of the world's largest instant messaging and social networks, including Windows Live Messenger 2009. We’re very serious about protecting our customers, and are pursuing multiple avenues to help stop its progress. The worm spreads by inserting a link into an IM conversation with a person whose computer is already infected. When someone clicks the link, it opens in a browser, downloads the worm on the recipient’s computer, and then repeats this process.

Normally, when Messenger sees a web address in a conversation it is turned into a hyperlink which, when clicked, automatically opens in a web browser. This feature makes it very easy for the malicious worm to be unknowingly installed on your computer by clicking on the link and being sent to a web site containing the malicious software. We’re pursuing a number of activities to help protect you, working actively with industry experts and law enforcement to help stop this criminal activity.

Most notably, we’ve temporarily turned off active hyperlinks for web addresses sent in IM conversations using Windows Live Messenger 2009. You will still be able to copy a web address and paste it into a browser window if you know it to be safe, but by removing active hyperlinks from Messenger 2009, we’re taking a significant step towards stopping the unintentional spreading of this worm..."

Continue reading : Security alert: Active links in Messenger 2009 temporarily turned off to prevent a malicious worm

Posted @ Inside Windows Live

Filed under : Windows Live Messenger

1. Go to START, Click RUN

2. Copy and paste this sentence in to the command field: RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

3. Click OK. You're done.

Filed under : Instant Messaging

"Bebo just launched Meebo’s web-based instant messaging client across the social network and the company says a million messages have been sent already.
...
In addition a company spokesperson told me that “sharing/conversation are huge factors in the product roadmap” so this will cover video, music, gaming, and all the niche communities of Bebo’s largely teenage audience. Meebo allows users to sync up their other profiles (Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook etc) alowing them to keep up with people outside the platform..."

Continue reading : Bebo launches Meebo instant messaging, in effort to win over Chat-starved users

Posted @ Techcrunch Europe

Filed under : Skype

The new Skype 5.0 is now available for Mac in beta, introducing a revamped look and feel that simplifies navigation and provides a more Mac-like experience. For example, the Skype app has been brought together in one window for ease-of-use, and the Mac address book has been integrated, making it possible for you to call, IM and SMS your contacts when they are online or offline.

The new Skype for Mac also offers our popular new feature - group video calling - which allows you to make video calls with more than two people at a time as long as all participants are on the new Mac beta or Skype for Windows 5.0.

The new Skype for Mac also includes the following new features:

* New call control bar — Hang up, mute and more from a mini Skype toolbar that sits on top of any web pages, documents or photos you’ve got open
* Search chat content to easily navigate past conversations
* Offline IM so that you can send and receive instant messages even if the recipient is offline
* Personalise contacts via user profiles
* Quickly rejoin calls if your Internet connection fails momentarily
* Floating Contacts Monitor to see your online contacts and contact groups

Download Skype 5.0 Beta for Mac

Filed under : Web Messengers

"With the increase in the trend of web applications it has made the web experience much more easier and better too. Now the jobs that people used to do using a paid licence software which used to take long time is now being done easily staying right inside your web browser with the help of web applications which is not just only easy but also saves your valuable time like we previously mentioned about Creating PowerPoint presentation from Facebook Photo albums.

Like that now you can now even make chat with people on your different IM accounts staying right inside your Web browser window with the help free web applications that just makes your internet experience even more easier. It means you don’t need to download and install any softwares just for chatting. Here I have listed down 12 best online web applications that are the alternatives of your desktop messenger softwares..."

Continue reading : 12 Online alternatives to desktop messenger Softwares

Posted @ Bloganol

Filed under : Mobile Messengers

mTalk is a multi-protocol chat client for mobile phones. mTalk currently supports Yahoo!, MSN, AIM, ICQ, Jabber, Google Talk networks.

You can also access information such as weather, traffic, astrology, flight information, news and receive IMs while running other applications.

mTalk Standard and Premier Versions support Yahoo, MSN, AIM, ICQ, Jabber (Non SSL) and Google Talk. Enterprise versions support Lotus IM, Microsoft LCS, SIP, Reuters LCS and Jabber (SSL).

mTalk Unified Messenger supports Palm, Blackberry, Nokia Symbian, Sony Ericsson, Java and Brew handhelds at this time.

Download mTalk

Filed under : Instant Messaging

ClicksAndWhistles is a free IRC client that supports multiple "identities", floating or MDI windows, multi-server connection, unicode (utf-8), text and paragraph formatting, customizable colour schemes/themes, background .PNG images and outline/shadow fonts, favorite channels and customizable message strings

ClicksAndWhistles Features:

· Support for multiple "identities"
· Support for multiple server connections
· Channel favourite list
· Floating (desktop) and MDI windows
· Themes, PNG image backgrounds and outline fonts
· Pop-up and sound event notifications
· Unicode (UTF-8) support
· Text formatting support (including coloured and bold/italic/underline fonts)
· Channel and user logging
· File transfers (DCC SEND)
· Customizable message text

Download ClicksAndWhistles

Filed under : Mobile Messengers

Kik Messenger is a free smartphone to smartphone messenger, similar to BlackBerry Messenger but cross platform. Kik Messenger can be downloaded to most BlackBerry, iPhone and Android devices.

You can message your friends while avoiding carrier fees by using your data plan. Since you have removed the SMS messaging capabilities only people who have the Kik Messenger application can receive Kik messages. Each Kik message that is sent uses a very small amount of data, less than 1 KB per message.

Kik Messenger uses data to send messages so any roaming data charges from your carrier would apply. It helps to use WIFI whenever possible but Kik also works on 2G and 3G networks.

To download Kik Messenger, go to www.kik.com/m on your smartphone and your exact device will detected and your download will begin shortly.

Filed under : LAN Messengers

DynaTalk is an easy-to-use application that allows you to send and receive text messages on a local network. DynaTalk doesn't require special configuration or dedicated servers. Just install DynaTalk on two or more computers and run it – you will be able to exchange messages immediately by sending messages to a computer from the list of DynaTalk-enabled computers.

DynaTalk supports any existing version of Windows, from Windows 95 to XP and Vista.

DynaTalk Features:

* Send messages or answer them with chat-style tools. You don’t have to fill in complex dialog boxes.
* Works as an autoresponder while you are absent or don't want to be disturbed.
* Define a hot key for quick calling.
* Works in the system tray and doesn't take up space on your Windows taskbar.
* Select a custom icon for your computer in the list of DynaTalk-enabled computers.
* Send a message to several addresses at once.

Download DynaTalk (free evaluation version )