If you need me, IM me!
Written: Nov 10 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, free and easy!
Cons: May be slow during peak hours.
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| Mom2TyZick's Full Review: AOL Instant Messenger |
"If my phone line is busy, IM me." This is the instruction I give to anyone who may need me in an emergency, because I am most assuredly not talking on the phone! I'm always on the computer! AOL has saved my life with this nifty little invention. I never knew such a little window could be so important!
What is it?
AOL Instant Messenger is a nice accessory that allows you to talk privately via a little pop up window with another AOL or AOL Instant Messenger member. To use, you simply type in your message and click on the send button. I can't tell you how much money it has saved me in long distance phone calls! Everyone in our family has a computer now and we chat online at least once a week. It is a fantastic way to stay in touch. And did I mention that it was free?
This service is free for everyone, but I am an AOL user (Lord knows why, but that's another epinion) so my review will be from that standpoint. I have friends who use other ISP's and simply use the AOL instant messenger service, and have no complaints.
Features
As I said, you can simply type in your message in the text field and press send, but there are other accessories available to you should you wish to jazz up your message!
Change Font: This is so easy to do! Using the toolbar, you may change the color of your text or your background with a palette of 48 different and vibrant colors. You may also easily change the size of your font. For example, when my husband IM'd me from his buddy's house after the Michigan/Alabama game a while back, he made a blue background and huge bright yellow letters proclaiming "We Won." Even though I refused to speak to him, I had to grudgingly admit that the message looked pretty cool.
You may also italicize, embolden and underline your text with the click of a button as well! If you are feeling especially creative, you may highlight your message, right click, and change the font as well. Try the Chiller font for messages such as "You'd better sleep over there with your fellow Michigan Cretans." You may also employ the spell check by right clicking on your message as well.
As if this weren't enough, AOL has added 16 different smileys (examples include :-) and
=-O). I must admit that I don't use this feature because I hate those little smileys. Bah Humbug.
Available?: To find out if a member is online, simply type in the screen name and click "Available?". This system is user friendly, I tell you!
Buddy Lists: This is also a neat feature to have! You can save the names of all of your friends here and as soon as you log on, you can see who else is online. If you don't want to be seen or are not in the mood to chat, you may click on your privacy preferences. A trick that you can use with the privacy preference is to block certain members and let others through. You simply type in the screen names of those who you wish to block and if they try to IM you, they will get a message that you are not logged on. Nice when you just want a quick chat with one person without interruption.
A new feature of the buddy list is the advent of the away notice. You simply click on a message (at lunch, on phone, I am away, be right back) or make your own.
Inserting Links: Have you found a cool web site while surfing that your mom may like to know about? You may insert the link into the message box and send. It just doesn't get easier.
The Bell: When someone IM's you, the window pops up and a little bell sounds as well. I know this sound like I know my name, so when I'm somewhere else in the house, I know when someone is trying to contact me! Even my 4 year old recognizes it!
The Bad News
To be honest, there's not a whole lot wrong with this service. My only complaint is that it gets hung up at times and even freezes. I have actually had to reboot the darn computer, but only after carrying on conversations with several folks at once. These occurrences are few and far between.
You can't go wrong with the AOL instant messenger. It's simple, reliable and fun. If you need help using it, you can just IM me! (Mom2Ty)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Mom2TyZick
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Member: Suzanne
Location: North Carolina
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