Some of our readers have let me know that they want to subscribe to feeds that are specific to their area of interest in Yahoo! Messenger. For example if you’re a Yahoo! Messenger for Mac user, you may prefer to only get updates on Mac-related articles.
This week I finally started categorizing our blog posts and as a result, you can now subscribe to feeds for specific topics. Click on a feed below to subscribe:
9.0 version - articles about Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Vista version - articles about Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Mac version - articles about Yahoo! Messenger for Mac Voice - articles about our voice services
There are a handful of other categories that you can subscribe to as well. Just click on the category name in the article heading, then add “/feed” onto the end of the URL. This will bring up the feed page which has a subscribe button on it. For example, if you’re interested in a feed about Avatars, you can go to http://www.ymessengerblog.com/blog/category/avatars/feed to subscribe.
And if you want to subscribe to our “all-you-can-eat” feed which includes every article, just click in the “SUBSCRIBE” section on the right hand side of the blog.
Say the word “Beta” to a computer user and you might not get the last syllable out because they’ll already be running away at breakneck speed. Understandably, a lot of users avoid upgrading to stick with what they have, especially if it’s working fine.
I’ve been using Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta since it launched in October of last year and it’s been great. Yes, it has its “moments” like any Beta software, but overall it’s very stable. So I thought I would share my favorite things about this new version which might encourage you to give it a try too. Some of these have been the subject of dedicated blog articles, so click the links to get more in-depth info. Or click here to watch a video demo.
#1 New emoticons & skins
All the communication functions of Messenger are great, but the real fun is in the extras like emoticons and skins. This version has six new emoticons inspired by users – Wasn’t Me!, Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Rock On , Hurry Up and Don’t Want To See. 9.0 Beta also has a brand new set of skins. Also, did you know you can insert some of the basic emoticons in your status message?
#2 Compact v. detailed view for contacts
We’ve got two views for your contact list in 9.0 Beta. Use the detailed view to see larger display images for your friends and get access to the hover menu to quickly IM, SMS or call a contact. Or choose the compact view to keep each contact on one line.
#3 Inline video player
This is one of the coolest new features in 9.0 Beta. When you send a video link to a friend from a popular site like YouTube (or they send one to you), the video player appears right in the IM window. Just click to watch the clip – no need to jump off to the video website. This makes it much easier to watch and talk about the video at the same time.
#4 It’s all about “hover”
9.0 Beta adds some handy features when you hover on a contact. In detailed list mode, hovering on a contact brings up a menu to IM, call or SMS. When you’re in compact mode, hovering on a contact brings up the full-featured contact card. Depending on the info you have for that contact, you can IM, call a specific number, SMS, send email and even edit their contact info – all with a single click.
#5 Same great features
All of my favorite features are still in 9.0 Beta – the Yahoo! Music LAUNCHcast plug-in, file transfer, photo sharing, ability to IM with my Windows Live™ Messenger friends, IM forwarding to my mobile phone when I’m offline, and free PC-to-PC calls. Check out our features page to see all the great stuff available in 9.0.
Why not give 9.0 Beta a try? Remember, you can always uninstall and go back to 8.1 if you’re not satisfied. And after you’ve used 9.0 for awhile, be sure to leave us feedback about your experience.
We launched a new IMVironment this week called “Emoticats”. Imagine your favorite emoticons but with a distinctly feline feel to them.
You can play with the Emoticats by clicking the IMVironment button in your IM window during a conversation. Look for the ‘Emoticats’ listing in the menu. Or click here to launch it now if you’re on Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 or 9.0.
Once the IMV is running, you can use your mouse to browse through the Emoticats gallery that displays portraits of cats in various behaviors – Yawn, Cat Nap, Scratch that, Talk to the Paw, I need a vacation and more. Double click on the cat’s portrait and then click the “Insert” button to send the animated emoticat to your friend. There’s also a small Emoticats menu in the lower left corner of the IMV window.
Feeling catty yourself? Click the “Adopt” button instead to make that Emoticat your display image. My personal favorite is the Bling Emoticat – I suspect the model for this one probably auditioned for those old Fancy Feast commercials.
And if you want to share Emoticats with other cat lovers on your friend’s list, click the “Accept” link in the IMV window to set your status message to “Got My Paws On The Emoticat IMV”. Your status will be clickable to friends that have you on their list so they can try it for themselves.
The Emoticats IMVironment is available in Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 and 9.0 Beta. Note that you can only send the Emoticats animated icons to friends when the IMV is running in your IM window.
From the archives of little known features comes the message format style in Yahoo! Messenger for Mac.
A couple of versions ago, we included a new option for the format of your IM messages in the conversation window. In addition to the usual default style that has the colored bar across each speech bubble, you can also choose an alternate simplestyle for your window.
To change between message format styles, just go to the Messenger menu, choose Preferences, and click the “Messaging” icon. You’ll see a drop-down menu for Conversation style. There is also a similar menu for conference window formatting right below it.
In the future, we hope to make the message format platform open, which would allow users to come up with new themes on their own. One of our designers, Brian Kobashikawa, used WebKit CSS3 to develop another style he named “Kobi Lite”. While this one isn’t available to the public, we hope to offer our additional formats and possibly those made by others users in the future.
On another note, we launched a brand new Yahoo! Messenger website this week. Same URL and products, just a new look and feel including a feature comparison chart across versions, and a new import contacts wizard that lets you add or invite friends to Yahoo! Messenger from your Yahoo! Address Book as well as other email services like Gmail, Hotmail, AOL and many more.
Yakety Yak! Today we’re releasing an all-new voice-enabled Beta version of Yahoo! Messenger for Vista. We have included the voice and SMS features our users have been requesting, an all-new Voice Visualization feature, and lots of improvements to help improve overall speed and stability.
You can now make free PC-to-PC calls to other Yahoo! Messenger friends, or if you have a Phone Out account, make low-cost calls to landlines and mobile phones for as low as 1¢ a minute (see rates). Our new voice features also include fun Voice Visualizations that animate you and your friend’s voices while you’re on a call. Be sure to check out the demo video below to see how it works.
We’ve also added support for free text messaging to mobile phones (SMS). Just enter a friend’s mobile phone number, type a message and click Send. Your friend will receive your message on their mobile phone and when they reply back, it comes to you in Yahoo! Messenger for Vista. No more squinting over your small phone screen or wearing out your thumbs. Note that it’s free for you to send SMS messages from Messenger but your friend may incur charges for receiving depending on their mobile data plan.
One of the most requested features in the feedback is e-mail alerts. We’re happy to say that with this new Beta version, you’ll now receive a pop-up alert in the lower right corner of your screen and see a new icon on the contact list window when you have new Yahoo! Mail. Just click either one to go right to your new e-mail. (You can also turn off Mail alerts in preferences).
We’re also going global! We’re thrilled to be launching Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Beta in Germany and Taiwan. These are just the first of many countries we plan to support.
Be sure to watch the brief demo video of Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Beta to see all these new improvements in action:
We really value your feedback and hope that after you try this latest Beta, you’ll stop by our feedback form and tell us what you think, especially regarding Voice Visualizations. You can access the feedback form here, or just click the Feedback button located on the contact list window or at the top of any IM conversation window. We really want to hear from you!
And lastly, please remember that we are still in Beta mode so even this latest version will not have all the features you may love from the classic version of Yahoo! Messenger. From the preview feedback we’ve received we know that you really want webcam video, archiving, photo sharing and more. We are working on these types of features and appreciate your patience while we get them ready.
We hope you enjoy Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Beta; download it here. We look forward to receiving your feedback!
Josh Jacobson
Senior Product Manager, Yahoo! Messenger for Vista
9.0 version - articles about Yahoo! Messenger 9.0
, Hurry Up and Don’t Want To See. 9.0 Beta also has a 
Yakety Yak! Today we’re releasing an all-new voice-enabled Beta version of Yahoo! Messenger for Vista. We have included the voice and SMS features our users have been requesting, an all-new Voice Visualization feature, and lots of improvements to help improve overall speed and stability.
Note that it’s free for you to send SMS messages from Messenger but your friend may incur charges for receiving depending on their mobile data plan.