July 18, 2008 on 12:08 pm | In 9.0 version, Features | 7 Comments
If you tried the Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta early on, you probably noticed that Games were no longer available in the IM window. With the most recent release of 9.0 Beta in late May, Games are back! Here’s a quick guide on what’s available and how to find them.
After updating to Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta, you’ll notice a new “Activities” button in the IM window. We combined both Plug-ins and Games into the Activities area. Just click the button to bring up the menu of available items.
You’ll find the following games that you can play with your friend right in the IM window (as long as your friend is also on Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 or 9.0):
Backgammon
Checkers
Chess
Dominoes
Literati
Pearl Hunter
Pool
Toki Toki Boom
Word Racer
While you’re playing be sure not to forget to send a few “Game Audibles” that include funny animations for winning, losing and taunting. What fun is a game of checkers without some good trash talk? 
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
July 15, 2008 on 1:21 pm | In Features | 4 Comments
This is All-Star week for Major League Baseball. There’s a home-run derby, parades, fan-fests – everything a baseball junkie could want. And tonight, the best players from the American and National Leagues will be facing off in Yankee Stadium for the big game.
Why do I mention this on a Yahoo! Messenger blog? Because I was playing with my Yahoo! Sports Gamechannel plug-in today and was trying to figure out why none of my favorite teams had any games scheduled. Duh.
In case you haven’t checked it out, the Gamechannel plug-in is a great way to keep tabs on major league baseball games that are taking place that day. Pick a game from the menu by choosing a team, and you’ll get live updates from the game. Who’s on base, the strike count for the batter that’s up, team stats, box scores and more.
I often track a game in full-size view which gives me a great dashboard for following all the action. The one for tonight’s All-Star game is already up and ready, with starting pitchers Ben Sheets (Milwaukee) and Cliff Lee (Cleveland) facing off.
Tonight’s All-Star game kicks off at 8:05 eastern time. So if you’re tied to your computer and still want to keep up with the game, try the Yahoo! Sports Gamechannel plug-in (Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 or 9.0 only). Even if you miss tonight’s game, you can use the plug-in throughout the baseball season to catch a game.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
July 11, 2008 on 12:40 pm | In 9.0 version, Features | 21 Comments
Where do you turn when you’re not sure how to do something in Yahoo! Messenger? Maybe a friend told you about making phone calls in Messenger, or they wowed you with their spiffy Avatar but you’re not sure how they did it. Most times, you’d probably ask your friends for help, but there is another resource for learning about Yahoo! Messenger called Tutorials.
Tutorials include screenshots and step-by-step instructions on how to use a variety of Yahoo! Messenger features. There are many articles available for both Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 and 9.0. Among the tutorials, you’ll find articles on basic (Introducing Yahoo! Messenger’s Call Features) as well as more advanced features.
Here’s a example of some of the topics you’ll find among the Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 tutorials:
Sharing Messenger Lists with a friend
Placing and receiving calls
Sharing photos
Working with Plug-ins
To access the Tutorials website, just go to the Help menu in Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 or 9.0. Or use the Tutorials link on the right side of our blog (under “Links”).
Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 Tutorials
Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Tutorials
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
July 8, 2008 on 10:30 am | In 9.0 version, Features | 18 Comments
If you’ve downloaded the latest Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta, you’ve probably already discovered the new status message menu. We made a few changes to let you more easily share what you’re up to, what you’re into or what you’re thinking with your friends.
One of the problems we wanted to address was being able to show you’re available or busy but still be able to share something with your friends like a website, video or funny thought. With this new status menu, you can indicate whether you’re busy or available and separately, provide a status message and even link to something interesting. Here’s how it works…
To the right of your display image or avatar is your availability setting. Just click on your name to change your availability to busy, available or invisible to everyone.
Right below that menu is a white box where you can type in a status message. This is a great place to tell people what you’re doing (out to lunch), what you’re thinking (Is it Friday yet?) or ask those important questions (Why can’t dogs talk?). Think of it like your own billboard to your Yahoo! Messenger friends.
When you click to enter a status message, another box appears below that’s labeled “also link to a webpage”. This is an additional area where you can enter a web link. So if you’re counting the minutes to the weekend, you might have a status that says “Already on vacation” that links to a site about your destination, like http://www.disneyland.com. Your status can then be seen and clicked on by your friends.
The status menu will store your five most recent messages. Unfortunately there’s no way to clear out a message or keep one permanently; as you create new ones, they will replace the older ones.
We hope the new status message menu in Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta will give you more fun ways to tell your friends what you’re up to. If you’d like to confirm what your status message looks like to your friends, just add yourself to your own contact list to have a peek. Got a great idea for a fun status message? Leave it in a comment here on the blog.
And if you have feedback about this new status message menu or other feature in Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta, please stop by our feedback form to let us know.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
P.S. - With 9.0 Beta, you can also include emoticons in your status messages. Visit this page for a list of the emoticons you can use.
June 20, 2008 on 2:30 pm | In Features, Mobile, Voice | 15 Comments
IM is great for keeping in constant contact with your friends. But eventually, we all have to sign off and as a result, we’re no longer reachable.
But now, with a couple of features available in Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta, you no longer have to sign off and drop off. You can have incoming IMs and voice calls forwarded to your mobile phone. Here’s how it works…
Above your Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 contact list you’ll notice two new buttons – an icon of a small mobile phone and a Yahoo! Voice button. Click on the mobile phone icon and select “Set Up Mobile Device”. A small window will appear where you can register your mobile phone with Yahoo! Messenger.
Once registered, you can turn on IM forwarding. After signing out of Yahoo! Messenger, you will still appear online to your friends but with an “I’m Mobile” status message. Friends can then IM you and the messages will be forwarded to your mobile phone as text messages (SMS). Reply to the SMS from your phone and your friend will receive it in Messenger. So even when you’re away from your computer, you can still receive and reply to IMs.
To enable IM forwarding whenever you sign out, select the “Always Sign in to [your mobile number]” from the mobile phone icon. If you prefer to enable it occasionally, go to the Messenger menu when you’re ready to sign out and choose “Sign in to [your mobile number]”. Find out more about IM forwarding
The same kind of forwarding can be set up for voice calls. If you’re signed out and a friend tries to call you via PC-to-PC or on your Phone In number, the call can be immediately forwarded to another phone you have (mobile or landline). A Phone Out account is required. When calls are forwarded to you, they are subject to the standard per minute rates of our Phone Out service.
To enable call forwarding, click the “Yahoo! Voice” button above your contact list and select “Set Up Call Forwarding”. Indicate which number you want your incoming calls forwarded to and you’re done. Once you set up call forwarding, it will even forward calls when you are signed into Yahoo! Messenger. So if you prefer to receive calls in Messenger when you’re signed in, just return to the button and select “Call Forwarding > Disabled”. Find out more about call forwarding
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
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