Many of the popular webcams come bundled with free software that lets you add effects, backgrounds, or accessories to your video calls.

Imagine talking to a friend and all of a sudden you grow a goatee and moustache. Or perhaps you feel more comfortable talking as a cat. Pick an Avatar from your webcam software and start meowing.

Some webcams also offer filters that change the color of your window, distort your face in hilarious ways, or make you look like you’re in a vintage movie.

Here are the basic steps for how to add special effects to your video calls:

1) Make sure that you have installed the manufacturer’s software that came with your webcam. It should be on the CD that came with your webcam. Or visit the webcam manufacturer’s website.

2) Start a video call with a friend in Yahoo! Messenger 10

3) Bring up the control panel for your webcam. On the panel there should be a section or icons for the special effects. Select the one you want and start goofing!

What video effects are available with a webcam varies by type of camera and the manufacturer. But here are a few links from some top webcam makers that detail how to use their video effects:

Logitech
Creative
Microsoft (pdf)

Have you used video effects on your calls? What are some of your favorites?

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

One preference I always set when I upgrade to a new version is “Always use my fonts and colors” (Messenger > Preferences > Appearance). That means that no matter what quirky font, color or size my friends use when they message me, it will always show up in the style I prefer (Arial, 12 for anyone who’s keeping track). I think I discovered this after my college roommate kept insisting on IMs with fluorescent green Tahoma letters in size 16.

While I like to think of myself as young, my aging eyes do betray me. I got tired of squinting at my list to find a friend so a few years ago, I changed my preferences to increase the font size of my contact list (you can also change the font). You can even have online friends show up in bold so they’re more noticeable. You’ll find this ageist setting in Preferences > Appearance, under the Messenger List section.

We’ve all dealt with random people IM’ing us. Sometimes we know them, sometimes they are spammers. To help me quickly separate the riff raff from my real friends, I changed my preference to “When I receive messages from people not on my Messenger list, show the messages in a single list” (Messenger > Preferences > Messages). That way, the messages are all listed in one window and I can quickly reply or ignore them (or mark them as spam). They appear in a window that looks similar to the one used for offline messages.

On the efficiency tip are a couple of shortcuts that may come in handy. If you’re like me and leave your Messenger window open all day long, you can save a step when it comes time to shut down at the end of the day. Under Preferences > General you’ll find a setting for “Sign out of Messenger when I close the main window”. Select that and save yourself the extra step of signing out and then closing down Messenger.

And last but not least is a shortcut you can use to update your status message more quickly. You may already know about the Windows + y shortcut, but do you know the Windows + Shift + y shortcut? That one takes you right to the waiting status message menu where you can start typing your deep thoughts and important updates. For this to work, you first have to enable it under Preferences > General; look for the checkbox that says “Enable system-wide shortcut keys to activate Messenger”.

What are some of your favorite settings, shortcuts, tips or tricks in Yahoo! Messenger? Leave a comment to let us know.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

The new FoxyTunes from Yahoo! Music plug-in lets you easily control your desktop music player as well as share the track you’re listening to in your Yahoo! Messenger status.

To get started, install the FoxyTunes plug-in, available for users on Yahoo! Messenger 8.1, 9.0 or 10. Once it’s loaded, click the “Select Player” menu and choose from a long list of players that are supported by the plug-in. All the biggies are there – Windows Media Player, iTunes, RealPlayer, Winamp, Musicmatch – plus many more.

When you select a player, it will launch it on your desktop (if it’s not already open). Then use the controls in the FoxyTunes plug-in to begin playing the song, skip to the next song, pause, adjust volume or move ahead in the song by clicking the progress bar.

To share what you’re listening to with your Yahoo! Messenger friends, click the “Share your music” icon (the one with two arrows on it). Be sure the box for “Display current song as your status message” is checked, and then click your status message menu at the top to select the currently playing song from the list. When the next song comes on, your status will automatically update.

Another handy feature in the plug-in is the ability to open and play an audio file from your desktop. Just click the “Play File” icon and choose the song you want to play.

The plug-in also includes quick access to the accompanying music website, FoxyTunes Planet. Click the FoxyTunes Planet button while listening to a track and you’ll go to a page for that artist which includes the latest news, lyrics for the song you’re currently playing, more tracks you can listen to right on the page, plus videos.

When you’re sharing your music via your status message, friends will also be able to click on your status message and be taken to the artist page on FoxyTunes Planet.

To add the FoxyTunes plug-in to your Yahoo! Messenger, visit the plug-in page on the website or click the “Add Plug-ins” button in your main Messenger window and select it from the list.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

As you may recall, we jump started the campaign with events around our infamous Yahoo! yodel, which we’ve updated and riffed on in new ways with the Yodel Studio. Now we’ve launched some audibles to go with it that let you yodel as much as you want with twists of reggae, bluegrass, hip-hop, a capella, and R&B.

To access the audibles, click on the Audibles icon in the IM window, click “More Audibles”, go to “See All Audibles”, then find “Yahoo! Yodels” in the list. Audibles are available for Yahoo! Messenger 8.1, 9.0 and 10 only.

You can also dress up your Avatar in some of the latest Yahoo! gear, including t-shirts with the slogans from the campaign: “It’s my Web, you just live in it” and “Master of the Digital Universe”. To get changed, head over to Yahoo! Avatars, click on the “Branded” tab, then click on the “Yahoo!” link.

And if you want more than virtual reality, head over to the Yahoo! Company Store to order a real live t-shirt or other Y! gear.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

The photo above shows a Yahoo! team member greeting visitors to one of our office buildings at our Sunnyvale, CA headquarters. Using the new video calling feature in Yahoo! Messenger 10 Beta, she keeps an eye on the lobby and then pops on full-screen to chat with visitors and check them in.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

Many Indians living outside of their home country will be calling home to wish their friends and family a happy Diwali. If you’re one of them, Yahoo! Messenger is a great way to stay connected not only during Diwali, but any time.

If your family and friends are already using Yahoo! Messenger, you can make high-quality PC-to-PC calls for free. And with the new video calling feature in Yahoo! Messenger 10, you’ll feel like you’re right there with them. Get great quality video, synched audio, even a full-screen mode.

If your friends and family aren’t using Yahoo! Messenger, you can still call them using Messenger, and enjoy great savings. Sign up for a Yahoo! Messenger Phone Out account and you can make calls to any landline or mobile phone in India for just 7.9¢ a minute – right from your desktop.

You can also send free SMS text messages from Messenger to your friends and family in India if they are on the following carriers: Vodaphone Essar, Airtel, Spice, Escotel, Reliance. Their replies come right back to you in Yahoo! Messenger. Find out how to SMS from Messenger.

Even if you just plan to IM friends this weekend to celebrate the festival, you can dress up for it. Head over to Yahoo! Avatars and search on “india” to find Indian-themed clothing and backgrounds. Or add a little Diwali with a custom display image. Click on one of the designs below to make it your display image (you need to be signed into Messenger before you click):

      

From the looks of Diwali pictures I found on Flickr (see slideshow below), the festival is bright, warm and colorful. Lamps (called “diyas”) are lit in homes, fireworks are set off, sparklers color the night air, gifts are exchanged and people eat all kinds of delicious Indian sweets and snacks made specifically for the festival. To learn more about Diwali, head over to diwalifestival.org.

We wish all of our Indian users a Happy Diwali!

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

Last week, users on Yahoo! Messenger 10 Beta got an early look at the new Insider, the window that pops up when you first sign into Messenger for the day. Today, we’re also rolling it out to users on the U.S. versions of Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 and 9.0.

Here’s an overview of what you’ll see in the new Insider:

News, news and more news
We’ve pulled in news from the Yahoo! homepage, as well as headlines from Top Stories, World, Sports, Tech, and everyone’s favorite, Odd Stories (and yes, they are truly odd). If you’re in the U.S., you can also get local news from your town or city. The local news location is the same as what you choose for your weather.

We also included Yahoo! Buzz in its own tab in Insider. You’ll see short summaries of the top 10 news stories that have been buzzed up by internet users.

Yahoo! Mail
While Yahoo! Messenger has always had Yahoo! Mail alerts built-in, the new Mail tab in Insider gives you a handy, snapshot view of your Yahoo! Mail inbox. An indicator on the Mail tab will tell you how many unseen messages you have, and clicking on a message will take you right to it in Yahoo! Mail.

Current weather + 5-day forecast
Below your name you’ll find the current weather conditions for your area. Click on the weather display and you’ll see a 5-day forecast. To change your weather location, click on the location listed to the right of the current forecast. Type in any location in the world and click Go.

Search the web, images and video
The new search box at the top of Insider gives you quick access to Yahoo! Search. We’ve also included search assist to help you find the most common search phrases as you enter in your query.

Skins to match
If you’re on Yahoo! Messenger 10, the color of the new Insider will match the skin that you’ve chosen for your main Messenger windows. On versions 8.1 and 9.0, you’ll see a Skins menu in the upper right corner of the Insider window. Just click on it to select a different skin.

Ads, of course
I’m sure you’ll all be thrilled to know that the same 300×250 ad is still available in Insider. And just below it is a smaller ad where you’ll see tips or promotions related to Yahoo! Messenger. Oh and did we mention that we love it when you click on ads?

If it’s been awhile since you’ve looked at Insider, now’s a great time to give it a fresh look. Just click on the Help menu and select “Yahoo! Insider”.

And if you’d like to turn Insider back on so you see it when you sign in to Yahoo! Messenger, go to Messenger > Preferences > General and check the box next to “Show Yahoo! Insider”.

We hope you enjoy the new Insider. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment here on the blog or by going to the Help menu in Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 or 10 and selecting “Send Feedback”.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

Have you tried out Yahoo!’s new home page yet? This latest version gives you even more ways to customize the page with your favorite news, sites and services.

For the new Beta page, we worked with the team behind yahoo.com to create a new Yahoo! Messenger module. This new version provides a quick view of which friends are online, plus you can easily IM them right from the page. Here’s a quick look at the features of the new Yahoo! Messenger on yahoo.com:

See all your friends in one place
Like the versions we currently offer in Yahoo! Mail, this Yahoo! Messenger module will show you all the friends you’re used to seeing in your list, plus other online friends that are in your Yahoo! Address Book. These are grouped under “Your Yahoo! Contacts”. You may see friends in there you didn’t even know were on Yahoo! Messenger so drop them a line to say hi!

Instant message or send a SMS text message
You can start a conversation with a friend right from the home page. Find them in your list and then click the IM or SMS icon to the right. This will launch a new IM window in Yahoo! Messenger where you can start chatting. Note that the SMS icon only shows up when you have a mobile number in your address book for a friend.

Search to find a contact
This one’s handy for those of you with a lot of friends. Use the search box at the top of the module to quickly find a friend in your list. Once you do, click the IM or SMS icon to start a conversation.

Collapse/expand groups
Click the arrows at the right of a group header to expand or collapse a group.

Change how your list is sorted
Click the Settings icon near the top of the module to sort your list alphabetically or in reverse alphabetical order.

Related links
Looking for more information on Yahoo! Messenger and its features? Check out the links to the right for help with finding the latest version, using a webcam, or getting to know emoticons.

We hope you enjoy the new homepage and find the Yahoo! Messenger module useful. Are there other features you’d like to see incorporated into Yahoo! Messenger on yahoo.com? Leave a comment to let us know.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

In addition to a new name, the revamped plug-in will include different content. You’ll notice buttons that link to the blog feature, as well as buttons to view updates and edit your profile.

If you currently use the Yahoo! 360° plug-in in Yahoo! Messenger 8.1 or 9.0, you don’t need to do anything to get this updated plug-in. The 360° plug-in will automatically change to become the “Your Profile on Yahoo!” plug-in over the next couple of days.

If you have not been using the Yahoo! 360° plug-in but would like to use this new updated version, click the “Add Plug-ins” button in your main Yahoo! Messenger window and look for “Your Profile on Yahoo!”. Then click the Start button next to it to add it back to your Messenger.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

Starting February 16, CBS Radio will power LAUNCHcast Radio. LAUNCHcast Radio will still be accessible from the Yahoo! Messenger plug-in (as well as the Yahoo! Music website). However, it will be hosted and operated by CBS Radio rather than by Yahoo!.

With this change in service, you’ll still be able to listen to most of your favorite pre-programmed LAUNCHcast stations plus you’ll get access to CBS Radio’s wide variety of local music, news, talk, and sports programming.

Unfortunately, some features will be discontinued. Any custom “My Station” and “Moods” Stations you created will no longer be available. I love the “My Station” I’ve created so I’m really sorry to see this feature go.

If you are currently a LAUNCHcast Plus subscriber, please note that this service and its benefits will also be discontinued a few days earlier on February 12. While you will still have access to LAUNCHcast and CBS stations, all radio stations will be supported by advertising and there will no longer be a commercial-free option. Note that stations that were exclusive to LAUNCHcast Plus users will be made available to all users after the transition.

If you are a Yahoo! user through your internet provider like AT&T or Verizon, you may have been enjoying LAUNCHcast Plus as part of your account without realizing it. So don’t be alarmed if you start hearing commercials after the switch.

As a Yahoo! Messenger user, you don’t need to do anything to your plug-in or to Messenger to continue enjoying LAUNCHcast Radio powered by CBS Radio. The transition will be automatic and is scheduled to occur on February 16. In addition, if you have experienced any bugs with the current LAUNCHcast plug-in, those should go away when the plug-in is updated for the switch. Also note that only users in the US and Canada will be able to access the LAUNCHcast plug-in.

For more information on the LAUNCHcast and CBS Radio service changes, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/music/launchcast/transition/faqs.html

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager