But sometimes, not everything works perfectly. Sign in issues can sometimes be attributed to problems with an internet connection. This is why we added a new Connection Troubleshooter tool to the latest version of Yahoo! Messenger 10.

If Yahoo! Messenger has problems connecting during the sign-in process, a small window will appear alerting you that there may be a problem with your internet connection. From there, you can click the Troubleshoot button to let it run some connection diagnostics on your machine. After some quick analysis, it will recommend some next steps for resolving the issue.

The wizard also records all the steps it took while diagnosing the problem. Click the “Show Details” button on the final screen to view the details (sometimes it’s helpful to copy and paste those details when working with customer care on an issue).

The connection wizard is only available in the latest version of Yahoo! Messenger 10 (10.0.0.1102 or later) which works on Windows XP, Vista and 7. You’ll only see this wizard when there is a problem with your internet connection, such as a missing connection or problems with your internet proxy.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

As of today, Yahoo! Messenger 10 is no longer in Beta. You can download the final version from our website. This latest version (10.0.0.1102) incorporates many bug fixes, including some related to our new video call feature. We’ve also improved the overall stability of the product.

If you’re a Windows 7 user, you’ll be glad to know this version is compatible with the new operating system.

Below is a summary of the features that are in Yahoo! Messenger 10. Be sure to watch the demo video at the end of this article for a quick tour.

High-quality video calls
We’ve completely redesigned our 1:1 webcam feature (under the hood too). Now you can make a high-quality video call to a friend with synched audio, right in the IM window. Features include the ability to swap video windows, position the video windows side-by-side, mute the call or place it on hold. You can even go full-screen with your video call. To get started, click the new “Video Call” button in the IM window (your friend also needs to be on Yahoo! Messenger 10). Tips for making video calls | Having fun with video effects

New “Y! Updates” view of your contact list
People are busy these days, doing all sorts of interesting things online. To help you keep up with your friends, we added an alternate view of your contact list that shows a real-time stream of their updates, including Messenger status message changes. If they’ve opted-in to share their updates via Yahoo!, you’ll be able to see what they’re saying on Twitter, reading on Yahoo! Buzz, listening to on last.fm, and more.

We also added additional features for how and when you see your friends’ updates. When a new update comes in, a “toast” alert will pop up in the lower right corner of your screen. If you want to disable these, go to Messenger > Preferences > Yahoo! Updates. You can turn alerts on and off and even update preferences by contact or by type of update.

Find more to chat about
Within the new “Yahoo! Updates” view, you’re sure to find more to talk about with your friends. To make it easy, we added a hover menu that lets you quickly IM a friend about their update. When you do, the update appears inline in the conversation window, so when you start your IM with “I can’t believe you like this song!”, your friend will know what you’re talking about. Note that your friend needs to also be on Yahoo! Messenger 10 to see the update inline.

Change your language easily
If you use the U.S. version but wish it could be in your local language, you’re in luck. When you start up Yahoo! Messenger 10, you’ll notice a new language menu on the sign-in screen. Choose from 16 different languages and the buttons, menus and various parts of the interface will change to that language. If you’re already signed in, you can also change your language under Messenger > Preferences > Language (you’ll have to restart Yahoo! Messenger for it to take effect).

Download Yahoo! Messenger 10

As with any new release, we welcome your feedback about what’s working well for you and what’s not. After using Yahoo! Messenger 10 for a bit, go to the Help menu and select “Send Feedback” to get started.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

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

Created in 2008 by Director Constantin Popescu, “The Yellow Smiley Face (Fata Galbena)” is a delightful and funny look at the steep learning curve computers present for those who have little to no experience. Watching the couple took me back to when I taught my own parents and grandparents. A powerful reminder that at some point in the past, I too had to learn how to use this machine that hums at my feet day and night.

What’s most charming about the film is the big payoff – Mia and Florin’s faces and excited chatter when they finally do connect with Alex and see him on-screen. A nice illustration of how all this complicated technology can ultimately help us make real connections.

Even if it is sometimes daunting.

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