September 15, 2009 on 3:28 pm | In 10 version | 15 Comments
In the new Yahoo! Messenger 10 Beta, we introduced an alternate “Y! Updates” view of your contact list. In that view, you see a list of the latest updates from your Yahoo! friends.
Updates can come from your friends’ activity on Yahoo! sites like Buzz, Movies, Answers, Flickr, just to name a few. Or they can create updates by using other social sites on the internet such as Twitter, last.fm, Stumbleupon and more. More on updates
When you’re in the Y! Updates view, it’s also easy to IM your friend to chat about a particular update. Hover your mouse on their update until you see a dropdown arrow menu appear. Click on it and choose “Instant Message”. This will open a new IM window with the update snippet inline in the conversation.
If your friend is also on Yahoo! Messenger 10, they’ll see the update inline in their IM window. It’s a great way to start a conversation about their latest update. And when you do, they’ll know what you’re referring to.
Even if you don’t have an update from a friend, you can still easily IM, SMS or video call them from the Y! Updates view. Just use the contact action bar at the top of the list to find your friend. Hover on their name in the search results and click a contact method like IM, call, SMS or email, from their contact card.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
September 11, 2009 on 4:15 am | In News | 22 Comments
A couple of months ago, we told you that we would be retiring Yahoo! Messenger versions 6.0 through 7.5 this Fall. The date for retirement has been set for September 30, 2009.
This means that if you are currently using a version of Yahoo! Messenger that is below 8.0, you will no longer be able to sign in and use it after September 30.
If you are using a version that is set to retire, you have several options for continuing to use Yahoo! Messenger:
Option 1: Download the latest version for Windows
You can use Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 which offers enhanced security as well as better protection from spam (info | video demo | download). It was even voted the best overall client in the 2009 About.com IM Awards. 9.0 also includes more advanced features like voice calling, free mobile text messaging (SMS), as well as the ability to IM with friends that use Windows Live™ Messenger.
Option 2: Use Yahoo! Messenger for the Web
If you can’t use the latest version mentioned above, you can always sign in to Yahoo! Messenger for the Web from any web browser. No extra download or installation is required. With our web version, you can send IM’s as well as SMS text messages to your friend’s mobile phones for free. Our web version also includes anywhere archiving, allowing you to access your message history from any computer or browser. Try it now at http://webmessenger.yahoo.com.
Option 3: Use the built-in IM feature in Yahoo! Mail
Both versions of Yahoo! Mail offer a built-in feature that lets you send and receive IMs. If you’re using the all-new Yahoo! Mail, just click the status menu next to your name in the upper header and change your status to “Available”. This will sign you into Yahoo! Messenger (you also have the option of staying invisible). IM conversations occur in separate tabs within your Mail page.
In Yahoo! Mail Classic, you’ll see a module on the left hand side of the page labeled “Chat & Mobile Text”. Click on the status menu in that module to change to “Available” (or Invisible). IM conversations will show up in a small box in the lower right corner of your Yahoo! Mail Classic page (but it won’t interfere with your Mail messages or using Mail).
As an alternative, there are also solutions available for your mobile phone. We recently launched Yahoo! Messenger for the iPhone and additionals versions are available for other mobile devices.
And remember, no matter what version you migrate to, your contact list always goes with you. As September 30th draws closer, we’ll remind you again here on the blog.
Thanks,
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
September 9, 2009 on 12:01 am | In 10 version | 22 Comments
If you’re into numerology, today is a special day. Aside from the date looking and sounding cool, today’s date represents the last set of repeating, single-digit dates that we’ll see for almost a century (until January 1, 2101).
So in keeping with all things 9 today, I thought I’d list out 9 things that aren’t in Yahoo! Messenger 9.0. Or in other words, nine reasons why you should try out the new Yahoo! Messenger 10 Beta. Here we go…
9) Much improved 1:1 video calling
8 ) A new alternative view called “Y! Updates” that shows you what your friends are up to on Yahoo! and on other social websites
7) Choose from 16 languages at sign-in or under Messenger > Preferences > Language
6) A new way to sort your contacts – by availability or by recent activity
5) A new Insider with more news, Yahoo! Mail and weather [OK, technically 9.0 has this too but 10 had it first!]
4) When you IM a friend about their latest update in the Y! Updates view, the update shows inline in the IM window so you can both refer to it
3) More controls for Yahoo! Updates. Decide what types of updates you want to see and from whom. Go to Messenger > Preferences > Yahoo! Updates
2) Updated icons in the IM window
1) Because it’s new! 
For more details on these new features, view our Yahoo! Messenger 10 Beta article from launch day. Or watch the demo video:
We hope you’ll try out Yahoo! Messenger 10! When you do, be sure to send us your feedback by going to the Help menu and selecting “Send Feedback”.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
September 3, 2009 on 11:30 am | In Mac version | 63 Comments
An updated version of Yahoo! Messenger for Mac 3.0 is now available.
This latest version includes a couple of new features and many bug fixes to help enhance overall stability and performance. Other changes were made to ensure compatibility with Apple’s latest version of OS X, Snow Leopard.
For the first time, Insider is now available in Yahoo! Messenger for Mac. The new version of Insider offers quick access to the latest news, including local news for U.S. locations. You can also check the weather, see what awaits you in your Yahoo! Mail inbox, or easily search the web, images or video.
This latest version also includes a “Report a Problem” feature to make it easier for Mac users to report technical issues they’re experiencing. To access it, click on the Help menu and select “Report a Problem to Yahoo!”.
From there you can select the feature area that relates to your issue (sign in, messaging, webcam etc.), and then describe the problem you’re having. We really appreciate it when you submit your problems this way as the diagnostic information that’s included helps us better troubleshoot the issue.
Download Yahoo! Messenger for Mac 3.0 Beta
As always, we appreciate your feedback which you can submit by going to the Help menu in the Mac version and selecting “Send Feedback”.
We hope you enjoy this latest version!
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
September 1, 2009 on 3:49 pm | In 10 version, 9.0 version, Features | 13 Comments
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
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