Articles on Instant Messengers


Message to “Change Your Email Address” Mistakenly Sent to Windows Live Users  1,631 Views (This article has 1 comment)
Countless Microsoft Windows Live Instant Messenger users recieved a message yesterday - a legitimate, genuine message from "messenger@microsoft.com" - telling them that they needed to change their email address in order to continue using the Windows Live service. The problem was, while it was a real message from Microsoft, it was sent accidentally, and was not true.

Facebook Announces Facebook Chat  2,759 Views (comments)
Just in case you weren't spending enough time on Facebook now (you are using Facebook, right? Our Facebook page is here), Facebook has announced that they will be rolling out Facebook Chat within the next few weeks.

One Cool Use for Twitter  2,348 Views (This article has 2 comments)
If you are like many people, you may be wondering what people see in Twitter - why use Twitter - what do people use Twitter for - what are the uses of Twitter (or, for that matter, even, what is Twitter?)

Get Your Own Personal Web Instant Messenger Chat System - Free! - with Meebo  6,468 Views (comments)
Have you ever wished that you could have your own private web instant messenger? The best of all instant messengers is your own free instant messaging system, and now you can have a free instant messenger chat system all of your own! Just by using this free, no download instant messenger system you can have folks come use your own personal web instant messenger when they want to talk with you! Plus, this free instant messenger service offers one of the best all in one instant messaging serving websites, providing access to all of the instant messaging programs at once! We're using it ourselves, and it's awesome!

The Zipit Wireless Messenger 2 Instant Messaging-Only Device is the Perfect Gift for Teens and Tweens!  9,030 Views (comments)
If your teen is racking up bills instant messaging on a cell phone, has taken over your computer to instant message their friends, or is pestering you because they "need" a cell phone or some other device to instant message their friends, and if you really would like to let them message their friends, but aren't ready to give them that cell phone, then the Zip-It Wireless Messenger may be just the ticket!

How to Opt Out of Google Gmail Chat and Turn it Off  14,115 Views (This article has 2 comments)
If you are one of those people who aren't the least bit interested in using Google Gmail Chat (Google's instant message chat program in Gmail, similar to AIM and iChat), you probably want to know how to sign out of Gmail chat. So here's the information you need to disable Gmail chat - to turn the Google chat "feature" off, and deactivate Google Gmail chat instant messages.

Yahoo Booters are Rogues Who Boot You Out of Yahoo Chat  24,472 Views (This article has 14 comments)
Have you ever found yourself booted out of Yahoo Chat and you have no idea why? It may be that you have crossed paths with a so-called "Yahoo booter". Yahoo booters are people who, for whatever reason, will flood your yahoochat session with data, causing you to get dumped out of Yahoochat. Yahoo booting is done typically to annoy or harass the Yahoo booters target.

About the AIM Pages Invite from the AIMPagesInvite Buddy  7,180 Views (This article has 4 comments)
If you use either AOL instant messenger or iChat, chances are good that you have started getting the "AIM Pages Invite" spam from the AIMPagesInvite AOL instant messenger buddy. Here's what this is all about.

Want Emoticons for MSN? Here’s Where to Find Them!  68,022 Views (This article has 6 comments)
If you use MSN Messenger or email, chances are that at some point you will find yourself using, or wanting, emoticons for MSN. Emoticons are emotional graphics - visual ways to express the way you feel when words alone just aren't enough. Of course, you probably knew that. But what you may not have known is just how many emoticons for MSN there are (such as alien, 3d, and even erotic adult emoticons!) - or where to get them. Or how to create or make your own emoticons for MSN!

New AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) Service Let’s You Know Your Buddies’ Location  7,145 Views (This article has 4 comments)
A new service announced by AOL, called Skyhook, adds a new "Near Me" buddy group to your AIM buddies. This is intended to show you your nearby buddies or local buddies. Based on where you and your AIM buddies are located, those who are within a certain number of miles of you will show up in your "Near Me" buddy group.

Big Surprise - It’s Easier to Lie via SMS Text Messages  8,294 Views (comments)
Now here's a big surprise - oh, wait, no it isn't - a recent study found that SMS (text messaging) has made it easier for people to lie.

iChat Can’t Connect? Getting the Dreaded “User Has Declined Your Invitation” or Error -8? Here’s Why!  41,199 Views (This article has 9 comments)
Are you one of those people for whom iChat audio and video chatting used to work, but suddenly it has stopped working, for no apparent reason? Are you getting "user has declined your invitation" or "communications error" errors, or maybe even the dreaded "error -8"? Have you changed nothing at all on your end, but suddenly you simply can't audio chat or video chat with some people - or maybe anybody? Well, you're not alone.

Send Your Banker an Instant Message via AIM!  7,366 Views (This article has 3 comments)
A bank in Massachusetts has started the trend of allowing customer to instant message their bankers via AIM! Leader Bank customers are thrilled with the free service, and the best part - no more voicemail hell!

New “Windows Genuine Advantage” Worm Cuebot-K Being Spread by AIM, Installs Self as Wgvan.exe and Dcpromo.log  5,498 Views (This article has 4 comments)
The files wgavn.exe and dcpromo.log are really the Cuebot-K worm, also known as W32/Cuebot-K, Backdoor.Win32.IRCBot.st, and Win32/IRCBot.OO. Cuebot-k is a new worm that masks itself as a "Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Notification", part of Windows Authentication Software (WAS). But it's really a nasty worm which gives control of your system over to the bad guys. It's spreading via AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).

New MSN Messenger Worm BlackAngel.b Offers Up Fantasma Video While It Munches Your PC Security  2,610 Views (comments)
The BlackAngel.b worm infects through MSN Messenger, offering the Fantasma video which warns that "en el 1er dia te espantas", meaning that on the first day you get scared, as indeed you should. The worm sends itself through MSN Messenger messages saying things such as "jaja look a that" or "mira este video".

Burning of Embassies in Damascus Incited by SMS Text Messages  17,098 Views (comments)
The most recent outbreak of violence connected to the Danish publication of what Muslims consider to be a blasphemus cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed was provoked by rumours spread by SMS text messages.

Yahoo Messenger Phishing Scam Takes Victims to Yahoo Photos Website  11,003 Views (This article has 14 comments)
People using Yahoo Messenger are receiving Yahoo instant message phishes which are realistic enough to reel in their victims. The phishy Yahoo messenger messages offer up a link to what appears to be a Yahoo Photos website, saying "click on this website."

SMS Text Messages On Rise for Scofflaws, Pimping, and Holiday Greetings  7,533 Views (This article has 1 comment)
If you thought that SMS text messages were primarily the domain of teenagers who seem to speak in electronic tongues, using l33t speak, think again.

AOL Angers Chatters with Forced Advertising Buddies in AOL Instant Messenger  3,382 Views (This article has 2 comments)
By automatically adding commercial buddies to users' AOL Instant Messanger (a/k/a AOL IM, AOL Chat, and AOL Message) buddy list, AOL has alienated the affections of their AOL Instant Messanger users.

AIM SDBot Worm Installs Lockx.exe RootKit, Takes You to eza1netsearch.com  2,735 Views (This article has 1 comment)
A new AOL Instant Messenger worm, SDBot.add, installs the rootkit Lockx.exe on your computer. In addition to the root kit, the AIM worm changes your searchpage to http://www.eza1netsearch.com/sp2.php at eza1netsearch.com.

AllTopix.com Attempts to Step Into the Breach Left by the Closure of Yahoo Chats to Teens  2,628 Views (comments)
AllTopix (AllTopix.com) is an online community for teens which is attempting to fill the teen chat void created by the closure of Yahoo Chats to those under 18.

Yahoo Chat Rooms: You Must Be Over 18 Now  27,216 Views (This article has 247 comments)
Yahoo chat rooms have been closed off to anyone under the age of eighteen, following an agreement between Yahoo and NY's attorney general, Eliot Spitzer. "We need to be vigilant to protect our children," says Spitzer

Microsoft and Yahoo Announce Internet Chat Agreement  2,551 Views (This article has 2 comments)
Formal Announcement of the Microsoft Instant Messenger and Yahoo IM Partnership comes from Yahoo and Microsoft.

Yahoo IM and MSN Instant Messenger Chat Programs to Talk to Each Other  6,821 Views (This article has 4 comments)
Yahoo IM and MSN Instant Messenger are about to start talking to each other, so that users of one service can easily chat with their friends on the other service.

Mepe.A Instant Messenger Worm: Postcards from the Latino Edge  2,605 Views (comments)
Mepe.A is an instant messaging worm which says "te mandaron un recado conmigo" (I've been asked to give you a message), but which really gives you an infection instead.

Man Hangs Self on Internet  5,033 Views (This article has 10 comments)
A Korean man has hung himself while video chatting with his girlfriend. After the two got into an online argument, police say, the young man suddenly got up, and hung himself while his girlfriend was watching.

Google Talk Instant Messenger to Launch This Week  2,555 Views (comments)
Google Talk is Coming! According to News Reports, Google is launching a new instant messenger service, called Google Talk, some time this week. Says the LA Times, "According to a person who has seen the service, Google plans to let users chat using ...

9 Out of 10 Teens Now Online, Eschew Email, Embrace Instant Messenger  3,780 Views (This article has 3 comments)
A just-released study shows that nearly 90% of all teenagers are now online, and use email and other Internet programs on a regular basis. However, they also see email as something you use with old people, like parents and teachers. The method of choice for communication with friends is instant messenger.

New Kirvo Trojan Worm Sidekick Targetting AOL AIM and MSN Instant Messenger  3,706 Views (This article has 1 comment)
The Kirvo Trojan visits you via Instant Messenger, blazing a trail so that Spybot can then install itself on your system. And once you have a Spybot infestation, all bets are off.

What is Your AIM Fight Score?  3,033 Views (This article has 3 comments)
With the release of the new AIM Fight, Aunty Spam thought that it would be fun to survey folks to see what their AIM Fight scores are. So, what is your AIM Fight score? Let us know by filling out our AIM Fight Score Survey

Ready..AIM….Fight! Or It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Has You In Their Buddy List  6,885 Views (This article has 3 comments)
With apologies to John "Bluto" Blutarsky, "AIM Fight!" What the heck is "AIM Fight?", Aunty can already hear her readers scratching their collective heads. Well, you know all of those 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon friend-of-a-friend sites which have become so popular (or ...

Ever Wonder Who’s Watching You in AIM? Now You Can Find Out!  5,671 Views (This article has 3 comments)
Have you ever wondered who is watching you when you are on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)? Who is reading your profile, and checking you out? Well, wonder no more, because Justin Nolan, the body behind the relatively new ConnectedMobiles.com, has written Aimtrac, just ...

Newest AIM Opanki Worm says “LOL Look at Him”  2,225 Views (comments)
The newest AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) worm, discovered today, causes targetted AIM users to receive a message, ostensibly from a buddy, which says "LOL, LOOK AT HIM", and containing a link to a file called "picture.pif". This worm is considered to be ...

AOL Instant Messenger Mail Now Available - Taking AIM at a New Market  3,930 Views (comments)
AOL's previously announced Instant Messenger-based AIM Mail email system is now a reality. Windows users who upgrade to the new AIM version 5.9 will have access to the new web-mail service, which is one of the first of its kind to integrate instant messenger ...

New Gpic AIM Worm Invites Users to Look at Pictures on Google  2,846 Views (This article has 3 comments)
A newly discovered worm dubbed "Gpic.aol" and being transported via AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) arrives as an instant message along the lines of "damn this looks just like me lol" and proffering a link which claims to be a link to pictures.google.com However, as ...

AIM Mail: AOL Jumps on the 2Gig Webmail Bandwagon with AOL Instant Messenger Mail  3,722 Views (This article has 4 comments)
With the introduction of its new AIM Mail service, Internet giant America Online (AOL) has jumped on the "free webmail with 2 gigabytes of storage" bandwagon, but with an added twist: the new service is tied in to your AOL Instant Messenger ...

New AOL Instant Messenger Windows Virus  6,752 Views (This article has 17 comments)
A new virus aimed (no pun intended) at AOL Instant Messenger Windows users has been discovered this week. It will appear to come from one of your buddies, with a message of "hey check this out!", along with a link to ...

Email Readers’ IQ Going to Pot - Study Says Messaging More Harmful to IQ Than Marijuana or Lack of Sleep  3,282 Views (This article has 5 comments)
Dealing with email, instant messages, and other messaging interruptions throughout the day is more damaging to one's IQ than either lack of sleep, or using marijuana, according to a recent study of more than 1,000 Brits conducted on behalf of HP.

Netspeak, L33t, Internet and IM Languages Legitimized  5,695 Views (This article has 6 comments)
It came from the Internet and, some say, is going to destroy modern civilization as we know it. No, it’s not spam. It’s Netspeak. Also known in some circles as “L33t speak”. Of course, not all people think that Netspeak or L33t is going to destroy the world, although many think that it is rotting the brain of the millions of young (and not so young) people who are “speaking” it. But no longer a passing fad, some experts say that L33t (or “l33tspeak”) netspeak is here to stay.

All Your AIM Chats are Belong to Us - AOL New AIM Terms of Service Waives All Privacy, AOL Can Publish Your Chats  8,239 Views (This article has 19 comments)
Holy complete waiver of privacy, Batman! AOL's new terms of service for their AIM service includes that AIM users waive any right to privacy, and that the AIM user allows AOL to the right to reproduce and republish your chats anywhere, any ...

New Worm Targets Windows and MSN Messengers  2,118 Views (comments)
A newly discovered Internet work, dubbed "Bropia.A", is targetting Windows and MSN Messenger messaging clients. The worm does a host of nasty things, including sending a copy of itself to all of the messaging contacts found on the victim's computer, installing a Trojan horse ...

Move Over AIM, Make Way for…AFIM (Airforce Instant Messenger)  3,539 Views (This article has 2 comments)
The United States Air Force has announced that it has gotten with the times. No longer prohibiting its members from using an instant messenger client to chat with people outside the company, such as loved ones back home, the Air Force has ...
The Internet Patrol
Patrolling the Internet for You!