Rob Beckers
13th February 2007, 09:06
Did you know this forum has an Instant Message feature that can let you 'talk' to other members in real-time? In fact, you can send IMs to people that are not online, and they will see what you wrote the next time they log in. I have had a few questions lately by those that know forum-IM exists, but didn't know how to use it. Here is more on using IM.
When you are reading messages, you will see a box on the left of every message with the poster's name, poster information, and if they are currently online there will also be a little 'pager' icon. By hitting that pager icon an IM box will pop up, and you can type a message that will get sent to the poster.
Another handy way to send IMs, and at the same time see exactly who is online, is through the 'Quick Links' menu option that you can find at the top of every forum page. Click it, then select 'Open vb Pager' from the drop-down menu. This will open a small new browser window with a list of all the members that are currently online. What is more, it will update automagically. I usually keep one of these little windows open all the time, just so I can see what's happening on the forum. In any event, once you have the list you can click on any of the names in there and once again send an IM.
What if you want to leave a little message for someone that is not currently online? To do so, go to the member's user information page. You can do this several ways, an easy one is by selecting the 'Member List' option that you can find at the top of every page. Navigate to the member, and you will find an option on the right-hand side to 'Send an instant message...'. Click there, and you are off to the races once again.
The last bit I want to mention is something you may have already noticed. At the top right-hand side of every forum page you will find a line saying "Welcome ....", and under it are two links. One for Private Messages, one for Pager Messages. Clicking the Pager Messages link will show you the last few IM messages you received or sent. The system deletes IM messages fairly quickly after the recipient has read them, so your mileage with this may vary.
The vb Pager / Instant Message feature is not without its faults. For one, it is not nearly as sophisticated as the IM clients you may be used to (such as ICQ, MSN etc.). There is no history and it has very limited options. It doesn't leave a trail either, which can be good or bad, depending on what you are looking for. What can be annoying is that a member can seem to be online, while in fact they are long gone. The way the forum works, it takes 15 minutes from the member's last activity, before the forum realizes a member is offline. If you need a more robust way to leave a message for someone there is always the forum's 'Private Message' feature.
For a few quick back-and-forth messages nothing beats the IM feature though. Give it a try!
-Rob-
When you are reading messages, you will see a box on the left of every message with the poster's name, poster information, and if they are currently online there will also be a little 'pager' icon. By hitting that pager icon an IM box will pop up, and you can type a message that will get sent to the poster.
Another handy way to send IMs, and at the same time see exactly who is online, is through the 'Quick Links' menu option that you can find at the top of every forum page. Click it, then select 'Open vb Pager' from the drop-down menu. This will open a small new browser window with a list of all the members that are currently online. What is more, it will update automagically. I usually keep one of these little windows open all the time, just so I can see what's happening on the forum. In any event, once you have the list you can click on any of the names in there and once again send an IM.
What if you want to leave a little message for someone that is not currently online? To do so, go to the member's user information page. You can do this several ways, an easy one is by selecting the 'Member List' option that you can find at the top of every page. Navigate to the member, and you will find an option on the right-hand side to 'Send an instant message...'. Click there, and you are off to the races once again.
The last bit I want to mention is something you may have already noticed. At the top right-hand side of every forum page you will find a line saying "Welcome ....", and under it are two links. One for Private Messages, one for Pager Messages. Clicking the Pager Messages link will show you the last few IM messages you received or sent. The system deletes IM messages fairly quickly after the recipient has read them, so your mileage with this may vary.
The vb Pager / Instant Message feature is not without its faults. For one, it is not nearly as sophisticated as the IM clients you may be used to (such as ICQ, MSN etc.). There is no history and it has very limited options. It doesn't leave a trail either, which can be good or bad, depending on what you are looking for. What can be annoying is that a member can seem to be online, while in fact they are long gone. The way the forum works, it takes 15 minutes from the member's last activity, before the forum realizes a member is offline. If you need a more robust way to leave a message for someone there is always the forum's 'Private Message' feature.
For a few quick back-and-forth messages nothing beats the IM feature though. Give it a try!
-Rob-