Talk to people! For Free! Amazing! (Microsoft MSN Messenger Service)

Member Name: eatingpinkzebras

Product:	Microsoft MSN Messenger Service
Date:	08/12/08 (385 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great way to keep in touch

Disadvantages: Possible spreader of viruses

MSN Messenger is a chat application which you can download for free onto your computer from the Microsoft site www.msn.co.uk.

~~~Installation~~~

To install the application you will need a hotmail or yahoo email address (a hotmail one can also be acquired for free from the same site). The installation procedure is very easy and all you will need to do is click 'yes' a few times and accept the terms and conditions.

~~~What the application does~~~

After you've installed the programme, you can then add contacts who you would like to speak to online. You do this by entering the email addresses of your friends and family. If they already have MSN on their computers then they will just need to confirm you as a friend, and if they don't then MSN will send them an invitation to download it.

Once you have some contacts, you can start chatting to any of the ones which are online and signed into the programme. It is easy to open up a conversation with them by right clicking on their icon and selecting 'send an instant message'. You will then get a conversation window which will remain on screen until you minimise or close it, and the two of you can keep talking back and forth. If you like, you can invite a third or fourth person into the same conversation so that you can all speak together, or alternatively you can have several different conversations open at the same time.

You can also send files over the same connection, including music files, photos or documents. Larger files can take a while to transfer depending on you and your friend's connections, but it's a cool feature nevertheless.

You can change the way your status appears to other people by selecting things such as 'Busy', 'Away', 'On the phone' etc. You can also appear offline if you like, though you can still receive messages like that. If you send a message to someone who really is offline, they will get it when they next sign in.

If you are getting fed up with someone then you can block them, which means they won't be able to tell when you are online and will hopefully stop messaging you!

MSN has other cool features, such as the ability to send moving emoticons, and to customise your conversation windows with different colours and backgrounds.

It also has a direct link to your email account and pops up with an alert when you get a new email, which is really useful.

~~~Problems~~~

There aren't too many problems with MSN but there are a couple of things to watch out for. Firstly, people can add you even if all they know about you is your email address, so beware if you get a request from an address you don't recognise, as it could be anyone, including hackers, virus senders or one of those people who want you to watch them on webcam!

Secondly, it is easy for people to send viruses over the application, so make sure you never accept a file if you don't know exactly what it is.

Despite these issues, MSN is a great free application for keeping in touch with your mates and I can recommend it to everyone.

Summary: Worth downloading!

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