Socialising on a whole new scale (Microsoft MSN Messenger Service)

Member Name: AmyAmy

Product:	Microsoft MSN Messenger Service
Date:	04/02/09 (102 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun, free, safe, fast

Disadvantages: none!

I first got a computer, complete with internet, back in 2002, the week my brother was born. It was meant to be a birthday present but I got it two weeks early, perhaps because my brother was getting loads of attention and I might have felt left out. Maybe they just grabbed a bargain when they could. Either way, I was thrilled to bits and spent ages playing games and searching things on the internet. But back them, I had no knowledge of MSN. I cannot believe I actually managed to survive without it!

MSN Messenger service, which was later called MSN Messenger, first came about in 1999. It was a lot more basic than it is now, barely more than a live chat window with a few special features. Though over the years this did improve, and several versions have been released, each time improving. Now we are at Windows 8.5, also known as Windows Live Messenger 2009. I have only just downloaded this today, so I shall take you through it as I discover it!

First of all, you need to download the MSN! You can do this from www.download.live.com. It is very simple to download, you just click the download button and it saves to your computer. You then click the saved file and you follow a quick on screen installation which takes merely a few minutes (you need to close certain programs to do so).

After this, it is time to go! Open up the MSN, from either the link in the menu bar, icon on the icon bar, or shortcut on the desktop. You are then faced with the little log-in screen. Here you need to enter your email address and password. If you do not have an account, then you will need to create one at www.hotmail.co.uk, which takes only a matter of minutes again! Once that's done, you're ready to rock and roll!

Entering your correct details, you are logged in to MSN. It is time to start pimping your profile! You can change your username, and show it in colour if you wish too! A Personal Message underneath this is an option, and if you use Media Player or iTunes you can also set it up so you can set this to show what you are listening to. The colour scheme of the window can be altered to suit you too, which I think is a nice touch! There are ads down the side of the home window, and you'll find some of them to actually be quite useful! You can also add your profile pic, which can also be changed at any time.

Now you are nearly read to start socialising! You will see that you have no contacts to start with, unless you have had MSN previously. To add a contact, you simply go to Contacts, and then Add a Contact. You type your friends' addresses in and there you have it! Your contacts are displayed in the home window, and you can also organise these into categories and groups.

Friends which are on-line have a little green MSN man next to their name, those that are off-line are grey. To talk to a friend you simply double click on their name and a contact window will pull up. You need to just type in the white box and press Enter, and your message is sent in the blink of an eye, to whoever is at the other end, wherever they may be! Your writing is first just black, but you can customise this to suit your personality by using the icons in the Conversation box. You can also include emoticons (little pictures and smilies) in your conversations. The conversation box can also be changed colour, as well as the home window.

As well as this, you can send various things. You can send them a Wink, which is quite cool! There is one I love which is a lightbulb, it makes me laugh! You can also send song clips through either the ones that come with the download, or you can make your own too! With your contacts, you can play various games! These include the classics such as noughts and crosses and solitaire, and some new ideas such as Uno and Brain Battle. They are perfect for passing the time if you are bored!

If your contact has a webcam, you can view this, but only if they accept your request and vice versa. If you both have a webcam and a mic, video conversations are also an option! I've yet to have one of these as my mic does not work! Sharing files is also an option through this, such as music and photos. You do this by simply copying and pasting the file into the conversation box.

MSN is an amazing way to keep in touch with your friends. Though you may wonder what would happen if somebody added you who you didn't know. This has happened to me a few times, and some of these people have actually been quite nice and genuine. However there have been a few who I felt I could not trust, and have blocked them. Yes, that's right, you can stop somebody from accessing your MSN! This is incredibly easy, just click the 'Block Contact' icon and Bob's your mother's brother! It is also possible to unblock them at any time you wish, so this is ideal if one of your friends is pestering you and you wish for some peaceful time for a little while!

MSN has certain system requirements. They canbe found in detail at http://download.live.com/SystemRequirements.aspx, but basically you need 1GHz Processer (Vista) or 800 MHz (XP). You also need 128MB RAM, and a minimum resolution of 1024 x 768. With those on your system, the world is your jellyfish!

Life without MSN, it would be dire! I've been using it for about five years or so now, and I will admit it is addictive! It is a great way to keep in touch with your friends, and is fantastic for expressing yourself (and I am sure many people have had enough courage to ask out a loved one, or tell a friend how it is over MSN, a lot more than saying it face to face!).

MSN, anyone?

© Amy 2009

Can you come up with any good acronyms for MSN?

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