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Overview: Chat
Chat overview

Chat enables you to converse  with other MSN members by computer. A chat session on MSN is like a conference call. However, instead of speaking aloud, you type your messages and MSN displays them for other people to read.

Each member in the chat session is either a participant or spectator. A chat session may also have one or more hosts, who are designated by the forum manager. The host facilitates the conversation and determines whether members are participants or spectators.

To join a conversation, you go to a chat room whose subject interests you. Before you contribute to the chat, you can observe it for a while to see if you'd like to join in. If you have participant status, and you want to contribute, you can send a question, answer, or comment to the other members.

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Sending a message to a chat
To send a message to a chat

Type your message in the Compose pane in the lower-right corner of the Chat window, and then click Send or press the ENTER key.

Notes

To start a new line, press CTRL+ENTER.

To indent a line, press CTRL+TAB.

If the host designated you as a spectator rather than a participant, you can't contribute messages to the chat.

If your computer beeps while you're typing a message, you've reached the maximum length allowed for the message.

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Expressing emotions and gestures

You can express emotions, gestures, and other physical cues by using special characters and abbreviations. To see some common gestures and abbreviations, click a button.

Gestures

Abbreviations

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Gestures
Gesture	Symbol
Crying	:'-)
Grin	:-D
Hug	{}, []
Kiss	*
Smile	:-)
Wink	;-)
Yelling	:-O


Abbreviations
Abbreviation	Meaning
BTW	By the way
IMHO	In my humble opinion
IOW	In other words
LOL	Laughing out loud
ROFL or ROTFL	Rolling on the floor laughing
WRT	With regard to


Displaying information about a chat member
To display information about a chat member

1	Click a member in the member list.

2	Click the View menu, and then click Member Properties.

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Ignoring a member's messages
To ignore a member's messages

1	In the member list, click the names of those individuals whose messages you don't want displayed on your screen.

2	Click the View menu, and then click Ignore Members.

3	Make sure Ignore Messages From Selected Members is checked.

Tips

Chat members won't know if you're ignoring them.

To ignore all members in the member list, click the View menu, point to Ignore Members, and then click Select All. Then follow steps 2-3 above.

To chat with only a few members in a conversation that has many members, you can quickly ignore everyone whose messages you don't want to see. In the member list, click the members you do want to chat with. Click the View menu, point to Ignore Members, and then click Invert Selection. Follow steps 2-3 above to ignore the selected members.


Showing or hiding spectators in the member list
To show or hide spectators in the member list

Click the View menu, and then click Show Spectators.


Enabling or disabling notifications about other members
To enable or disable notifications about other members

1	Click the Tools menu, and then click Options.

2	Under Notify Me When, set the options the way you want them.

Tip

For Help on an item in a dialog box, click [image] in the upper-right corner, and then click the item.


Saving a record of a chat
To save a record of a chat

1	Click the File menu, and then click Save History.

2	If you haven't saved your file before, type a name for the file, and then click Save.

Tips

To preserve all formatting in the chat history, save the file as Rich Text Format (.rtf).

To automatically save a record of a chat before you leave it, click the Tools menu, click Options, and make sure Save Conversation History Before Clearing Or Exiting is checked.


Clearing a chat history
To clear a chat history

Click the Edit menu, and then click Clear History.

Note

Chat automatically clears a chat history when it reaches the maximum length; however, Chat prompts you to save the history first.


Resizing panes in the Chat window
To resize panes in the Chat window

Drag the edge of a pane right or left, up or down.

Tips

To resize all panes in the Chat window, click the View menu, and then click Move Split Bar. By dragging or by using the arrow keys, move the bars until their position reflects the new pane sizes you want. Click the mouse button or press ENTER to set the positions.

To hide a pane, resize it until it is hidden. For example, drag the right pane over to the left pane, or the top pane over to the bottom pane.


Changing the line spacing in the Chat History pane
To change the line spacing in the Chat History pane

1	Click the Tools menu, and then click Options.

2	Set Insert Blank Line Between Messages to the setting you want.


Starting a new line in the Compose pane
To start a new line in the Compose pane

Press CTRL+ENTER.


Chat window

The Chat window consists of three panes, all of which can be resized or hidden. The Chat window also has a toolbar and status bar designed to help you complete tasks more quickly. You display or hide the toolbar and status bar by using commands on the View menu.

To see more about a Chat window pane, click its button.

Chat History pane

Compose pane

Member List pane

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Chat History pane

This is the upper-left pane. It displays all participants' messages from the time you join the chat to the time you leave, provided you don't clear the chat history.

As messages are sent, they are added to the end of the chat history. Bold messages notify members about other members, such as when a member joins or leaves a chat. These messages are generated by Chat automatically; however, you can suppress them by using the Options command on the Tools menu.


Compose pane

This pane is below the Chat History pane. It's where you type the message you want to send to the chat.


Member List pane

This pane, which appears to the right of the Compose and Chat History panes, displays a list of members in the chat and identifies whether they are participants, spectators, or hosts. When you ignore members, their name appears with a line through it.


Indenting a line in the Compose pane
To indent a line in the Compose pane

At the beginning of the line you want to indent, press CTRL+TAB.


Printing a chat history
To print a chat history

1	If you haven't already, save the chat history as a Rich Text Format (.rtf) file.

2	Open the file in WordPad or any program that reads Rich Text Format files.

3	Use the program's Print command to print the file.

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Contacting a chat host
To contact a chat host

1	In the chat room, look in the member list at the right side of the Chat window. An icon identifies the host.

2	Send e-mail to the name listed next to the host icon.

Tips

If there is no host icon, this chat room does not have a host. Send e-mail to the forum manager instead.

For more information about the chat host, double-click the host's name.

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Entering a chat room
To enter a chat room

1	Double-click the MSN icon on your desktop, and then click Categories.

2	Double-click the folders you want until you find the category of information you're interested in.

3	Double-click a chat icon to enter that chat room.

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Specifies the chat you want to join.


Specifies whether you want to see comments in the Chat History pane from the members selected in the member list. Clear the box if you want to see these comments.


Displays the members who will be affected by the status changes you make.


Specifies whether you want Chat to display a message notifying you when a member joins the current chat. Clear the box if you don't want to be notified.


Specifies whether you want Chat to display a message notifying you when a member leaves the current chat. Clear the box if you don't want to be notified.


Specifies whether you want Chat to save the Chat History automatically when you leave a conversation. Clear the box if you do not want to save the Chat History.


Specifies whether you want a blank line inserted between participants' comments in the Chat History pane.


Closes this dialog box and sets the options for the current chat.


Displays the members who will be affected by the status changes you make.


Specifies that you don't want the selected members to be able to contribute to the current chat.


Specifies that the selected member is able to leave comments in the current chat.


Help is available for each item in this group. Click [image] at the top of the dialog box, and then click the specific item you want information about.