 Contents
To view a list of topics, click Help Topics.


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



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 


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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 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.


To show or hide spectators in the member list
     Click the View menu, and then click Show Spectators.

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   in the
upper-right corner, and then click the item.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


To indent a line in the Compose pane
     At the beginning of the line you want to indent, press
CTRL+TAB.


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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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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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   at the top
of the dialog box, and then click the specific item you want
information about.