Can we have more IM options?

July 2, 2001 4:15 PM

More IM options. Not to seem to sad but I don't have an AOL screen name. Nor do I have an ICQ number. I do have a Yahoo! Messenger thingy. An MSN Messenger wotsit and (more importantly) a Jabber address ([e-mail]). What about adding some more fields for the most popular ones and a 'write in' for the Open source client of your choice.
posted by nedrichards to feature requests at 4:15 PM (11 comments total)

Matt, this isn't just because I saw that you liked trillian from your weblog :-]. Nor even because I have a vituperative hatred fro AOL TW (which I do). No, it's because I want to be famous!and how can I be famous without everyone being able to contact me instantly after reading one of my many pearls of wisdom? Or words to that effect.
posted by nedrichards at 4:19 PM on July 2, 2001

You do have an entire textarea to play with ned . . .
posted by alan at 4:25 PM on July 2, 2001

I'd also like something like this, but I have to ask: if you've already got a Jabber address, why not get yourself AIM and ICQ accounts and access them through the Jabber transports?
posted by moss at 5:51 PM on July 2, 2001

Jabber's AIM gateway hasn't worked since AOL hosed it a few months ago.
posted by rcade at 7:34 PM on July 2, 2001

I'd like to vote "no" to IM options. Ned, I think you're already doing a fine job of letting people know who you are and where they can reach you.
posted by jpoulos at 8:10 PM on July 2, 2001

I think Matt should require a working IM account to use Mefi (each time you tried to post, it would automatically IM you and require a response). Not only that, but for each thread you post in, you should get an IM each time a new comment is posted. AND you should get 10 IMs each time a new comment is posted in a thread you created. And you must reply to each or you will be banned for life.

Not only will this give us all a way to get in touch with each other immediately, but it will also significantly reduce the posting frequency to a manageable level.
posted by daveadams at 8:21 PM on July 2, 2001

Even better, if we all got an IM every time someone double posted, said "take it to Metatalk", compared someone to Hitler, made fun of a politician (triple if it's GWB since that's such a popular and easy target) and other various things, we could really help shape the community. Kind of like the Simpson's episode where they went through family electroshock therapy...
posted by fooljay at 9:57 PM on July 2, 2001

Jabber's AIM gateway hasn't worked since AOL hosed it a few months ago

Ick. I suppose I should have guessed something like that would have happened. Stupid AOL.
posted by moss at 10:56 PM on July 2, 2001

made fun of a politician (triple if it's GWB since that's such a popular and easy target)

Let's not get carried away now...
posted by jpoulos at 10:31 AM on July 3, 2001

Fair enough to all of the above comment. It's Matt's decision in the end and I do admit the arguments against cluttering up the personal pages too much are quite compelling. Anyway. Thanks everyone for the response.
posted by nedrichards at 2:15 PM on July 4, 2001

Oh and the if you've already got a Jabber thing? Well, the above that AIM no longer works because AOL TW are interested in cash, but also because I'm a contrary 'person' who seems to enjoy making things difficult for himself.
posted by nedrichards at 2:24 PM on July 4, 2001