Call and see whom you're talking to

Next to their name in brackets you should see their status. If it shows “Online”, it means they are at their computer and are ready and willing to be contacted via Internet chat through MSN Messenger. If it shows “Offline”, it means they are not logged into Messenger. If it shows “Away”, it means their computer is on and they are logged in to MSN Messenger, but they are currently inactive. As soon as they touch their keyboard again, MSN Messenger will show them as "Online" again.

To use Internet chat on MSN Messenger, simply double-click on your buddy’s name and a chat window will open. You’ll notice that the window is split in two. The lower half is the area where you will type your remarks. In the top half is where your buddy’s remarks appear when they type. This is also where your remarks will appear once you send them, so the top half shows a running dialogue of the conversation.

Of course this is the basic and most common use for MSN Messenger. Here comes the fun part.

Let’s add audio and video. You don’t both have to have audio and video equipment to do a video chat. If your buddy doesn’t have a camera or microphone, you can broadcast to him or her, but, obviously, you won’t see or hear them. They will have to type their responses.

Best results come when both parties use a webcam and microphone with the system. So here’s how to set those up. Buy a webcam like the Logitech USB QuickCam Messenger.

I chose the Creative webcam with a microphone called Creative USB Webcam NX because I bought a separate microphone system that is integrated into headphones from Plantronics. It is called the Plantronics DSP-500. I like this rig because the audio and voice quality is clear and it’s very comfortable to wear.

You can use any gear you like, but make sure to install the driver software that comes with your camera and microphone first, before you connect them to your computer and make sure they are operational (follow the installation routines in the manual to be sure).

Once they are connected you’ll need to configure the audio and video gear with MSN Messenger. To do this, run the Audio/Video Tuning Wizard by clicking the Tools menu in MSN Messenger and selecting the wizard from the list (third from the bottom).

The wizard will walk you through settings for your camera and microphone, prompting you to select them from the equipment list on your computer and testing audio levels and picture quality. Note that when you configure your microphone, you may see the name of your soundcard because that is where the mike is plugged in, in some cases. If the microphone is integrated into a USB headset like the Plantronics headset I mention above, you’ll see it listed under the headset name.

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