SON SON
When you install Yahoo! Messenger, you also have the option of installing Yahoo! Toolbar along with it. I know, I know – you may groan when you see additional software offered during an installation. But there’s a reason – there are some very handy Messenger features integrated right into Toolbar, giving you access to your online friends no matter where you are on the internet.
Once you’ve installed Yahoo! Toolbar, it automatically appears near the top of your web browser. Depending on whether you’re signed in to the Yahoo! network, you may or may not see the Yahoo! Messenger button. To add it, click on the toolbar’s “Settings” button and select “Add/Edit Buttons”. Locate the Messenger smiley in the button name list and click “Add this Button”. (Note that the Messenger button is only available for Yahoo! Toolbar for Internet Explorer.)
The Yahoo! Messenger toolbar button offers some handy features when you’re signed in. It shows you what friends are online and organizes them into the same groups you have in your contact list in Messenger (it can also show offline contacts). Just select a friend from the list to start an IM, even if your Messenger window is closed. There’s also one-click access to your Messenger conversation archive.
You can also change your status message from the Messenger button, and even set your status to display the URL of the web page you’re currently on (I use this a lot when I find a good story in the Odd News section of Yahoo! News). You can also choose “Send this page” from the menu to IM the URL of the page you’re on to a friend.
The Messenger toolbar button also offers a Sidebar option that when selected, opens up a Sidebar on the left side of your browser that displays your list of contacts (see screenshot). This makes it really easy to see who comes off and online, and quickly IM friends while you’re surfing the web. There’s even a little “Send Current Web Link” button next to each friend.
In addition to the Messenger button, you can customize your Yahoo! Toolbar with feature-filled buttons from other favorite Yahoo! services including News, Maps, My Yahoo!, Sports, Groups and more.