The great things about the Internet

I was just thinking of this while folding my clothes . Here are a couple of things I came up with:

1. Help and advice are readily available, provided you look for it. And most of the time, people don’t even think about charging you.
2. A sense of belonging. This is especially true in a great forum such as BigBlueBall, where I’ve met lots of nice folks. Furthermore, with Instant Messaging such as Windows Live Messenger, you’re never alone.
3. International brotherhood. Yeah, I just coined this up. Tied in with #1, because while you can search for help and advice, you can also contribute ideas and solutions. It’s an international win-win situation.
4. Opportunities. Granted, there are thousands of scams on the web, but there are also genuine opportunities. This is something I am really looking into!

Any thoughts? Please drop a comment here (no moderation or approval in my blog, your comment will appear immediately).

Messenger TV for Windows Live Messenger

To quote my fellow member Yahooligan in his excellent BBB post:

Microsoft has launched a new online service in 20 countries which will allow users to watch video clips at the same time as a network of friends and chat via Windows Live Messenger. The new service called Messenger TV will offer a range of clips on MSN Video including MTV shows and music clips from providers such as Sony BMG. The firm hopes the ability to watch clips with friends on different computers will create a new social experience and attract users who already spend hours on social networks.

“Online video has exploded in popularity over the last year, but to date it has been something people watch on their own. Messenger TV is set to change all that,” said John Mangelaars, the vice-president, EMEA, of consumer and online for Microsoft.

“Watching video online can now be a social experience, as people watch videos together, make comments and share reactions.”

The service will launch in 20 countries including many European countries, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, Canada and Mexico but not the United States.

What happens if your country isn’t in the list of countries allowed to watch Messenger TV? Glad you asked, I’ve come up with a workaround:

1. Add MessengerTV@Live.com to your WLM contact list.
2. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options. In the General tab, click on Languages. Click Add and add English (United Kingdom) and move it to the top of the list.
3. Double-click the MessengerTV contact in WLM to start a conversation. Type any message (a simple how are you? is fine). It will reply and ask whether you want to start Messenger TV. Click Accept and enjoy!

Do you IM (Instant Message)?

Well I do, and my weapon of choice is Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger, or WLM for short. It’s funny how many people still call it MSN; MSN actually stands for Microsoft Network but, oh never mind. I prefer typing out my messages to video and voice chats, saves bandwidth (and I’m just on a 1MBps broadband connection).

Why do I love WLM? It’s stable, has lots of customization features (emotes, winks, etc. both from Microsoft and third-party), and millions of people use it. So much so that if WLM hiccups, you know where to go, don’t you? BigBlueBall. It’s THE place for all things IM, and more.

WLM’s latest version is 8.5.1302.1018. Get it here. Oh, and I also love Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Writer (all obtainable at the same link). In fact I write all my posts in Live Writer before publishing it to my blog. It works seamlessly, and is a no-brainer to understand.

A good third-party program to install for WLM is Messenger Plus! Live. You can customize sounds, email accounts, add scripts, control event and chat logging, use skins, etc. Worth getting, and it’s free. Just opt out of the sponsor program when installing.

And if you want to add me to your WLM, leave a comment here.

One of our submarines is missing, Part 2

Well, I thought Sarah (another good friend and fellow staff member of BigBlueBall) would be pulling a Nessa on me, but fortunately she was just fighting the flu virus, and she’s now back in action. And LOL, she’s going to be taking a bunch of computer exams this week! Just what we need: another computer geek . Anyway, best of luck in those exams, Sarah!

BigBlueBall rocks!

Well, what can I say about BigBlueBall (BBB) other than it’s one of the best sites I’ve ever clicked on! I stumbled on to BBB in June 2006 while googling for a problem with Windows Live Messenger (WLM). The staff were so quick to reply to my questions, and I was so impressed that I stayed on and decided to help others out with their IM (instant messaging) problems.

Obviously my charm worked, and Jeff Hester, BBB’s owner, asked me to join BBB as a staff member. I couldn’t say no to this big, affable guy, so I became a staff in 2007. I never thought that spreading help and kindness on the Internet would be so gratifying, but it is. BTW Jeff, I’m still waiting for that staff meeting in Hawaii

And the BBB staff: in a word, fabulous! Jeff, Graham, Heather, Sarah, Doris, Andrew, Nessa, etc. You guys are the best! Thanks for allowing me to be a part of the BBB world.

I’ll be doing more posts on BBB here in the future. Stay tuned!