Yahoo! Messenger Tutorials

Using Instant Messaging

Messaging a Contact Messaging a Contact Who Is Not on Your List Messaging Multiple Contacts Using Smart Tags Saving an IM Conversation to a Text File

Messaging Multiple Contacts

Sometimes you may want to send the same instant message to more than one contact. For example, you might instant message several contacts in your department about an upcoming conference call, or you might instant message your department group about food being served in the break room. You can include people with Yahoo! IDs who are in your address book but not on your Messenger List. (They must be Messenger users.)

Yahoo! Messenger lets you:

When you message multiple contacts, including groups, you write your first message in the Send Message to Group window, which includes all of the selected contacts. When you click the Send button, each contact receives your message. A separate IM window opens on your screen for each reply, and you continue your conversation with each individual separately from the others. You are no longer messaging the group as a whole.

 

Here's How

    To instant message multiple contacts from your Messenger List:

    1. In your Messenger List, select two or more contact names. Your selection can include group names as well as individual contacts.

      2. Tip: When making a multiple selection, Shift-click to select a range, Ctrl-click to select randomly.

      Select one or more contact names and/or groups.

    2. Right-click, then select Send an Instant Message.

      3. Select Send an Instant Message from the right-click menu.

      Tip: If your last selection is a group, the menu option reads Send Instant Message to All in Group.

      The Send Message to Group window opens.

    3. In the Group window, type your message, then click the Send button.

      Type a message, then click the Send button.

      A separate IM window opens for each contact who responds.

     

    To instant message multiple contacts from your Messenger List and address book:

    1. Open the Send an Instant Message window. (Remind me how.)

    2. In the My Contacts tab of the Send window, select the contacts you want to instant message, including those under your Address Book Contacts, then click the OK button.

      3. Select one or more contacts, then click the OK button.

      Note: If you want to include all contacts in a group, select the group before opening the Send an Instant Message window. All of the contacts in that group will be selected when you open the window.

      The Send Message to Group window opens.

    3. In the Group window, type your message, then click the Send button.

 

What's Next

Instant messages include smart tags, a feature that identifies phone numbers and email addresses. Learn how to use smart tags to add information to your address book or as another way to initiate a communication.

 

Words to Know

  • Contact: a person with whom you interact; someone to whom you might want to send an email or instant message.
  • Group: one or more contacts that you organize together under one unique name, similar to an email list. By default, Yahoo! Messenger adds contacts to the "Friends" group included in the application.
  • IM: the acronym for instant message.
  • Instant messaging: the ability to exchange messages in real time with other people over the Internet.
  • Messenger List: a list of coworkers, friends, family, and associates who also use Yahoo! Messenger.
  • Smart tag: information, such as a phone number or email address, found in an instant message and underlined for your use. Clicking a smart tag allows you to act on the information, such as sending a text message to a mobile phone number, sending an email to an email address, or adding the information to your address book.
  • Yahoo! ID: the name by which a person is known to all Yahoo! networks.