There are a number of ways you can quickly add contacts to your Messenger List. To add a single contact, open the "Contacts" menu and click "Add a Contact," or type the keyboard equivalent, Ctrl+Shift+A.

You can type in the person's yahoo_user_id or email address, or choose from the list of contacts in your Yahoo! Address Book. Just follow the simple on-screen instructions. If the person is already a Yahoo! Messenger user, a message will be sent asking the person to approve your request to add him or her to your Messenger List. If not, an e-mail invitation will be sent asking the person to download the application and approve your request to add him or her to your Messenger List.

Note: The contact will appear on your Messenger List as pending until that person responds to the request.