Introduction to instant messaging and Messenger
What is instant messaging? (IM)
Instant messaging software enables you to send and receive short text messages
in almost real-time, and see when other users are online and able to respond.
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What’s an IM network?
There are a number of different instant messaging networks. Some companies
have their own internal networks, such as the Bantu Messenger network. There
are also a number of popular consumer systems in use (such as Yahoo!, AOL, MSN
and ICQ).
Most of these networks have their own proprietary downloadable software, which
ties the user in to that network, only allowing them to message other users
on that network, and not to users on other networks.
Bantu Messenger is a browser-based system, which means that no download is
required and it can be used anywhere. It can be used to talk to other Bantu
Messenger users, and users on most of the consumer networks.
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Can I use it from home?
Because Bantu Messenger is a browser-based system, it can be used from any
internet-connected computer meeting the basic system requirements.
Your details and contact list are stored on the server, so you’ll see your
own contacts and settings wherever you login.
It doesn’t require you to dial into the Bantu Messenger network, and works
sufficiently fast over any connection, even a dial-up modem.
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What’s a contact list?
Your contact list is like an interactive address book. It’s a list of your
top contacts (whether clients, colleagues, friends or whoever you choose to
add), which you will always see when running Messenger. It displays the contact’s
name, together with a status indicator showing whether they are online and available
to talk (their ‘presence state’).
Contacts on this list can be added to groups, with no maximum number of groups
and up to 1000 contacts in each. However, you’ll probably get the most out of
your list if you keep it shorter than that!
Likewise, you will appear on other people’s contact lists in the same way:
they will be able to see if you are online and available, offline, or away from
your desk.
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Should I keep Messenger running all the time?
Many people keep IM software running all the time that they are at work. You’ll
get the most out of it if you run the software for at least few hours every
day, otherwise your contacts will rarely see you online and tend not to use
it to contact you.
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What if I’m not available or don’t want to
be interrupted?
If you are away from your desk, do not wish to be disturbed or otherwise unavailable
to respond to messages, there are ways of changing your presence state to indicate
that you are not available.
You can display different states to different contacts using the visibility
list feature (e.g. to your top clients you could appear online, whilst to others
you might appear offline).
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I already have IM software - why use this
one?
Conversations between Bantu Messenger users are encrypted, whereas conversations
on other public networks are not. It is much more secure to use Bantu Messenger
if you hold confidential conversations or share sensitive information.
Bantu Messenger enables you to talk to users on both the Bantu Messenger and
other public networks, unlike the software supplied by Yahoo!, and MSN etc,
which only allows you to talk to other users on that network.
Because it is a web-based system, it does not require a download, so is especially
practical for users who use a number of different computers, or who cannot install
software on their computers.
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How secure is it?
Bantu Messenger uses an encrypted protocol to ensure the privacy of messages
sent between Bantu Messenger users. All conversations between Bantu Messenger
users are therefore secure, and this is indicated by a locked padlock icon in
the conversation window. Other consumer instant messaging services send messages
in an unencrypted format, so any conversation you have with a user on another
network such as ICQ, Yahoo! or MSN.
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What system setup do I need?
Bantu Messenger runs on all computers with a connection to the internet
and web browsers which support Java (Sun JVM v1.4.1 or Microsoft JVM v1.1 and above) and JavaScript. This includes
Netscape 7.0 or higher, Mozilla 1.0 or higher, and Internet Explorer 5.0 and higher. Bantu Messenger is functional
on Windows (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Win98, WinME), Mac OSX, Solaris and Linux. Web TV is
not supported at this time.
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