You can communicate instantly with all your friends on the Internet with Instant Messenger. It's the latest in Internet communication.

Once you're online and you want to chat...choose someone from your personal Contact List, a window that shows you which friends or associates are currently online. A box appears on the screen. Type in a message and send it. You can get one back. Right away! The Instant Messenger service lets you chat with your friends, family, and business associates anytime, anywhere.

Communicate Instantly: "Talk" to your family, friends and business colleagues instantly . . . no matter where they are!

Enjoy Private Conversations: Exchange messages for instant, private, one-to-one chats.

Chat: Join in Netscape's Chat Rooms or even create one of your own.

Have Fun! Instant Messenger is faster than email and more fun than the phone!

Click here for more information on Instant Messenger and to download the latest version.

All you need to use a Chat Room is the latest version of our Instant Messenger software.

For more information on Instant Messenger and to download the latest version click here.

Once you've installed Instant Messenger, you can go to the Netscape Web site and click on a link to a Chat Room that interests you. There are lots to choose from. If you aren't already signed onto your Instant Messenger, it will appear and you'll need to log on.

The Chat Room window will appear.

In order to access one of Netscape's Chat Rooms, you will need to have Instant Messenger installed on your computer. You must also have a valid Screen Name and Password to log onto the service. If you have already done this, just click on one of our Chat Room links to begin!

Note: Most Netscape members are automatically registered with the Instant Messenger service. If you are a first time user, simply type over < New User > in the Screen Name field when you sign on.

Once signed on, you will see all the Screen Names of members currently using the Chat Room in the right hand window. Any members entering the Chat Room, will join this list. You will also get a notification when a member has joined in the left hand window.

All the Chat text is displayed in the left hand window. As each member types a message, they will appear; in order, in this section.

Finally, at the bottom of the Chat screen is a box where you can type your text and join in the current conversation. When you want to send your contribution, click on the Send button.

Note: To stop receiving messages from someone in a Chat Room, select the person's screen name in the right hand window field and click Ignore. An X appears next to the selected screen name and their text will no longer appear on your screen.

The Chat Rooms are not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We encourage you to be responsible and to respect our community as well as others participating within the community. Your conduct should be guided by common sense, basic etiquette, and the following chat rules.

We discourage any of the following:

• Participate in off-topic discussions.
• Use explicit/vulgar/obscene language.
• Post or reference sexually explicit images or other offensive content.
• Exploit a minor (any person under the age of 18).
• Use racially or ethnically offensive language.
• Discuss or incite illegal activity, such as how to build a bomb or counterfeit money.
• Disrupt the flow of chat in Chat Rooms with vulgar language, abusiveness, hitting the return key repeatedly or inputting large images so the screen goes by too fast to read, etc.
• Solicit for the exchange of sexually explicit images, and/or material harmful to minors, including, but not limited to, any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer generated image or picture (actual or simulated).
• Harass, threaten, embarrass, or do anything else to a chat participant that is unwanted.
• Offer for sale products or services.
• Infringe anyone else's intellectual property rights, including, but not limited to, any copyright, trademark, rights of publicity, or other proprietary rights.
• Post or request personal or other information from a minor (any person under the age of 18), including, without limitation, any of the following: full name, home address, telephone number, picture, or the name of their school.

Note: To stop receiving messages from someone in a Chat Room, select the person's screen name in field that lists everyone in the Chat Room and click Ignore. . An X appears next to the selected screen name and their text will no longer appear on your screen.

You can create your own Chat Room on Netscape. You will need to include a link to your Chat Room on a Webpage so that people can access it.

You will need to include a link like this:

<A HREF=" http://www.aol.co.uk/aim/aimcheck.adp?url=your+room+name"> Visit my Chat Room</A></P>

You can give the Chat Room on your Web site any name you want. Just replace "your+room+name" with the actual name of your Chat Room - any spaces have to be replaced by plus (+) signs in the link.

Please note that visitors will need to use version 2 or higher, of our Instant Messenger software to be able to access the Chat Room. To download the latest version of the Instant Messenger please click here.

The trouble with online Chat, postings, and email is that anything said in them is open to misinterpretation. Emoticons are clusters of punctuation such as : ) and : > that are used to set the tone for the sentence that precedes them. The knack to interpreting them is to tilt your head sideways to the left and look for a facial expression.

If you wish to take part in some of the free Netscape Chat Rooms, just simply click on Quick Chat on the index, to see the list of available Chat Rooms.

Choose the one you wish to enter, Movie Buffs for example, this will open your Instant Messenger software.

Instant Messenger is an additional service to Netscape .Your e-mail User name and Password will also have been registered as your Instant Messenger Screen Name and Password. If you have never used Instant Messenger before, sinply type your e-mail User Name over <New User> in the Screen Name field when you sign on.

If you do not yet have your own Screen Name, follow these quick steps:

1. Click on the Sign On button on the bottom right of the software (the little green man). You will now be asked to register a new Screen Name to use with Instant Messenger only. This process will take you directly to the Instant Messenger registration Webpage

2. You will be asked to provide the following information:

• What you would like your screen name to be (e.g. joebloggs)
• Choose a Password (Remember to keep this secret from others)
• Confirm your chosen Password
• Your e-mail address, so a confirmation mail can be sent to you

3. If your details are accepted by the registration server, you should be shown a confirmation message

Once you have successfully registered, click on the Home button on the top tool bar of your Internet browser, this will take you back to the Netscape home page. Alternately, type http://www.netscape.co.uk into the toolbar near the top of the screen.

Then quite simply:
• Click on Quick Chat and select a Chat Room. Click on it to enter.
• Instant Messenger will now open with your new Screen Name, type in your password if necessary and click Sign On. This will now open your chosen Chat Room.

You can customise the appearance of messages you compose by changing the default font, text colour, or window colour.

1. In the Buddy List window, open the My IM and select Edit Options then click on Edit Preferences.

2. The preferences dialogue box will open, click on the General tab.

3. Click the Font button to select the typeface, style, size and colour you prefer and click OK.

4. Click OK to save the settings and close the dialogue box.

Note: The Font and Size settings only affect the display of messages on your screen. They do not change the font or size of messages you send. If you want to change the size of text you send, use the bigger and smaller A in the formatting toolbar to increase or decrease the text size. Use the A in the middle to return to normal size again

1. In the Buddy List window, open the My IM menu, choose Edit Options and then select Edit Preferences.

2. The preferences dialogue box will open, click on the General tab.

3. Click the Window Colour button. Select the colour you want and click OK.

4. Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box.

When you type in a URL (Web address) or an e-mail address and send it as an Instant Message, it automatically becomes a link. When clicked, that link will load that Web page or open a new mail window addressed to that e-mail address.

1. Type and select the text you want to turn into a hyperlink, e.g. 'Netscape'.

2. Click the Link button on the toolbar. The Edit Hyperlink window opens.

3. Specify the URL of the site you want the link to point to.

4. Click OK to save the setting and close the dialog box.

You can also specify an e-mail address as the URL. For example, mailto:anyone@netscape.co.uk

Tips: With no text selected, click the Link button. Enter the link text into the 'Hyperlink Text' field.

If you enter a URL as text (for example, http://www.netscape.co.uk or mailto:anyone@netscape.co.uk), Instant Messenger automatically converts to a hyperlink when you send the message.

No one patrols the Internet to make sure people remain polite or decent. If someone else using the Instant Messenger service sends you annoying or offensive messages, you have two ways to handle the situation. You can block the person, or issue them a warning.

You can only warn someone when they have sent you an Instant Message. At the bottom of the chat window, there is a Warn button which looks like a lightning bolt. Clicking it will raise the recipient's warning level by 5%. You will be given the option to warn the recipient anonymously.

When you issue a warning to another Instant Messenger user, the recipient's warning level increases and their ability to send and receive messages decreases.

With enough warnings, the user can be prevented from exchanging any messages with anyone and may even be signed off.

However, warnings are not permanent; the warning level decreases over time. If you have been warned off the service, you can return after a "cooling off" period.

You can view someone's warning level if you request information about that person by clicking the Info button in your Buddy List window.

You can prevent individual users from sending you Instant Messages by doing the following:

1. In the Buddy List window, open the My NSIM menu. Click on Edit Options and choose Edit Preferences.

2. The preferences dialogue box will open. Select the Privacy tab and click the Block the users below radio button.

3. Click the Add Name button, type the Screen Name of the user you want to block.

4. Click OK to save and close the dialogue box