please empty your brain below
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I think there is a new version of Yahoo Messenger, it came up on a search and I have just used it.
I used to use MSN and the old Yahoo messenger, I still use a desktop, full keyboard/mouse for most of my computer activities, I find I get more done with that than tablets, mobiles or laptops of which I have all.
Facebook I use occasionally.
I am old fashioned enough to prefer e-mails!
I still read blogs every day, another activity which less people now do.
Anything electronic based seems to last for only short times theses days as technology keeps changing.
John | 15.12.17 - 7:20 a.m. | #
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We used to use MSN in school.
I started university in 2006 which was shortly after Facebook started getting big, but there was no chat function then - it was for photos and events only. So continued using MSN for chat.
Whatsapp started in 2009 and we mostly migrated there over the next few years. For me, Whatsapp is basically the same as MSN - except rather than having it in a background window on my desktop PC, it's now a separate physical deivce; how's that for progress?
Like the first John, who seems to be a bit older than me, I also use a desktop at home (I see no need for the word "still" in that sentence) mainly because I have 3 monitors connected. In fact, having my chat program on a separate device means that I get distracted less...
Other John | 15.12.17 - 7:31 a.m. | #
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'There used to be dozens of people I knew on there, and now there aren't'
Did you ever really, truly 'know' them, or is this the technology equivalent of people you 'know' down the pub? (from the days when the pub was really was a focal point, not like today where its somewhere for soap opera characters to repeatedly meet each other).
dg writes: I knew them a lot better than I know you...
Still Anon | 15.12.17 - 7:37 a.m. | #
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Never too late to join Facebook or at least give it a go. You can also use their messenger without a Facebook account via www.messenger.com. I use this when I want to avoid the distractions of the full site.
Gav | 15.12.17 - 8:01 a.m. | #
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Facebook is NOT all lunches, holidays and babies - although they are there too.
I follow multiple galleries, museums, the LMA, IanVisits, specialist history sites, WalkLondon, Open House and many other places and topics of interest nationally.
They all use Facebook, and I recommend you to do so too. It has all the messaging functionality that you miss, and you can 'silence' the over-sharers without offending them.
Facebook: it's the future..and the recent past, for most.
Frank F | 15.12.17 - 8:04 a.m. | #
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@Other John - you can access WhatsApp via the web as well at:
https://web.whatsapp.com/
CG | 15.12.17 - 8:08 a.m. | #
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The other problem with most of the modern alternatives to IM like Facebook, is that when you use them, you're basically selling your soul to them. Everything you send or receive through them is kept on a computer somewhere for ever, for future algorithms to analyse to serve you better adverts. (Or to haunt you when someone digs up some past conversation)
Jon Jones | 15.12.17 - 8:11 a.m. | #
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'..dozens of these people were only ever nicknames to me and I'd never know where to start looking.'
Maybe you have to ask how meaningful these relationships were, and it sounds like they were always likely to be ephemeral.
Personally, for online social contact I find some online communities based around music or place, for example, more interesting than messaging.
new still anon | 15.12.17 - 8:25 a.m. | #
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Will agree that FB Messenger is the closest thing to an old-school IM program. That being said, one of the other reasons IM has fallen away is the near-ubiquitousness of it in the office. Using Skype or WhatsApp just reminds people of work. (Same for myself and Slack - though Slack is more of a hybrid with IRC)
Chz | 15.12.17 - 8:44 a.m. | #
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Give Discord a shot, it's the big thing going round at the moment.
EonLeader | 15.12.17 - 8:46 a.m. | #
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Ah, was it what 'I miss [X]' was about, and nobody hit the spot?
Gordon | 15.12.17 - 9:27 a.m. | #
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Ah yes, and I miss the chatty DG blog commentors comments which extended over the day...I also expect the DG blog to suddenly stop one day and for us not to ever find out what happened, let alone to learn what the Mystery Count was.
b | 15.12.17 - 9:58 a.m. | #
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Nope, I won't be joining Facebook either.
Sarah | Homepage | 15.12.17 - 10:06 a.m. | #
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The odd thing about all this is that 'live chat' is now a feature of many commercial websites.
Thanks to John (above) for alerting me to the rebirth of yahoo messenger. I don't use Facebook because - frankly - it's naff and over hyped. I predict its demise within the next 5 years.
Ironicsteve | 15.12.17 - 10:36 a.m. | #
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whatsapp groups and facebook for relevant interest groups. I won't bore you with the model of car that I have but there is a very useful supportive and helpful group for any problems issues etc. mainly UK but man y members around the world too. have been known to help members who have broken down or need a part. It used to be a forum but now it 's just FB.
Mitch | Homepage | 15.12.17 - 10:42 a.m. | #
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Facebook Messenger is good and free and you don’tt need to post or look at anything on Facebook.
Colininthailand | 15.12.17 - 11:34 a.m. | #
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Jon Jones said
"The other problem with most of the modern alternatives to IM like Facebook, is that when you use them, you're basically selling your soul to them. Everything you send or receive through them is kept on a computer somewhere for ever, for future algorithms to analyse to serve you better adverts. (Or to haunt you when someone digs up some past conversation)"
This is why when you join Facebook you don't use your real name, or tell them where you live, or what you do or anything at all. Whenever they ask "Please tell us about yourself" it's "err no I don't think so!"
Agent X | 15.12.17 - 11:59 a.m. | #
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Even Facebook is somewhat outdated. You have Twitter so no real loss here.
Patrickov | 15.12.17 - 1:16 p.m. | #
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This post just threw me back to 1999, working in an office with someone who was always on ICQ, and who had the clackety typewriter sound effect turned on whenever he typed. And the Teletubby-esque 'uh-oh' when a new message arrived. I was on ICQ too (and can just about remember my 7-digit userid), but AIM was where I spent a lot of my schooldays, and MSN took me through uni and my early years of work. And I spent plenty of time on both, being a key part of friendships, relationships, and getting advice from friends about relationships.
Facebook Messenger just isn't quite the same. It's where most of my friends are, but it's hard to know who's actually there, and the platform keeps getting in the way. I think the nearest I've got to the AIM of old is Telegram, though mainly because my best mate's on there and we have the same sort of chats on it.
Anyhow, farewell to AIM. *door slam sound effect*
martin | 16.12.17 - 4:04 a.m. | #
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Yep, I used to love the MSN Messenger. It seemed to be the de facto standard at my university, and for staying in touch with people after we all left (early 2000s).
Most people moved across to Facebook, but while I still use it to follow groups and get updates from sites (less and less have an RSS feed these days) I'd say less than 10% of Facebook friends post anything these days.
Peter of London | 16.12.17 - 7:28 a.m. | #
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RIP AIM, with fond memories
| 16.12.17 - 6:34 p.m. | #
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You can get WhatsApp on a laptop (certainly on Mac Books - not sure about a MS version) that synchs from the phone. I mainly use it from the comfort of the laptop alongside Skype messaging. It's pretty close the old IM experience.
NickW | 17.12.17 - 4:09 p.m. | #
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Facebook DG. I know it’s naff, and maybe outdated for some, but it has really kept me in touch with friends over the years.
It’s not too late. If you do go there, please let us know. Just try it. You can always opt out.
Sally Hirst | 20.12.17 - 10:12 p.m. | #
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