Tuesday, 20 June 2006
Niggles with MSN Messenger
Does anyone else find the new version of MSN Messenger annoying? It has become more combined with Hotmail (which is becoming LiveMail, so maybe I ought to finally get a GMail account if this is a sign of things to come).
What I don't like is how it tells people logged into MSN Messenger when I log into my Hotmail account. If I'm not logged in to Messenger, it's probably because I don't have time to chat. I don't want people trying to engage me in conversation.
It also isn't immediately clear that people who have just apparently logged into Messenger are actually simply checking their emails. I have nearly messaged several people today, before realising it only means they're checking email. If they've not logged into Messenger, they're not looking to chat.
Why do people think we want everything integrated? There are times when I simply want to read my email in peace. I may be expecting an important email, or I just don't have time to chat. When I'm really busy I don't always read every email in my inbox, so telling people I'm checking my email is not a useful thing to do. They might then expect a reply to an email they sent that I just don't have time to write.
Is this just me, or do other people feel the same? Does it annoy you that now whenever you check your email people on your contact list will know?
I also am annoyed with mobile phones. I want a phone that's a phone - calls and texts. I don't want a camera phone - I have a very nice camera. I don't want a PDA phone - I have a cool PDA. I like my gadgets being separate - if I don't want to be contacted, I can take only the gadgets I want with me. I can disappear into the countryside to take photos or write stories without worrying that someone will call me and scare off the wildlife.
Who is deciding that we want everything rolled into one? Whoever it is, please stop! I use Messenger mainly as a way to chat to my friends. I use Hotmail to check email, whether how-dos from friends or more important emails about, say, jobs. I would like to keep the two separate.
By the way, while I've been typing this, I have had several Messenger notifications about the same email appearing in my inbox. Having checked, it appears that the same email has appeared in my inbox more than ten times. Is this a Hotmail glitch or a Lycos (where the email was sent from) one?
Amuses me, anyhoo...
