Download Getting Started Buddy Lists Messages Profiles Personal Preferences		How Privacy Works You can prevent specific AOL Instant Messenger'. service users (or all of them) from sending you messages. This feature is useful if you find someone's messages offensive or if you simply don't want to receive messages for a while. You can also allow only certain users to send you messages or allow all users to send you messages. To Block a Specific Person from Sending You Messages 1. Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2. Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Privacy tab. 3. Select the Block the users below button. 4. Click the Add Name button. 5. In the Block List, type the name of the user you want to add. 6. Click OK to save your change and close the dialog. To Block Everyone from Sending You Messages 1. Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2. Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Privacy tab. 3. Select the Block all users button. 4. Click OK to save the setting and close the dialog. To Allow Only Specific People to Send You Messages 1. Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2. Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Privacy tab. 3. Select the Allow only the users below button. 4. Click the Add Name button. 5. In the Allow List, type the name of the user you want to add. 6. Click OK to save the setting and close the dialog. To Allow Everyone to Send You Messages 1. Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2. Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Privacy tab. 3. Select the Allow all users to contact me button. 4. Click OK to save the setting and close the dialog. How Warnings Work No one patrols the Internet to make sure people remain polite or decent. If someone else using the AOL Instant Messenger™ service sends you annoying or offensive messages, you have two ways to handle the situation. You can block the person, see Blocking a Specific Person from Sending You Messages, or impose a warning on the person. Warnings are penalties that one AOL Instant Messenger can issue to another. If you receive a warning, your warning level increases and your ability to send and receive messages decreases. If you receive enough warnings, you can be prevented from sending or receiving messages at all and may even be signed off. Warnings are not permanent however; their effects decrease over time. If you have been warned off the service, you can return after a "cooling off" period. You can see someone's warning level if you request information about that person by clicking the Info button in your Buddy List window. To Warn Someone To warn someone who has sent you an offensive message, click the Warn button in the Instant Message window in which you received the message. This imposes a warning on the sender, hampering that person's ability to send and receive messages. If someone receives warnings frequently, he or she will not be able to send messages at all. Only after a "cooling off" period can that person send messages again. You can choose to impose the warning anonymously. Anonymous warnings are less severe and the person you are warning may not know who issued the warning. Notes * You can issue only one warning for each message someone sends you. * If someone warns you, consider ending the conversation. Every additional message you send enables that person to warn you again. To Customize Your Screen Name If you are dissatisfied with the capitalization and spacing in your screen name, you can format it while you are signed on. If you want to make any other changes to your screen name, you must register a new screen name at the AOL Instant Messenger web site. To format your screen name: 1 .Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2. Click Format Screen Name. 3. Type your new screen name in the appropriate field. The only changes you can make to your screen name are the addition or deletion of spaces or the capitalization of letters. For example, if your screen name was algore, you could change it to Algore or Al Gore. You could not change it to Tipper Gore however. 4. Click OK. To Change Your Password You can change your password whenever you are signed on to the AOL Instant Messenger™ service. You can make any change you want to your password as long as your password contains between 4 and 16 characters. To change your password: 1.Click the Menu button, and point to Change. 2.Click Password. 3.Type your current password in the appropriate field and then type and re-type a new password in the appropriate fields. 4.Click OK. Note Anyone who knows your password has access to your account. Therefore, you should never reveal your password to anyone online. No one from AOL will ever ask you for your password while you are online. To Update Your E-mail Address One way that others can find you and add you to their Buddy List window is through your e-mail address. If your e-mail address changes (for example, if you change jobs or switch from one Internet Service Provider to another), you should update our record of your e-mail address. This will allow others to find you by your screen name. 1.Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2.Click Update E-mail Address. 3.Enter your new e-mail address in the dialog. 4.Click OK. To Change Sounds that Play when You Send or Receive Messages 1.Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2.Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Sounds tab. 3.In the IM Sounds group, select the Play a sound when receiving an IM or the Play a sound when sending an IM button. 4.Click the Browse button for the option you have enabled. The Browse for Sound dialog opens. 5.Select the sound you want to use and click Open. 6.Click OK to save the setting and close the dialog. To Change Sounds that Play When Buddies Sign On or Off 1.Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2.Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Sounds tab. 3.In the Buddy Sounds group, click Browse for the sound you want to change. The Browse for Sound dialog opens. 4.Select the sound you want to use and click Open. 5.Click OK to save the setting and close the dialog. Tips *To test a sound, click Preview. *To turn a sound off, deselect the check box for that sound. To Set Visual Alerts in Your Buddy List Window You can set visual alerts to let you know when your buddies sign on or off or when they become idle. To set visual alerts: 1.Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2.Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Misc tab. 3.To make your Buddy List window blink for five seconds each time a buddy signs on or off, select Flash Buddy List window when buddies sign on or off. 4.To dim the display of buddies who are idle, select the Dim buddies after they have been idle for __ minutes option and enter the number of minutes buddies must be idle. The default is 20 minutes. 5.Click OK to save the changes. To Change the Font in Your Buddy List Window You can change the default font used to display groups and buddies in your Buddy List window. 1.Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2.Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Buddy tab. 3.Select the font size in which you want to display your online buddies in your Buddy List window. 4.Click OK to save the setting and close the dialog. To Display or Hide Information about Yourself Using the Privacy tab, you can determine whether or not other users can see how long you have had an AOL Instant Messenger service account or how long you have been idle. Other users can see this information by holding their cursor over your screen name in their Buddy List windows. You can also determine whether or not other users who know your e-mail address can use the Find a Buddy feature to learn your screen name or whether you have an account. 1.Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2.Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Privacy tab. 3.In the Allow other users to see and the Allow users who know my e-mail address to find boxes, select the options you prefer. 4.Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog. Customizing Messages To Change Key Bindings for Messages Using the Misc tab of the Preferences dialog, you can change the behavior of the Enter and Tab keys in the Instant Message window. 1.Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2.Click Edit Preferences and then click the Misc tab. 3.If you want the Enter key to insert a line break, select the Enter key inserts Return option. (Deselect this option if you want the Enter key to send your message.) 4.If you want the Tab key to insert a tab, select the Tab key inserts Tab option. (Deselect this option if you want the Tab key to toggle among fields in the Instant Message window.) 5.Click OK to save the setting and close the dialog. To Change the Default Appearance of Messages You can customize the appearance of messages you compose by changing the default font, text color, or window color. To change the default font used for messages: 1.Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2.Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Misc tab. 3.Click the Default Font button. 4.Select the font settings you want to use and click OK. 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. 5.Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog. To change the default window color used for messages: 1.Click the Menu button, and then point to Options. 2.Click Edit Preferences, and then click the Misc tab. 3.Click the Window Color button. 4.Select the color you want to use and click OK. 5.Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog. Note If you want to change the size of text you send, you must use the toolbar to increase or decrease it.