Find a contact

Hi, I've just installed Live Messenger 8.1. How do I find a contact? I type
john, smith, etc - "No contacts match your search". How do I search a
contact by name? Thanks!

Windows Live Messenger is strictly speaking not an open chat network. In
order to communicate with others, you will need to know the email address to
which they have a Windows Live ID associated. If your contact has an email
address that ends in msn.com or hotmail.com (or localized versions of the
same such as hotmail.de), then that person already has a Windows Live ID that
can be used with Windows Live Messenger. If your contact has an email address
with their ISP, for example @comcast.net or @aol.com, then he will need to
create a Windows Live ID for that email address (best done on
www.passport.net).
I hope that helps, otherwise, just write again.

daBrain


"Andrew" wrote:

> Hi, I've just installed Live Messenger 8.1. How do I find a contact? I type
> john, smith, etc - "No contacts match your search". How do I search a
> contact by name? Thanks!
>
>
>

Greetings Andrew,

See daBrain's post, but I just wanted to add that the exact spot you're typing in is to find
people already on your contact list. When you get a lot of contacts it's really quite
useful.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--

"Andrew" <> wrote in message
news:eEzSg%...
> Hi, I've just installed Live Messenger 8.1. How do I find a contact? I type john, smith,
> etc - "No contacts match your search". How do I search a contact by name? Thanks!
>
>

Thanks daBrain and Jonathan.

The last time I used MS Messenger was several years ago, and as far as I
remember I could search the network for names. I might be wrong though. So
you are saying the only place I can search now is my own contact list, and I
have to know exact Live IDs to populate the list, correct?

Cheers


"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
news9585285-0EDB-4D2A-9D41-...
> Greetings Andrew,
>
> See daBrain's post, but I just wanted to add that the exact spot you're
> typing in is to find people already on your contact list. When you get a
> lot of contacts it's really quite useful.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
> "Andrew" <> wrote in message
> news:eEzSg%...
>> Hi, I've just installed Live Messenger 8.1. How do I find a contact? I
>> type john, smith, etc - "No contacts match your search". How do I search
>> a contact by name? Thanks!
>>
>>
>
>

I think I too remember that you were able to search the network for friends
like you can still do on at least one competing messenger service. I believe
several legal issues resulted in the removal of this feature (such as
countering child abuse by peadophiles, which got in touch with children by
searching the network). As far as I remember, Microsoft discontinued the chat
rooms on MSN around the same time.
You therefore have to know the exact email address of a person that you
already know and want to talk to.
If that person doesn't yet use Messenger and doesn't have a Windows Live ID
yet, you can tick the check box in the Add Contact window to send that person
an invitation in an email. You can also enter a personal message to be sent
in the field above.
I hope this helps. If you don't know anyone already that uses Windows Live
Messenger, then I am afraid to say that it is probably not the right choice
for you and you would need to switch. There are probably websites out there
where people share their email addresses to make friends on Windows Live
Messenger, but I honestly don't know any.

"Andrew" wrote:

> Thanks daBrain and Jonathan.
>
> The last time I used MS Messenger was several years ago, and as far as I
> remember I could search the network for names. I might be wrong though. So
> you are saying the only place I can search now is my own contact list, and I
> have to know exact Live IDs to populate the list, correct?
>
> Cheers
>
>
> "Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
> news9585285-0EDB-4D2A-9D41-...
> > Greetings Andrew,
> >
> > See daBrain's post, but I just wanted to add that the exact spot you're
> > typing in is to find people already on your contact list. When you get a
> > lot of contacts it's really quite useful.
> >
> > --
> > Jonathan Kay
> > Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> > Associate Expert
> > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> > Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> > All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> > You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> > --
> >
> > "Andrew" <> wrote in message
> > news:eEzSg%...
> >> Hi, I've just installed Live Messenger 8.1. How do I find a contact? I
> >> type john, smith, etc - "No contacts match your search". How do I search
> >> a contact by name? Thanks!
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
>

Thanks


"daBrain" <> wrote in message
news:FCFAC27A-5EFC-4464-91E0-...
>I think I too remember that you were able to search the network for friends
> like you can still do on at least one competing messenger service. I
> believe
> several legal issues resulted in the removal of this feature (such as
> countering child abuse by peadophiles, which got in touch with children by
> searching the network). As far as I remember, Microsoft discontinued the
> chat
> rooms on MSN around the same time.
> You therefore have to know the exact email address of a person that you
> already know and want to talk to.
> If that person doesn't yet use Messenger and doesn't have a Windows Live
> ID
> yet, you can tick the check box in the Add Contact window to send that
> person
> an invitation in an email. You can also enter a personal message to be
> sent
> in the field above.
> I hope this helps. If you don't know anyone already that uses Windows Live
> Messenger, then I am afraid to say that it is probably not the right
> choice
> for you and you would need to switch. There are probably websites out
> there
> where people share their email addresses to make friends on Windows Live
> Messenger, but I honestly don't know any.
>
> "Andrew" wrote:
>
>> Thanks daBrain and Jonathan.
>>
>> The last time I used MS Messenger was several years ago, and as far as I
>> remember I could search the network for names. I might be wrong though.
>> So
>> you are saying the only place I can search now is my own contact list,
>> and I
>> have to know exact Live IDs to populate the list, correct?
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>>
>> "Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
>> news9585285-0EDB-4D2A-9D41-...
>> > Greetings Andrew,
>> >
>> > See daBrain's post, but I just wanted to add that the exact spot you're
>> > typing in is to find people already on your contact list. When you get
>> > a
>> > lot of contacts it's really quite useful.
>> >
>> > --
>> > Jonathan Kay
>> > Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
>> > Associate Expert
>> > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
>> > Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
>> > All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
>> > You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
>> > --
>> >
>> > "Andrew" <> wrote in message
>> > news:eEzSg%...
>> >> Hi, I've just installed Live Messenger 8.1. How do I find a contact? I
>> >> type john, smith, etc - "No contacts match your search". How do I
>> >> search
>> >> a contact by name? Thanks!
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>

You CAN still search for people with a public profile here:
http://spaces.live.com/default.aspx?...esults&ss=true

"Andrew" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Thanks
>
>
> "daBrain" <> wrote in message
> news:FCFAC27A-5EFC-4464-91E0-...
>>I think I too remember that you were able to search the network for
>>friends
>> like you can still do on at least one competing messenger service. I
>> believe
>> several legal issues resulted in the removal of this feature (such as
>> countering child abuse by peadophiles, which got in touch with children
>> by
>> searching the network). As far as I remember, Microsoft discontinued the
>> chat
>> rooms on MSN around the same time.
>> You therefore have to know the exact email address of a person that you
>> already know and want to talk to.
>> If that person doesn't yet use Messenger and doesn't have a Windows Live
>> ID
>> yet, you can tick the check box in the Add Contact window to send that
>> person
>> an invitation in an email. You can also enter a personal message to be
>> sent
>> in the field above.
>> I hope this helps. If you don't know anyone already that uses Windows
>> Live
>> Messenger, then I am afraid to say that it is probably not the right
>> choice
>> for you and you would need to switch. There are probably websites out
>> there
>> where people share their email addresses to make friends on Windows Live
>> Messenger, but I honestly don't know any.
>>
>> "Andrew" wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks daBrain and Jonathan.
>>>
>>> The last time I used MS Messenger was several years ago, and as far as I
>>> remember I could search the network for names. I might be wrong though.
>>> So
>>> you are saying the only place I can search now is my own contact list,
>>> and I
>>> have to know exact Live IDs to populate the list, correct?
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>>
>>>
>>> "Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
>>> news9585285-0EDB-4D2A-9D41-...
>>> > Greetings Andrew,
>>> >
>>> > See daBrain's post, but I just wanted to add that the exact spot
>>> > you're
>>> > typing in is to find people already on your contact list. When you
>>> > get a
>>> > lot of contacts it's really quite useful.
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > Jonathan Kay
>>> > Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
>>> > Associate Expert
>>> > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
>>> > Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
>>> > All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
>>> > You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
>>> > --
>>> >
>>> > "Andrew" <> wrote in message
>>> > news:eEzSg%...
>>> >> Hi, I've just installed Live Messenger 8.1. How do I find a contact?
>>> >> I
>>> >> type john, smith, etc - "No contacts match your search". How do I
>>> >> search
>>> >> a contact by name? Thanks!
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>