Charging for messenger?

accymel · 13-10-2005, 11:21

I've had a few people have had problems with msn lately due to maintenance but interestingly a lot of them said that MSN & YAHOO are going to be soon charging for use of messenger services, like simular to what MSN have done to their chatrooms in the uk was to surcharge for use. Does any techy know if this rumour is true

harwood red · 13-10-2005, 11:23

I hope not as they will alienate alot of members if they do. And people will also move away from the hotmail accounts too so links to the microsoft websites will see a massive decline too which will hit their advertising revenue. They could just end up shooting themselves in the foot!

accymel · 13-10-2005, 11:28

Well this is it H Red people will move onto something else, although cant understand why MSN would need to do it other than it oviously thinks its better than it is & Bill Gates ain't short of a few bob. Least if they do my ISP has a messenger service which aint as good but will use that as alternative unless they charge too.

SPUGGIE J · 13-10-2005, 12:26

Well there goes the threat of less free speach and all because they see the number of people using MSN and start to see $ signs. Not a good idea but then there are other free mesenger style services.

harwood red · 13-10-2005, 12:35

I don't see how they can start charging for windows messanger when that is standard on all pcs with windows xp and that uses the same contacts as msn. There is also msn web messanger when you want to go on but from a computer that doesn't have msn downloaded. They planning on charging for them all????

accymel · 13-10-2005, 12:40

Very good point H red, i find windows messenger blaming annoying it conficts with msn & cant get shut unless i ****** me windows prog. I think this would cause a storm & at the mo its only a rumour till someone puts me straight LOL

Tinkerbelle · 13-10-2005, 12:57

I can't see it happening were they charge a fee for using messenger, it's a handy way of communicating sometimes but it's not something I'd pay for!

I know initially MSNs excuse for charging a fee for using their chatrooms was the fact that, this way, they could monitor users more effectively, thus attempting to protect children.

accymel · 13-10-2005, 13:01

But because people find it handy MSN find it handy cash flow specially as people have become dependant on it now gawd knows what excuse they'd find for it but surprises me that yahoo who dont charge for chat certainly not extensively as msn & who gained more chatroom interest when msn shut down - even worse twas specially for UK.

harwood red · 13-10-2005, 13:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinkerbelle

I can't see it happening were they charge a fee for using messenger, it's a handy way of communicating sometimes but it's not something I'd pay for!

I know initially MSN's excuse for charging for a fee for using their chatrooms was the fact that, this way, they could monitor users more effectively, thus attempting to protect children.

I can understand the point of monitoring the chat rooms but as you have to add a contact to msn i don't think that would be the reason to start charging. Maybe its got bigger than they imagined and as spuggie said the £ signs started flashing before their eyes. If it turns out to be true then thats a lot of kids alienated also as my two teenagers use msn regularly and they are certainly not in a position to pay and I wouldn't even pay for my own never mind theirs!! I have also recently discovered skype and that is pretty good and I'm sure will only improve

Tinkerbelle · 13-10-2005, 13:04

That's the thing Red if MSN and Yahoo do decide to be greedy and start charging another company will bring out a free messenger service and everyone will start using that .... it will just be MSN and Yahoo's loss IMO!

accymel · 13-10-2005, 13:04

I think personally it was for only the purpose of charging & they thought muppets in the UK would fall for it though no real mention of at that time stopping & charging it for US though

accymel · 13-10-2005, 13:07

I wouldn't bother sometimes MSN is a pain the butt either going down or i get harranged to death on there pmsl tho i have yahoo & i like their little ad on toys on it aka audibles but if it went all pound£ signs then i'd use wanadoo's one

entwisi · 13-10-2005, 14:09

There is already free services out there. It is called Jabber. I use it at work to allow us to chat to our colleagues in Manilla. I run the server on my work desktop and use a java client to chat. It only needs one more config item that would allow us to annex our small internal network to the whole of the Jabber Internet.

If you want an alternative client that will connect to MSN, Yahoo, Jabber + others have a look at GAIM. It runs on multiple platforms(Windows, Linux, MAc)

I haven't heard that they are specifically going to charge only that they are looking to collaborate more closely. If you want to keep up with what is happening in teh arena of IT keep an eye on www.theregister.co.uk

Tinkerbelle · 13-10-2005, 14:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by entwisi

There is already free services out there. It is called Jabber. I use it at work to allow us to chat to our colleagues in Manilla. I run the server on my work desktop and use a java client to chat. It only needs one more config item that would allow us to annex our small internal network to the whole of the Jabber Internet.

If you want an alternative client that will connect to MSN, Yahoo, Jabber + others have a look at GAIM. It runs on multiple platforms(Windows, Linux, MAc)

I haven't heard that they are specifically going to charge only that they are looking to collaborate more closely. If you want to keep up with what is happening in teh arena of IT keep an eye on www.theregister.co.uk

WOW! NOW THAT HURT MY HEAD

I understood every bit ..... no honest I did

<Tinks whispers> what did all that mean?

accymel · 13-10-2005, 14:18

LOL tinks!!!!!

Yeh i understood it i actually have the register mail newsletters & it hasnt mentioned it as far as charging but there are occaisions i dont check it so could of missed it, but i ponder where other people have got this info from.