The Windows Live Messenger IM Control enables Web sites to show the presence of Windows Live™ Messenger users, and lets site visitors engage in instant messaging conversations with these Live Messenger users. A Web site can invite its users to share their Live Messenger presence and exchange messages with visitors to the site.

When a site hosts the Windows Live Messenger IM Control, site visitors can send instant messages to Live Messenger users directly from the browser without installing the Windows Live Messenger desktop client on their computers. This feature provides an ideal mechanism for Web sites to enable site visitors to send messages to Windows Live Messenger users who agree to share their presence on the Web. For example, a social networking site can invite its users to share their Live Messenger presence on user profile pages, or a blog author could use the IM Control to invite readers to discuss a particular topic.

The IM Control is used in the following way:

1. A Web site places the IM Control for a particular Windows Live Messenger user on a page.
   
2. A user navigates to the page and sees the IM Control.
   
3. The user can send messages to the Windows Live Messenger user through the IM Control.
   

For a Web site to show a Windows Live Messenger user’s presence, the Live Messenger user must give permission to share presence and receive messages. The Web site should invite the user to share Live Messenger presence and obtain the user’s CID. To invite the user to give permission to share presence and receive messages from a specific site, the Web site should use Delegated Authentication with the Windows Live Messenger IM Control.

 Documentation Map

What's New with the Windows Live Messenger IM Control

Explains the new features that are available with this version of the IM Control.

Getting Started with the Windows Live Messenger IM Control

Explains the basic requirements for development with the IM Control.

Delegated Authentication with the Windows Live Messenger IM Control

Explains how Delegated Authentication may be used with the IM Control, as well as features of the IM Control that are only available if used in conjunction with Delegated Authentication.

Inviting Users to Use the IM Control

Shows how to provide an invitation to users to grant permission to reveal the user's online presence and obtain a user ID that can be used with both the IM Control and the Windows Live Presence API.

IM Control Parameter Reference

Describes all of the parameters that can be used with the IM Control.

The use of the Windows Live Messenger IM Control is governed by the Terms of Use.