The Windows Live Messenger IM Control enables web sites to show the presence of Windows Live Messenger users, and let site visitors engage in instant messaging conversations with the Messenger users. A Web site can invite its users to share their Messenger presence and exchange messages with visitors to the site. When a site hosts the Windows Live Messenger IM Control, site visitors can instant message Messenger users directly from the browser without installing the Windows Live Messenger desktop client on their computers. This 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 Messenger presence on user profile pages, or the author of a blog could use it to invite readers to discuss a particular topic.
The IM Control is used in the following way:
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A Web site places the IM Control for a particular Windows Live Messenger user on a page.
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A user navigates to the page, and sees the IM Control.
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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 Messenger user must give permission to share presence and receive messages from the Web. The Web site should invite the user to share Messenger presence and obtain the user’s unique identifier.
Documentation Map
Getting Started with the Windows Live Messenger IM Control explains the basic requirements for development with the Windows Live Messenger IM Control.
Inviting Users to Use the IM Control shows how to provide an invitation to users to grant permission to reveal their online presence and obtain a user ID that can be used with both the IM Control and the Windows Live Presence API.
Hosting the Windows Live Messenger IM Control shows you how to add an IM control to a Web page.
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 found here.