Help with Chat and IM

What is IM?
IM is short for Instant Messaging. IM allows you to engage in one-on-one chats with other people on Connexion.

How do I change my Chat Name?
Click the CHAT menu (top), then click Chat Settings (left), then change your Chat Name, and click Update to save your changes.

What do I have to have on my system to use Instant Connexions?
You have to have the proper version of Macromedia Flash installed on your system. You currently have version . Over 90% of all systems come with Flash already installed, so chances are it will work for you.

But if not, you can download the latest version of Flash here.

In addition, Flash communication must not be blocked by your ISP or your company's internal IT department. You can check that by going to FlashCom Guru.

I still can't send/receive IM's. What else could be the problem?
You probably have a security application installed on your computer which is blocking the IP address it needs to communicate with.

The IP address which must not be blocked is 208.70.9.9. The site is 'userplane.com'.

The firewall in the security application is most likely blocking access to the IP address above. You would need to remove it from the blocked list.

Each application is different. If you need help finding and/or unblocking the IP address, email webmaster@connexion.org

I've tried everything and Flash still wont work!
Try following the steps in this Adobe Flash article.

How do I start an IM with someone?
If someone is online, you can simply click on the "Chat Now" icon in their profile. If there is no icon, they are not online. And if the icon says "Online Now", then either they are not acceptings IMs or they do not have Flash installed on their system.

What happens when I IM someone?
It may take a few seconds for the IM application to load onto your machine. Once it loads, you can send them a message. When you do that you will get a message that the system is waiting for them to connect. They are contacted and the IM app will be downloaded to their machine so be patient.

What does it mean if someone's profile shows up as "Online Now" rather than "Chat Now"?
If someone shows up as "Online" but you are unable to chat, it can mean one of several things:

• They do not have the proper version of Flash installed on their machine.
• They have recently logged off.
• They have chat blocked by the way they have their Chat/IM Preferences set. [They can accept all chat requests, accept only chat requests from friends or accept no chat requests.]
• They could have blocked you specifically. If this is the case, you also will not be able to send them messages.

I'm trying to use iSight for video chat and it isn't working. What's up with that?
In order to use iSight, you have to grant Flash access to your camera. In addition, nothing else (like iChat) can be using the camera. So step 1 is to quit iChat if it's running. Then one time only, you should configure Flash to access your iSight as follows:

1. Start a chat session with someone.
2. Once the window comes up, control click on the picture of you. A menu should pop up that has a "Settings..." option. Select it.
3. You will be in the "Privacy" panel of the Settings dialog. Click on the option to allow IM to access your camera and ask the system to remember that setting.
4. There are four icons at the bottom to access various panels in this dialog. The rightmost one allows you to select a camera type. Click it.
5. Select IIDC FireWire Video.
6. Click on close.