Instant message service out of SL

I'm sure this is a low priority & maybe is almost useless But I'm suggesting it cos MSN & ICQ is blocked at my job.. & I'd love to talk to my friends who are online ISL & outside SL..

By their SL nickname. & a messenger service would just be great. (privates messenges on the forums just aren't the same)

Anyway It's also good that if osmeone is ISL theill recieve their Im in SL, & if your on SLM (sl messnger.. aren't I clever) you get it there..

Actually, this is far from low priority IMO. The Second Life communication systems direly need improving, across the board.

Personally, I think the client should be integrated with IRC, just because it works on so many levels including this one. I went so far as to create my own IRC bot for Second Life and, well... it left much to be desired.

this is kinda there... get their key and email them

If instant messaging would be implemented into Secondlife, I would suggest adding Jabber support. Mainly due to the facts that it is a free protocol, anyone can use it.

Additionally adding support for 'transports' would allow people to login AIM/ICQ/YIM/MSN/GG/TLEN/QQ and other systems, providing people know the transport address.

I've been thinking adding this serverside on SL's server might be a good idea.

Using something like [email]avatar-UUID@jabber.secondlife.com[/email] for a jabber address
(The nickname of the user can easilly be displayed on jabber clients by having a vcard associated with that address with the avatar nickname.)


However, there is also other solutions to game instant messaging... There are messengers created to work in games themselves, such as Xfire.

Also, doesn't the nexcom mobiles have a transport to the AIM network of some sort?

Cani...

E-Messenger

Is what I use to talk on MSN during work hours

Or just get Yahoo! That works for me here

Also if you are set to get your offline messages in your email a friend can message you in game and you can reply back. Once you have at elast one message stored you can reply to that one indefiantly so far and it works. If they have thier setup to recieve oflines in email it seems to also route them to thier email. So back and forth you go. the only real disadvantage so far is you get tons of spam from talking devices like vendors and you offlines fill up once you log in...but frankly I can take care of the vendors and stuff with a simple email filter.

I think the new talk.google.com should add further incentive to use the jabber protocol, and maybe even the Google service to implement it.

I get an e-mail every time someone IMs me in SL (which fortunately isn't a whole lot) but using the new Google system (as I understand it) I would automatically get an external IM instead, and only if I wasn't signed on would this then generate an e-mail message. This makes a great deal of sense.

Furthermore, Google's intent, rather than have a client program that can also talk to AOL, Yahoo, and MSN, they want to have their servers interact directly with the servers of those other IM programs (in the same way that e-mail servers interact). That means you could be signed on with a single ID with any one of these services, using ANY client program and get messages from any of the others. Does that make infinite sense or what?

Knowing my history of Yahoo and thier policy of third party apps. It will be intersting to see if they allow it and just how equal to thier yahoo service it will be.

Not true, but a common misconception.

When you receive an offline IM in your email, the reply-to address is not the sender's agent key. It is a session id that acts as a one way communication gateway from your agent to theirs.

There is no other way to communicate directly to an agent from off-world (and this process must always be initiated from in-world).

he's right the Avatar key is not to be confused with the 'email key' they are different and it is impossible to get it until after a player contacts you from in the game while you are not.

Which additionally makes it impossible for your non-sl friends to contact you in the game.

I think that would be a horrible idea to allow outside non regulated parties to send messages into the SL world. If non-friends want to communicate with you in world have them use Yahoo and run your SL in a window. There is to high of a chance for spam to occur when you allow outside unreglated access.

Doesn't have to give unlimited access, you can simply set it to be 'authorised' users only (friends only) to contact you or such. I don't see how Yahoo can run over SL in fullscreen (Which I use simply because, 1FPS windowed vs 12FPS fullscreen is a big difference for me).

So, that seems to elliminate your problems about spam, and non-friends contacting you.

Would be interesting if the technology works correctly but as time has indicated things change and things go wrong. But if it could do it reliably and not cost extra I'd be all for it. I just remember the days when ICQ and the like required a network engineer to lock down all the loop holes for people to IM you on to sell you viagra.

i don't believe i'm the first person to consider writing a messenger client for sl. someone will do this soon, and likely make a killing selling it as a service like roam.

If you mean a in-world system, I have tried, the problem is mainly todo with a issue when moving between different sims, time delays etc. It doesn't seem very feasable with the current methods of communications.

i'm talking about a web or desktop client application that looks much like an AIM buddy list and allows you to chat with avatars in world without being logged in yourself.i'm familliar with the issues involving keys and sim crossings, and while it would be a pain in the ass, there are ways to deal with that which may be a tad ugly, but would work. this is a doable thing.

So you're saying in a sense that we should create a new instant messenger just for people to communicate when on SL and outside of SL...

I think my original proposal was a better way to deal with this problem.

i'm inclined to agree with you on that point. there's plenty of third party chat apps out there that would do the job fine. still i think it would be a fun project, and i'd likely use it just for the novelty if nothing else

Please contact me (Iron Perth) in world for IM service. I have it working so when you send an IM to someone who is not logged on it will go to your GAIM / Trillian or other Jabber enabled IM client .. and of course you can reply back.

Once they've contacted you the first time, you can chat with them in world after that.

Yeah, that method is done simply by setting your e-mail address to your jabber's addy. Although, this will *only* work, if your server *explicity* supports a e-mail gateway.

Please forgive me, if I have missed something new and important, but hasn't this question been discussed once or twice in the past already; maybe with the focus on email rather than IM?

The main challenge seems to be (mentioned in this thread more than once) protection from spam. Any solution like [email]avatar-UUID@jabber.secondlife.com[/email] is kind of inviting offers for Viagra and cheap Rolex replicas. I guess that this is the reason the key, that is generated now, when an IMs is relayed to my email account, is a temporary one.

In principle it might be feasible to limit this communcation to those in my friends list or to those I have contact cards for. But I have no clear idea of how to provide such a working email key to an outside IM or email-client without running the risk that these keys will be shared with other users. And that is intentionally not possible with contact cards right now.I would be at least careful with such a "business idea", at least not one where I am speculating on a medium to long term revenue stream. Communication is in that set of core features of SL where I see Linden Lab in a position to integrate it into the client as soon as user demand justifies it.

1) A jabber address is not a e-mail address.
2) I believe I've already mentioned what one could do with spam issues:


Any by "friends only" I don't mean "SL friends" only.

Edit: Just because the current "calling cards" system currently doesn't support it, doesn't mean when such a system is implemented, won't.

Hi.

Well, i finally got around to finishing my EMAIL > IM Bridge.
For those that want a copy to try out, IM me in world and I'll drop you one.
It's fairly simple to setup.

-max.

----intro from readme----
Welcome to Email-2-IM Cube!

This is something I made for myself, and I figured others may have a use for it.

The Email-2-IM Cube allows you to IM your friends in SL while you are trapped in RL.
You also can set up the cube to IM yourself.
For example, your RL friends can send you an email, and it will appear as an IM in SL.

----