External IM Client to Chat In-World?!?

This is such a simple idea, I don't know why it hasn't been implemented. The client has gone open source, and it is always difficult to keep contact without the SL being open. People have business contacts, employees, employers, and partners in the game. Why not make a external PC/Mac IM client that will allow for people to be at work, doing their RL job, and keeping in contact with the SL contacts.

If I was a programming guru I would have done this myself. But I know that there are people out there a lot better then myself. So why not join together and make something like this?

I even know a perfect name for it: "SLIM" (SecondLife Instant Messenger)

Just a thought... but still a loud one.

Oh it is a feature that exists in SL already. When you receive an IM to your email you can reply to it just like a regular mail, the sender will get your reply in world.

Players of the Matrix Online can be reached through AIM.... Players of Lineage II can be reached through MSN...

*IF* you want something like that, why not use an existing IM-program?

Now to be honest, it is not a feature I am waiting for.

Morwen.

I would rather not have each message sent to me through IM in SL to be sent to my Inbox. That can get clustered and will just be discarded anyway.

I was prefering real-time for IM. Of course there would be some feature to enable/disable this so that you would not be able to be seen or contacted while in SL. So if you don't want anything to do with it then you can disable it and believe that it doesn't exist.

Talking with many people, they think that this would be a great idea. Anyone else feel this way? And I am looking for positive comments back.

To me, this screams against the immersion that Second Life is supposed to have. It wouldn't be something that I'd want put into the official build, but rather as an independently created resident-run service, either through in-world objects/HUDs or through (eventually) an opensourced client plugin.

This would be a lifesaver to me. I sent off my computer for repairs a few days ago and have had almost nil contact with my SL associates since because my backup computer (an iMac G3 (slow)) cannot support SL with it's 400 mHz processor and 128 megs of RAM. I didn't know that you could reply to in-world people through email though, so I won't be high and dry anymore. I do hope this feature is made real soon though, even for when I do have my computer back.

This would be great. Receiving IM in MSN.

With m y PC at work a little popup so that I can answer questions from potentional customers in my shops without being in SL.

The IM to email is not working good. I tried it but everytime that someone in a group ask something, says something, leaves the group, ... you receive an email. Hundreds of mails per day without a meaning. And it's not live, no direct interaction.

I've found a problem with this method. You can't reply to an IM if the IM you're replying to in your email is over 5 days old. Still high and dry.

I found Mac widget which would allow you to send n IM to your online friends, but it didn't really work. It does let you see who is online in your friends list though.

Still doesn't help me though, as my iMac has an older version of OSX which doesn't have widgets.

Guys - the OP is asking about an actual INSTANT MESSENGER that you can use when you are not in game. He is not asking about replying and using e-mail. He wants a client that, when you log on, will bring up people on your friends list and you can communicate them even if your not in the game.

In which case...
It exists. At least, in two parts. I have seen a thread on a "SL IM client" but you couldn't see your friends list, as well as another app that could get your friends online list.

Thank you, Slip Barrett

And as a matter of fact... WHAT IS THIS?!

http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/10/29/new-first-look-for-slim/#more-2734

SL now is making an IM program called SLim... Sound familiar?

mmm just use a messenger rather than get LL to add more buggy code that will never work right. Oh wait they already did and it's the same company that did voice.