"Avatar Reading an IM" signal

Aside from putting up the "Busy" sign, is there or can there be a way to show an avatar is reading or writing an IM? If I'm busy IMing people it seems to outsiders that I'm ignoring them when in fact I'm preocupied in a conversation that they can't see. Sometimes I don't even notice someone else was speaking to me until it's too late.

Long time players usually figure out what's going on here, but to a new player may think I'm being rude (or that I've been lobotomized)

This could be a neat feature...

Maybe have in preferences the option to "Set In IM Automaticly" so when you go into the IM window it puts "Instant Messaging)" my your name or such. The reason for it being an option is some people might not want others to know they're IMing.

You of course could have someone (if you yourself can't), script up a thing that you can have "Busy in IM" or some other message above your head when you want. Also with 1.4 you could do a custom animation for it too. If you want a text thing for above your head I can quickly whip up one if no one else has one.

Actually I like this idea.

We should have them to cover all the possibilities - 'In IM', 'Head Buried in a Script', and 'Uhoh.. In Inventory... Could be some time'

I have a settext titler type thing, but that'd mean u had to do it manually each time. Having it as an auto option in the UI would be neat.

Good ideas.
Was thinking of making something an old-fashioned phonebooth that droped around me... or maybe attaching a gaudy cellphone to my ear...

...or maybe I'll make a fogging particle system that hides my head, plus a sign that says "head in the clouds"

I think that this coould be done if there was a script event (or state? still confusing) that got the im, inventory, busy state, afk of the avatar that it was attached to. Then you could wear an atachment that would do all of these things and more. Sorry that I can't explain this much better; scripting is not strong point