10 things everyone did on MSN

10 things everyone did on MSN

MSN Messenger was one of the most famous messengers in the world and marked the lives of users in the early 2000s. Officially called Windows Live Messenger, the program had more than 60 million people registered and is a reference when it comes to chat and chat. Part of the fun that marked the app was changing the source of the conversations, sending winks and getting the attention of friends by making the screen shake. The software was shut down in October 2014, but left good memories. Next, dnetc lists ten habits that were common in the Microsoft chat program.

Nostalgia: what was life like before music streams?

1 of 9 Created in 1999, MSN came to an end 15 years later – Photo: MSN Messenger will be definitively closed in two months worldwide (Photo: Disclosure)

Created in 1999, MSN ended definitively 15 years later – Photo: MSN Messenger will be definitively closed in two months worldwide (Photo: Disclosure)

The feature, as the name suggests, was used to get the attention of the person you were talking to if it took too long to respond. When activating the function, the Messenger window was highlighted and the screen was shaking. In addition, the computer made a louder sound. The tool was widely used in conversations by the application and caused some irritation in some people when one of the contacts used it in excess.

2 of 9 Getting attention made the entire MSN Messenger screen shake – Photo: Playback / Tumblr

Getting attention made the entire MSN Messenger screen shake – Photo: Reproduction / Tumblr

2. View music on your profile

In a time without Spotify, MSN Messenger had integration with Windows Media Player. This function allowed the program to show, below the user’s name, the music the person was listening to at that time. That way, friends could get to know their musical taste better. At the time, other applications, such as iTunes and Winamp, gained plugins to activate this function.

3 of 9 You could show what you were hearing to all your contacts – Photo: Reproduction / MSN

You could show what you were hearing to all your contacts – Photo: Reproduction / MSN

Near its end, MSN Messenger got an update with so-called winks. The feature featured fun animations that took over the entire program window. Despite having no use, the drawings turned certain conversations into a real dispute of who sent more winks. The feature could also be inconvenient and scary if you have a high volume headset. Remember that wink of a guy burping on the screen?

4 out of 9 Winks took over the entire computer screen – Photo: Reproduction / MSN

Winks took over the entire computer screen – Photo: Reproduction / MSN

4. Change the program source

MSN allowed to install different plugins to make changes to the program. One of the most used resources was to change the source of the conversation. This option made the messenger window a mess, as some sources left the message incomprehensible.

5 of 9 It was common to have a contact that changed the source of MSN – Photo: Reproduction / The Daily Touch

It was common to have a contact that changed the source of MSN – Photo: Reproduction / The Daily Touch

At the height of MSN, online games were still in their infancy in Brazil. So, the fact that the program offers games to play with friends was a differential that drew the attention of many people. The games tool (which currently exists on Facebook Messenger) started only with Solitaire, Minesweeper and Chess, but over time, it gained several options. All of this while maintaining support for text or video conversations.

6 of 9 You could play online with your contacts on MSN Messenger – Photo: Playback / Microsoft

You could play online with your contacts on MSN Messenger – Photo: Playback / Microsoft

6. Delay to send music via MSN

In the 2000s, people started downloading music and videos online and sending them via Messenger – which allowed the exchange of files of all kinds. However, due to the program’s protocol and the speeds available on the internet at the time, it was common for sending just one song to take several. In addition, the user was still at risk of the program failing and losing all progress or worse: receiving a file with a virus.

7 of 9 You could upload music and other files – Photo: Playback / Garotas Geeks

You could upload music and other files – Photo: Playback / Garotas Geeks

MSN was one of the first programs to popularize video chatting on the Internet. The Microsoft application allowed you to see and talk to the person you were chatting with. Even with a very low image quality, this possibility made everyone want to buy a webcam to use on their PC in the 2000s.

8 of 9 Webcam was a common accessory on top of 2000’s CRT monitors – Photo: Disclosure / Logitech

Webcam was a common accessory on top of 2000’s CRT monitors – Photo: Disclosure / Logitech

Before the facility to send GIFs in conversations on WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook, MSN allowed to save small animations and leave them linked to shortcuts in the conversation. So, when you type that term, it will automatically be replaced by a GIF. Because of this, it was common to see a festival of animated letters and GIFs that were tiny, but that made the joy of those who used the program at the time.

9 of 9 You needed to register gifs as emoticons to be able to use on MSN – Photo: Reproduction / Digital Spy

You needed to register gifs as emoticons to be able to use on MSN – Photo: Playback / Digital Spy

9. Enter and leave the chat several times

This trick was not a special function, but it was probably used by many people to get the attention of flirting or friends. The program warned anyone who was online when any of their contacts came in to chat. That way, when the person saw that someone of interest was available, but did not want to start the conversation, they changed their status from «Online» to «Offline» several times. Thus, the contact would be notified.

10 of 9 Getting on and off MSN to get someone’s attention was a common practice – Photo: Reproduction / Girls Geeks

Getting in and out of MSN to get someone’s attention was a common practice – Photo: Reproduction / Garotas Geeks

10. Install MSN Messenger Plus!

Although MSN is a very complete program, some users wanted it to have more features. So developers outside Microsoft created MSN Messenger Plus !. The program allowed to completely customize the appearance of Messenger. It already brought extra features that would only be included in the official application later, such as tabs, shortcuts and many new features in the user’s experience with the program.

11 of 9 Messenger Plus helped to personalize MSN Messenger – Photo: Reproduction / Wikipedia

Messenger Plus helped to personalize MSN Messenger – Photo: Playback / Wikipedia