Rough Week

There was a server upgrade this week that was kinda bumpy. You may have seen some occasional trouble getting connected and staying connecting. The upgrade is now complete and the logs are showing that things are looking better.

Normally, server upgrades are seamless and you can't even tell they are happening. We're really sorry for the trouble this week, though. Let us know know you're still seeing problems.

Sign in as Invisible Not Working (Update)

So here's the deal: The server fix for this issue will go into place on 7/17. I know, that's kindof a long wait. Trust me, though, the server team has *a lot* on their plate. Management did consider an emergency fix but it would be risky and might cause more problems so we're going to take our time and make sure we do it right.

In the meantime, i've removed the "Sign On as Invisible" checkbox from the login screen. This will make sure that no one tries to sign on as invisible and then goes, "What! I'm visible? What the $?^#!". I'll put the UI back in place as soon as the server is working again.

You can still go invisible after you log in. If you have any questions, please just leave a comment. Thanks, all!

Shawn

Sign in as Invisible Not Working

We *just* discovered that there were some AIM server changes which are causing "Sign on as Invisible" to fail to actually make you invisible. You can still make yourself invisible after you sign in, though.

First, our apologies for not catching this before it went out.

Second, thanks to all those who reported the problem. We absolutely watch the user feedback.

I will post again as soon as i have an update on how quickly we can fix this.

Shawn

The Running Man is back!

So we know it's been awhile but we are proud to announce the upgraded version of AIM Express. Highlights of this version include:

Running Man branding: We have re-introduced the Running Man, so now your friendly yellow guy is back and here to stay!

Multi-party Chat (beta): All I have to say is...FINALLY! We know you have been missing the ability to invite multiple buddies to a chat room so we added this into the new version.

• Simply go to the Menu>Create Group Chat>Add your Buddies to chat group>Name it or add a Description>click Create Chat!

• If you are the Chat group host you can edit your settings (name, description, members) at any time! Just go to your options menu in your group conversation and select Edit Chat preferences...
  
  
• We also added the ability to see a roster or list of members in your chat group. You can hide this by going to the drop-down options menu on the group conversation.
  

We want to keep improving on the functionality of the chat feature so tell us what you would like to see!

Chat bubbles in conversation: We changed the message history layout to include chat bubbles which are a cleaner look. Let us know what you think!

....and now with Buddy Info!

So we took your advice and made a huge update from our last release to include the option to edit your Buddy Info directly from AIM Express! To access this just go to your menu button on the Buddy List screen and click on "My Buddy Info" to edit what you want to push out to the rest of your buddies.

Also, don't overlook one of our really cool features...Buddy Updates. If you click on the link below "Buddy Updates Settings" you can manage what feeds you want to broadcast to your network of friends or do so from the website here: http://buddyupdates.aim.com/. This is a great way to keep your buddies in the loop as you make updates from some of your favorite sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Youtube, and more! Each time you make an update to a feed thats linked to your profile you buddies see an orange "i" appear in their Buddy List screen. You can view these updates by clicking on the "i" icon or go directly to their buddy info. Let us know what other feeds else you would like to see here too :)

-Ryan

ICQ2Go! Beta

Hey AIM users,

If you like AIM Express then you might be interested in trying out a similar product we worked on called "ICQ2GO!" The ICQ brand has been around since 1996, and like AIM they have a desktop version and a web-based version. So if you have savvy ICQ friends or family who might be interested let them know we've integrated many of their most popular features like sending & receiving SMS's, searching for ICQ contacts, invisibility, and sending fun ICQ emoticons.

You can sign in with your AIM account or ICQ UIN (number) and chat with your friends or family from around the globe. Check out ICQ2Go! Beta now and let us know what you think!

-Ryan

Fresh new updates!

Awww, the new AIM Express is 3 weeks old! It's unbelievable to think about how far the product has come through it's development and how we've really grown as a team. There is definitely more work ahead of us. We have a NEW BETA that we will use to refresh the current AIM Express and added a few things we took your advice on. So check it out now!

Text Messaging made simple: We've all been in a situation where a friend quickly signs off mid-conversation as you remembered an important detail to a story or where to meet for evening plans. If this happens now you have the ability to keep the conversation going and toggle between IM and Text Messaging (sending an SMS). Once you click the mobile icon & you can enter the mobile number into the dialog box (area code first) and save it to their screen name. Message will be sent straight to their mobile device!

Emoticon Pick-ah: Feel like blowing a kiss or sending a wink to a friend? You won't need to just rely on shortcodes to send an emoticon-use the picker found in the IM text field. We plan on adding to this gallery, what other ones would you like to see?

Invisibility : Now you see me...now you don't! If you want to hide from your friends and just browse your Buddy List we've added the ability to set your self as "invisible" from the state dropdown menu. Even if they try to IM you- you will appear offline.

Block & Unblock: We have listened to your feedback and many of you were asking for the ability to block buddies that message you. You can select "Block" either by right-clicking on a buddy or if you are in a conversation click the buddy options menu. We will make sure their IM's never reach your screen! If you be-friend this person again just find them in your offline group (denoted by the 'blocked' icon) right-click again and "Unblock" them.

Thanks again to our faithful users who have been helping us find interesting bugs & offering suggestions behind the scenes. Keep the ideas and comments coming!

-Ryan