Our Instant Messenger feature allows members the opportunity to chat with other online members of the site one-to-one. The Instant Messenger is integrated with our Message system. Any messages you send through the Instant Messenger will be recorded in your Sent box for easy reference.
To view all the members who are currently online, click the "Members online" link at the top of most pages on the site. When browsing the site, a green dot on profile will indicate the member is online.
If a member who is online catches your eye and you want to use the Instant Messenger to chat with them, click the message bubble icon. The Instant Messenger panel will open at the bottom of the screen.
Type your message in the box at the bottom of the panel, then hit enter or click the Send button. This will alert the other member that they have an incoming message. If they reply to you, their reply will appear instantly in the Instant Messenger panel.
The name and photo of the member you are talking to is displayed at the top of the Instant Messenger panel. To see more information about that person, click their name. This will open their profile.
If you are chatting with more than one person, only one panel will be open at a time. However, if you receive a message in one of your inactive panels, a small notification bubble will appear on the member's photo.
You can highlight the text in Instant Messenger panel by clicking and dragging with your mouse, then copy by pressing Ctrl + C on your keyboard. You can then paste the text into another document for your records.