Way before Facebook and Twitter, Bebo and Myspace, there was another way that we kept in contact with our friends – and it was called MSN Messenger.
For those who grew up in the noughties, MSN Messenger was like what Pokemon Go was for that short period in this summer. Everyone had it, everyone used it and everyone was obsessed.
We took a wee trip down memory lane to remember what it was like back when ‘What’s your MSN name?’ was the first question you asked any new acquaintance.
1. The importance of your screen name
Unlike Facebook, MSN Messenger let you pick your own screen name – and it was one of the most difficult decisions youngsters in the noughties had to make, well it felt that way sometimes.
Most people though, went for song lyrics. Song lyrics that made you sound philosophical or reflected your mood at that point in time were usually preferred.
2. How great the ‘show what I am listening to’ button was
Once you decided on your screen name, you had to decide which playlist to listen to – because one of the many awesome things about MSN Messenger was that you could show your friends what tunes you were playing. Just another great way for you to tell your friends (and complete randoms who had added you) how you were feeling that day.
3. The utter embarrassment when Windows Media Player starts playing Gina G and you’ve left the ‘show what I am listening to’ button on
While showing people what you were listening to was a great feature, it also had its downside – showing people what you are listening to. Great for when you’ve got The Offspring or Blink 182 blaring, not so great when Mambo Number 5 or Just a Little Bit starts blasting away.
4. The nudge
Facebook may have had the poke, but MSN Messenger had the nudge. And what fun it was messing with your pals and constantly making their screen wobble and ring out. Luckily for those who liked it a bit too much, there was a limit on how many times you could ‘nudge’ your contact.
5. The ability to see but not be seen – aka the appearing offline mode
Why would someone go onto an instant messenger to then set your account so no one could actually see you were signed in? Well because you could is probably the best reason. One of Messenger’s many functions that everyone loved was the “appear offline” function.
A brilliant trick that allowed you to sign on and check who was online before declaring to your contacts you had arrived.
And the best part of it? You could still speak to people. Yes, when those pesky friends that you’d rather not speak to were online, you could appear offline and send your other pals covert messages telling them you were in fact ready to chat.
6. Trying to get someone’s attention simply by signing in and out… sometimes over and over
Remember how you knew someone was online? Yes this little box would appear in the right hand side of your window letting you know.
A great trick that everyone liked was using that notification to get someone’s attention. Turning your status to appearing offline and back to online would mean a box would pop up on your contacts’ screens every time you did it.
Perfect for trying to get the attention of a certain boy or girl you really really wanted to speak to but didn’t want to make the first move.
7. The birth of the emoji
Oh how I miss being able to write whole sentences in just emojis. Nowadays emojis are a feature on pretty much any social media or messenger type medium. But back when Messenger was becoming popular, it was something new and exciting. And we loved to use them, a lot!
8. Creating your own codes for emoticons
Not only did you have an endless library of emoticons, you could assign letters to them, making your emoji-usage that much easier. Remembering what you had chosen as your shortcuts was the hard part.
9. Who played the Minesweeper Flags game?
As well as being a messenger system, MSN also gave you the chance to play games with your friends. Ok just one game but it was pretty cool.