If you use the Windows Instant Messenger this is something for you. A few of my contacts in MSN Messenger have had a small “Im” icon next to their name but it wasn’t until very recently I started to wonder what that icon was all about. It seems that it is not, what I thought from the beginning, a little silly username-custom-thingy. In fact it was something much better.

Evidently MSN is doing this to help organizations that are “dedicated to social causes”, such as the American Red Cross, StopGlobalWarming.org, Sierra Club and many more. Confused? Let me try to explain how this work.

If you have Windows Live Messenger 8.1 (or higher) you go to im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Join where you can find a few small codes to instert next to your display name. The codes can for example be *9mil, *sierra, *help etc depending on which organization you want to support. After you have added this code next to your display name you will see this small icon (image: ). Now for every time you start a conversation with anyone a small portion of the advertising revenue Microsoft gets will be shared to the organisation you have chosen. Pretty cool!

http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home