How to Be Invisible in Yahoo Chat Rooms

When in chat rooms, or using Yahoo Messenger, there are going to be times when you don't want to be seen. Whether you're working and don't have time to talk or you're trying to be an impartial observer in a chat room, going into Invisible Mode lets you disappear. The invisible feature offers you a great deal of privacy while you're online, and leaves the power to chat in your hands.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• Computer
• Yahoo Messenger
• Yahoo account

Create a Yahoo Messenger Account

1. Visit the Yahoo Web site and click on the 'Messenger' link. You can also head straight to the Yahoo Messenger Web site (see Resources below).

2. Click the 'Sign Up' link to begin the account creation process. Create a screen name and choose all of the features you'd like to include in your yahoo account (such as mail or music).

3. Download Yahoo Messenger and install it onto your computer. Restart your computer if Yahoo Messenger prompts you to do so.

Appear Invisible in Yahoo Chat Rooms

1. Load Yahoo Messenger from the Start Menu, or select its icon from the desktop. Yahoo Messenger is, by default, set to load when you start your computer, too, so this step may not be necessary unless you changed this setting.

2. Enter your account information and log in. You can also choose to have your log-in information saved at this time, making it so you're automatically signed in each time you start Yahoo Messenger.

3. Start a chat room you'd like to visit by clicking 'Enter Chat room.'

4. Click on your name from any window. It should currently say 'Your Name--Available'. This is set by default when you first load Yahoo Messenger.

5. Move your mouse to the menu option titled 'Invisible to Everyone.' Click the mouse to enable this option.

Tips & Warnings

• It's not necessary to appear invisible to everyone online if you don't want to. You can select specific people to be invisible to instead of being invisible to everyone.

• If you have additional questions about Yahoo and its services, visit the Help section of the Web site to read the FAQ or to ask for specific answers (see Resources below).

• Sometimes your Invisible setting will reset itself when you close or exit chat rooms and reenter new ones. Be sure to reset your invisible settings if you plan on still appearing offline.