I previously mentioned my excitement for IM control, a new service from Windows Live that allows webmasters to chat to their users anonymously through Messenger. I knew I would be loving this new service, but only if it was implemented well.

So how is it? Well it works, things are not restricted and I will be using it as a feature on this website. However, little annoyances prevent you from getting the full benefit of this great idea.

First entering a image verification code is not ideal, it's too hard to read and fiddly to use. Secondly I found it not working on several occasions, but with no explanation why. I just received an error message telling me to sign in again and again and again. Finally the HTML code is not ideal as it uses iframes which are ancient. This is not a problem for normal users, but this is designed to attract webmasters who see iframes as the devil of the modern web page.

IM control is not perfect but it is a useful tool for webmasters. Users can send me messages conveniently to my Messenger account. I will be using this simply because it is a great idea.

>> Create you own IM control
>> View screenshots in our gallery
>> Source: LiveSide
>> Visit our new contacting page which uses IM control