Over the past few months, Windows Live Messenger's most popular add-on, Messenger Plus! Live has been undergoing a significant organisational change, with its creator Patchou no longer the sole developer of the application. Patchou has now revealed the new work environment in which the new developers of Plus! will be working in:
Read the full announcement and user reactions at the Messenger Plus! forums
Development of Messenger Plus! is being moved from my home office to an office tower in Montreal. A dozen people, including myself, will soon be working from that new location, on various Messenger Plus! projects.
The office already has a new project manager, Jean-François, who's currently assembling the new team. The guy is bright, motivated, and has a solid experience in the field of software development. Meanwhile, I am working on what I was previously referring to "Project K", which is a special add-on we're creating for a special client.
Read the full announcement and user reactions at the Messenger Plus! forumsWith Messenger Plus! Live taking a new direction as Patchou expands his development team for Windows Live Messenger's most popular extension, we at Messenger Stuff thought we would take a more personal look into the man behind the code, Cyril Paciullo.
This is our second interview with Patchou, so you may want to listen to our first interview back in September 2006.
Could you tell us about your background? What degree did you study and at what university (if at all)?
For a first answer, that's gonna be disappointing :). When asked about this in French, I tend to say I have a "BAC minus 2". I left school when I was 17, the general scientific curriculum in France just did not interest me anymore. I was already spending more time reading about software development than I was studying. Luckily, I met a girl in Quebec, I moved to Canada and after a year of college, I started to work as a programmer, at the age of 18. Seeing where it brought me today, I'll never be able to thank my parents enough for letting me follow my own path so soon in my life.
What jobs have you had before you started developing Messenger Plus!?
I worked as a software developer and team leader for several companies in Montreal. My personal pet-projects (such as Messenger Plus!) also gave me the opportunity to work as a consultant for companies in the US. I have very good memories of my life as an employee, I found people in North America to be very easy to work with, nobody cares about your age, what you look like, etc, as long as you can do the job. Of course, that's my own experience, not everybody is so lucky, but the first thing you notice when coming from Europe is that your picture doesn't have to be stapled on your resume to help human resources do a first screening of potential candidates...
What is the most humbling moment you have had during your time developing Plus!?
You know, I think the real answer to this question can't be summed up with any given moment. When you're young and your software starts being used by so many people, it's easy to lose focus. The work itself taught me humility. That's the beauty of the internet: there's always somebody smarter than you, better than you, with brighter ideas, etc... you can't escape that fact when talking and working with so many people. Most of my testers aren't afraid to tell me that "this incredible idea I just had" just awfully sucks. If you don't deliver, people won't follow, I like the simplicity of that.
What originally attracted you to Messenger development?
I actually talked about that on my personal site recently (quick plug for patchou.com ;). I wanted to try my hand on some new technologies I had read about, and as MSN Messenger was the last thing I had installed on my computer, I thought it would be perfect to use it for my tests. I started creating and distributing patches for Messenger 3, and after a month or two, I decided to distribute the first version of Messenger Plus! on my Frontpage-template web site.
Where do you see Messenger in the next 5 years?
I wish I could be sure. There's so many things happening in the world of social networking nowadays. I even started to use Facebook more actively recently myself, after ignoring it for so long (I found it to be a good use of my time while my projects are compiling). From what I've seen in Messenger 2010, Microsoft has done a good job making sure Messenger keeps its appeal. At Yuna Software, we're also working on various other projects that will give more purpose to Messenger in the near future. One thing is sure: as everybody moves to online services, Messenger Plus! 5 will follow on the same path. There's no point fighting change, online tools is what most people expect nowadays and that's what they'll get from us.
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years from now?
Reading and playing all those games I bought and put on a shelf, waiting for the right moment to start them. Life goes by so fast, one day you're 20, the next day you're 40, with kids, and not enough stamina to play that latest Virtual Reality RPG that just came out on the PS5. I've always had fun with my work, I am an extremely lucky guy, but I'd like to have more free time for my hobbies. Let's sum-up by saying that the next companies I'll open will have to do without me installing Office for the accountant ;). I have many projects, there's just too many things I want to try. Ask me again in one or two years from now :).
What feature within Messenger Plus! are you most proud of any why?
Probably the most insignificant ones. It felt good when I was able to decode and re-encode UIB interface files in Messenger, a year ago. That's the kind of work that nobody really notices but that keeps the job interesting and motivating. There's always something to fix, improve or research to keep things working as they were before.
What other Messenger add-ons do you admire?
I've never really used any other add-on. That's always been part of my own policy of not copying features from others. If I don't install or read about another add-on, I'm sure I won't be tempted to copy parts of it, even unconsciously.
What is your relationship with Microsoft like, considering the issues you have had in the past?
I think it's good. The problems I've had in the past all had an explanation. I understand it can be difficult for a big company such as them to deal with a single guy like myself. People at Yuna Software are currently working actively to solidify our relationship with Microsoft and I'm pretty sure the situation can only get better. I didn't send them chocolate for Christmas this year though, but if anybody from Microsoft is reading this, know that no MVP = no chocolates. I'll reconsider if you do the same... life is full of tough choices.
What do you want from Windows Live Messenger 2010?
Me? No-thing. Nothing at all, keep the code as it was in Messenger 2009, don't modify anything that's used by Messenger Plus! and I'll be the happiest of developers this year. Seriously, I'm expecting as much social networking interoperability as possible in the next version. The only thing that was really missing in the core product was tabbed chatting and they apparently added it for the next version already (say bye to the same option in Messenger Plus!, hope it served you well all these years).
Do you have any interesting facts about yourself that the community may not know?
Facts about myself, there are plenty. Facts that are interesting, not that much... I always share parts of my life with people on the forum, and more recently on my blog. I can share something else very cool with you though, that I learnt recently on Mythbusters (a show on Discovery Channel). Did you know that you can construct a whole boat out of duck tape and a bunch of metal tubes? For a couple of hundred bucks, they were able to build a complete sailing boat, use it on the water with moderate wind for an hour, and the boat performed as well as a real one. You can even create a read full-size canon with that stuff. Pretty incredible.
This is our second interview with Patchou, so you may want to listen to our first interview back in September 2006.
Could you tell us about your background? What degree did you study and at what university (if at all)?
For a first answer, that's gonna be disappointing :). When asked about this in French, I tend to say I have a "BAC minus 2". I left school when I was 17, the general scientific curriculum in France just did not interest me anymore. I was already spending more time reading about software development than I was studying. Luckily, I met a girl in Quebec, I moved to Canada and after a year of college, I started to work as a programmer, at the age of 18. Seeing where it brought me today, I'll never be able to thank my parents enough for letting me follow my own path so soon in my life.
What jobs have you had before you started developing Messenger Plus!?
I worked as a software developer and team leader for several companies in Montreal. My personal pet-projects (such as Messenger Plus!) also gave me the opportunity to work as a consultant for companies in the US. I have very good memories of my life as an employee, I found people in North America to be very easy to work with, nobody cares about your age, what you look like, etc, as long as you can do the job. Of course, that's my own experience, not everybody is so lucky, but the first thing you notice when coming from Europe is that your picture doesn't have to be stapled on your resume to help human resources do a first screening of potential candidates...
What is the most humbling moment you have had during your time developing Plus!?
You know, I think the real answer to this question can't be summed up with any given moment. When you're young and your software starts being used by so many people, it's easy to lose focus. The work itself taught me humility. That's the beauty of the internet: there's always somebody smarter than you, better than you, with brighter ideas, etc... you can't escape that fact when talking and working with so many people. Most of my testers aren't afraid to tell me that "this incredible idea I just had" just awfully sucks. If you don't deliver, people won't follow, I like the simplicity of that.
What originally attracted you to Messenger development?
I actually talked about that on my personal site recently (quick plug for patchou.com ;). I wanted to try my hand on some new technologies I had read about, and as MSN Messenger was the last thing I had installed on my computer, I thought it would be perfect to use it for my tests. I started creating and distributing patches for Messenger 3, and after a month or two, I decided to distribute the first version of Messenger Plus! on my Frontpage-template web site.
Where do you see Messenger in the next 5 years?
I wish I could be sure. There's so many things happening in the world of social networking nowadays. I even started to use Facebook more actively recently myself, after ignoring it for so long (I found it to be a good use of my time while my projects are compiling). From what I've seen in Messenger 2010, Microsoft has done a good job making sure Messenger keeps its appeal. At Yuna Software, we're also working on various other projects that will give more purpose to Messenger in the near future. One thing is sure: as everybody moves to online services, Messenger Plus! 5 will follow on the same path. There's no point fighting change, online tools is what most people expect nowadays and that's what they'll get from us.
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years from now?
Reading and playing all those games I bought and put on a shelf, waiting for the right moment to start them. Life goes by so fast, one day you're 20, the next day you're 40, with kids, and not enough stamina to play that latest Virtual Reality RPG that just came out on the PS5. I've always had fun with my work, I am an extremely lucky guy, but I'd like to have more free time for my hobbies. Let's sum-up by saying that the next companies I'll open will have to do without me installing Office for the accountant ;). I have many projects, there's just too many things I want to try. Ask me again in one or two years from now :).
What feature within Messenger Plus! are you most proud of any why?
Probably the most insignificant ones. It felt good when I was able to decode and re-encode UIB interface files in Messenger, a year ago. That's the kind of work that nobody really notices but that keeps the job interesting and motivating. There's always something to fix, improve or research to keep things working as they were before.
What other Messenger add-ons do you admire?
I've never really used any other add-on. That's always been part of my own policy of not copying features from others. If I don't install or read about another add-on, I'm sure I won't be tempted to copy parts of it, even unconsciously.
What is your relationship with Microsoft like, considering the issues you have had in the past?
I think it's good. The problems I've had in the past all had an explanation. I understand it can be difficult for a big company such as them to deal with a single guy like myself. People at Yuna Software are currently working actively to solidify our relationship with Microsoft and I'm pretty sure the situation can only get better. I didn't send them chocolate for Christmas this year though, but if anybody from Microsoft is reading this, know that no MVP = no chocolates. I'll reconsider if you do the same... life is full of tough choices.
What do you want from Windows Live Messenger 2010?
Me? No-thing. Nothing at all, keep the code as it was in Messenger 2009, don't modify anything that's used by Messenger Plus! and I'll be the happiest of developers this year. Seriously, I'm expecting as much social networking interoperability as possible in the next version. The only thing that was really missing in the core product was tabbed chatting and they apparently added it for the next version already (say bye to the same option in Messenger Plus!, hope it served you well all these years).
Do you have any interesting facts about yourself that the community may not know?
Facts about myself, there are plenty. Facts that are interesting, not that much... I always share parts of my life with people on the forum, and more recently on my blog. I can share something else very cool with you though, that I learnt recently on Mythbusters (a show on Discovery Channel). Did you know that you can construct a whole boat out of duck tape and a bunch of metal tubes? For a couple of hundred bucks, they were able to build a complete sailing boat, use it on the water with moderate wind for an hour, and the boat performed as well as a real one. You can even create a read full-size canon with that stuff. Pretty incredible.
It has been a tough month for the Messenger Plus! community, with news the software has a new distributor and that its developer Patchou now only maintains a limited role. After weeks of unanswered emails and issues about poor relationships with the new developer Yuna Software, there appears to have been a crucial turning point that may mean our these worries are not valid.
"Back to the roots ... for a fresh start"
This was the title of a post Patchou made to his community on Thursday, where he addressed the concerns of its members who feel that the software has taken a turn in the wrong direction. Patchou has since attempted to reassure his users and had some good news to tell:
Although Yuna Software is still present and the current distributor of Messenger Plus! Live, its overseeing powers have been reduced. Patchou is sovereign again, which is a great thing. Add to this that there with be several new developers working on Plus! may mean more features and a smaller timeframe between releases.
Patchou has changed his avatar of the forums to one he used when developing Messenger Plus! 3 as a reflection on returning to his roots.
Willz leaves skinning
Following from our post on the decline of Messenger skinning, Willz has told the Messenger Plus! community that he intends to leave skinning due to time constraints and creative differences between Yuna Software. Although he did suggest if improvements were made, he would return again. Nevertheless it is still a blow for skinning as there will no doubtedly be less activity from someone who has done much to keep the skinning community alive in recent years.
Read Patchou's full announcement
"Back to the roots ... for a fresh start"
This was the title of a post Patchou made to his community on Thursday, where he addressed the concerns of its members who feel that the software has taken a turn in the wrong direction. Patchou has since attempted to reassure his users and had some good news to tell:
I'm back in charge of things. That means you can ask me questions, like you did before (and I'll take too much time to answer some of them, as I did before ). That also means that software development is back on track, with proper releases, documented changes in the change log.
Although Yuna Software is still present and the current distributor of Messenger Plus! Live, its overseeing powers have been reduced. Patchou is sovereign again, which is a great thing. Add to this that there with be several new developers working on Plus! may mean more features and a smaller timeframe between releases.
Patchou has changed his avatar of the forums to one he used when developing Messenger Plus! 3 as a reflection on returning to his roots.
Willz leaves skinning
Following from our post on the decline of Messenger skinning, Willz has told the Messenger Plus! community that he intends to leave skinning due to time constraints and creative differences between Yuna Software. Although he did suggest if improvements were made, he would return again. Nevertheless it is still a blow for skinning as there will no doubtedly be less activity from someone who has done much to keep the skinning community alive in recent years.
Read Patchou's full announcementPatchou steps down as distributor of Messenger Plus! Live
on Wed 06 Jan 2010 (15:48 GMT) (41664 views)
on Wed 06 Jan 2010 (15:48 GMT) (41664 views)
With the new year comes change and the world of Messenger is no exception. Messenger Plus! Live is Windows Live Messenger's most popular add-on with over 60 million users. Recently Patchou has stepped down as distributor of the extension and now Messenger Plus! is privately developed by Yuna Software. This post should elucidate the details to what this may mean for the program's future.
Specifics are somewhat obscure, as Patchou himself created this company some years ago. What does appear to be the case is his control over development and management of the software and its community. Maybe this can be considered a buy-out of Messenger Plus! although this idea certainly lack clarity.
So what do we know? Well yesterday Patchou sent out a lengthy email to his beta tester team to elaborate on the new developers role and sponsor strategies for his Messenger extension. It appears he will be developing the next milestone of the software (it is his code and he has the contextual knowledge of the Messenger API), however his control over the approach appears to have been narrowed.
This simple statement summarizes the situation at hand and although Patchou can't explain the reasons why in explicit detail for legal reasons, it is important to understand Messenger Plus! Live is no longer Patchou's project and will be taking on a new direction.
A snowball effect?
The reaction within the Messenger community has been understandably negative. Patchou has established the largest MSN/ Windows Live Messenger community and this situation coupled with its decline in recent years may lead it to abscond altogether. It is Messenger Plus! that is responsible for the new acceleration of skin and script developers as well as establishing some household names within the Messenger community. Willz has since expressed concern over whether to continue developing skins:
Patchou has established the largest Messenger community and this situation coupled
with its decline in recent years may lead it to abscond altogether
I too have noticed a decline in Messenger developers. Similar websites to ours have either been closed or neglected and to be honest we face similar problems. The threat of substitute services such as social networking websites has led to a diminution to the popularity of IM in general (with the exception of online web messengers). I personally find it laborious to find the time for Messenger Stuff as within the past as do my admins. It may be a despondent fact to face but the Windows Live Messenger community has been experiencing a piecemeal downturn for years.
This could however be a great thing
Looking to a more optimistic side, this could mean great things for Messenger Plus! Live. With a dedicated team of developers, more features can be implemented and the time-frame between releases could be shortened. We have yet to see what Yuna Software has to offer, so lets presume the best and judge them on their results, it could be the thing the Messenger community needs.
Specifics are somewhat obscure, as Patchou himself created this company some years ago. What does appear to be the case is his control over development and management of the software and its community. Maybe this can be considered a buy-out of Messenger Plus! although this idea certainly lack clarity.
So what do we know? Well yesterday Patchou sent out a lengthy email to his beta tester team to elaborate on the new developers role and sponsor strategies for his Messenger extension. It appears he will be developing the next milestone of the software (it is his code and he has the contextual knowledge of the Messenger API), however his control over the approach appears to have been narrowed.
I need all of you to understand that I am not personally associated with Messenger Plus! anymore.
This simple statement summarizes the situation at hand and although Patchou can't explain the reasons why in explicit detail for legal reasons, it is important to understand Messenger Plus! Live is no longer Patchou's project and will be taking on a new direction.
A snowball effect?
The reaction within the Messenger community has been understandably negative. Patchou has established the largest MSN/ Windows Live Messenger community and this situation coupled with its decline in recent years may lead it to abscond altogether. It is Messenger Plus! that is responsible for the new acceleration of skin and script developers as well as establishing some household names within the Messenger community. Willz has since expressed concern over whether to continue developing skins:
At the moment things aren't really crystal clear so I can't really 100% judge the situation. But there have been recent developments (ones that I choose not to disclose) which have started to make me doubt that I will continue to skin in 2010.
Patchou has established the largest Messenger community and this situation coupled
with its decline in recent years may lead it to abscond altogether
I too have noticed a decline in Messenger developers. Similar websites to ours have either been closed or neglected and to be honest we face similar problems. The threat of substitute services such as social networking websites has led to a diminution to the popularity of IM in general (with the exception of online web messengers). I personally find it laborious to find the time for Messenger Stuff as within the past as do my admins. It may be a despondent fact to face but the Windows Live Messenger community has been experiencing a piecemeal downturn for years.
This could however be a great thing
Looking to a more optimistic side, this could mean great things for Messenger Plus! Live. With a dedicated team of developers, more features can be implemented and the time-frame between releases could be shortened. We have yet to see what Yuna Software has to offer, so lets presume the best and judge them on their results, it could be the thing the Messenger community needs.
Wow, it has been a while since I last posted here so I feel I owe an explanation. Having just started university things have been a bit manic and with Halloween being tonight, I thought I should squeeze in a post before venturing out.
- Messenger Plus! 4.83: Patchou has released a small update for Messenger Plus! Live which addresses some bugs and compatibility issues, whilst removing traces of the recent contest. [Read more]
- MessengerDiscovery 3.0 plans: Matt, the creator of MessengerDiscovery has already outlined the program's future development plans. Perhaps the most notable new feature on the list is the end of the proxy connections and the application becoming open source to encourage other developers to migrate to Messenger. [Read more]
- eBuddy receives a re-code: The hit web messenger eBuddy is working on a new web messenger, from the ground up, drawing on newer technologies and better user-interaction. A sleeker interface, along with greater depth for customization and a new layer of polish ensures the service stays up to date with this fast moving industry. [Read more]
- Interview with Marcus Schmidt: Marketing manager over at Microsoft, Marcus Schmidt reveals his personal thoughts about the future of Windows Live Messenger and what he would like to see in the upcoming Wave 4 series of Windows Live products. [Read more]
- A standalone web messenger from Microsoft: Microsoft Singapore have released their own web messenger client based on the Messenger API library. As the old Microsoft web messenger was recently discontinued for one built inside of Windows Live Hotmail this is an interesting move, yet one that should please those seeking a fully featured, yet non-bloated client on the web. [Give it a go]
Here is a skin I've come across a couple of weeks ago for Windows Live Messenger 2009. Snow Leopard skin, based on Apple's new version of OS X 10.6 that was released last month is designed to make Messenger look like Apple's popular operating system UI.
Personally, I think this skin several flaws as it places too much emphasis on Leopard's style wallpaper, rather than the clean, slate feel of other Apple products e.g. iTunes. What makes this interesting is that others don't seem to agree and it has become one of the most popular skins created for MSN/ Windows Live Messenger. The skin has had over 1 million downloads despite still being in its beta stage.
If this skin looks appealing to you, then I recommend giving it ago as it is one of the fastest growing skins I've seen in terms of popularity for MSN/ Windows Live Messenger and its creator, coolzee deserves great credit for that achievement.
Download Snow Leopard skin for Windows Live Messenger 2009 (requires Messenger Plus! Live)
Personally, I think this skin several flaws as it places too much emphasis on Leopard's style wallpaper, rather than the clean, slate feel of other Apple products e.g. iTunes. What makes this interesting is that others don't seem to agree and it has become one of the most popular skins created for MSN/ Windows Live Messenger. The skin has had over 1 million downloads despite still being in its beta stage.
If this skin looks appealing to you, then I recommend giving it ago as it is one of the fastest growing skins I've seen in terms of popularity for MSN/ Windows Live Messenger and its creator, coolzee deserves great credit for that achievement.
Download Snow Leopard skin for Windows Live Messenger 2009 (requires Messenger Plus! Live)After 4 weeks of giving away prizes this year's Messenger Plus! Live contest is over with an impressive 780 lucky winners. Although Patchou has not revealed the full statistics as of yet, it attracted a wide audience, even if its hype wasn't as strong as it was when a similar contest was ran two years ago.
See the official announcement at the Messenger Plus! Live website
Congratulations to all the winners! This summer's contest is now over and it's finally more than 780 lucky users who will receive a prize this year. Free prizes with a free add-on: beautiful life isn't it? If you're in the list, expect to get your prize by the end of September (international shipping can take a long time). We’ll be glad to see you post pictures of your prize on the forum for everyone else to see.
See the official announcement at the Messenger Plus! Live websiteIf there is anything I've learnt since I started using Windows Live Messenger is that it is nutritious for security threats and problems. These of have course changed over time, from viruses, to a poor blocking system, from bugs that would crash Messenger and more recently the plague of phishing scams. It can all be a headache for the normal user. WLM Safe is a Messenger Plus! Live script with many features to help protect from such threats. Listed below are the application's main functions:
What I particularly like about WLM Safe is the care and attention to detail. This is a well coded and polished script that is impeccably designed and non-obstructive to the user. Moreover it does everything you would expect it to do and can even keep a log of the threats it has helped you to avoid. I cannot recommend using this script more. It is a must have for any Windows Live Messenger user.
Download WLM Safe for Windows Live Messenger requires Messenger Plus! Live
Visit the official website
- Anti-Virus: detects and blocks infected links sent by virus in conversation windows.
- Anti-Phishing: detects and blocks phishing links sent by virus in conversation windows.
- Anti-Spam: blocks annoying spam messages sent by your contacts.
- Anti-Flood: detects flood attacks and block the authors.
- Anti-Freeze: block messages that make old messenger's versions crash.
- Anti-Copy: notifies you if one of your Messenger's contacts copy your Nickname.
- Anti-Bot: notifies you if you're chatting with a Bot.
- Anti-Hackers: notifies you if you're chatting with an Unsafe contact.
What I particularly like about WLM Safe is the care and attention to detail. This is a well coded and polished script that is impeccably designed and non-obstructive to the user. Moreover it does everything you would expect it to do and can even keep a log of the threats it has helped you to avoid. I cannot recommend using this script more. It is a must have for any Windows Live Messenger user.
Download WLM Safe for Windows Live Messenger requires Messenger Plus! Live Visit the official websiteHow-to receive Facebook notifications through Windows Live Messenger
on Sat 08 Aug 2009 (18:11 GMT) (3980 views)
on Sat 08 Aug 2009 (18:11 GMT) (3980 views)
Integrating Facebook with Messenger seems to be on everyone's wish list for any upcoming IM client release. However, for the time being there are some simple alternatives in the form of Messenger Plus! scripts to add some basic features and receive Facebook notifications and updates through Windows Live Messenger. Listed below are three scripts to enchant your Messenger and Facebook experience:
Note: These scripts require the Windows Live Messenger add-on Messenger Plus! Live in order to function.
Facebook Status Checker
This handy script will display a toast pop-up message each time you receive a new notification or update on your Facebook home page. Very useful for Facebook addicts who want to see what their friends are doing as soon as it happens.
Download Facebook Status Checker
Facebook Status
Syncing your Windows Live Messenger personal message and your most recent Facebook status has never been easier. Each time you update your status this script will automatically sync it between applications. Very cool.
Download Facebook Status
Facebook Notifications
This application detects any changes made within your Facebook account e.g. friend requests, emails or event invites and displays it directly within Windows Live Messenger. This allows you to check on anything you need to take action on within Facebook as soon as it happens.
Download Facebook Notifications
Note: These scripts require the Windows Live Messenger add-on Messenger Plus! Live in order to function.Facebook Status Checker
This handy script will display a toast pop-up message each time you receive a new notification or update on your Facebook home page. Very useful for Facebook addicts who want to see what their friends are doing as soon as it happens.
Download Facebook Status CheckerFacebook Status
Syncing your Windows Live Messenger personal message and your most recent Facebook status has never been easier. Each time you update your status this script will automatically sync it between applications. Very cool.
Download Facebook StatusFacebook Notifications
This application detects any changes made within your Facebook account e.g. friend requests, emails or event invites and displays it directly within Windows Live Messenger. This allows you to check on anything you need to take action on within Facebook as soon as it happens.
Download Facebook NotificationsThe Messenger Plus! Live contest has been underway for just over two weeks now and there has already been a strong list of lucky winners: 357 at the end of the second week. The contest operates on selecting an individual pixel from a large image that contains a set price prize to spend the Evolution Store. Patchou has gave a breakdown of the first two weeks of results:
Read more: Contest 2009: Week 1 & 2 Results
See Patchou's announcement and user's responses at the Messenger Plus! forums
After more than 20 million combined clicks in the first two weeks alone, 357 winners have been approved and will receive a prize package. The third week of the contest has now began with more than 320 new prize packages to find; you can thank the people who don't enter their information after finding a winning spot for such a big number of prizes. Remember that if you're a winner, your package will be shipped ground in August and will take 4 to 6 weeks to arrive to your home. We promise it will be worth the wait, all you need to do is to give us your shipping information after winning.
Read more: Contest 2009: Week 1 & 2 Results See Patchou's announcement and user's responses at the Messenger Plus! forums
Messenger Stuff