You may or may not know that you can give your contact list an image background by placing a compatible image within your Messenger directory. This adds an extra layer of depth to the customization of Windows Live Messenger, but is often missed by users as the option isn't accessible within Messenger's preferences.

Background Changer is a Messenger Plus! Live script that easily allows you to browse and select an image to use as a background. Created by Veggie and CookieRevised, this script is well written and easy to use. Its simplicity should not be underestimated, particularly if you love to customize Messenger to make it your own.

Download Background Changer (requires Messenger Plus! Live)

Social networking website Twitter contains a rich and fruitful API for applications to access. As a result integrating Twitter with Windows Live Messenger is easy and works well, particularly with the aid of Messenger add-on Messenger Plus! Live.



Update your Twitter status through conservation windows

There are essentially two ways to achieve this. You can use either Twitter Plus! or add Messenger bot twitt'd. Twitt'd does not require any add-ons in order to function, but Twitter Plus! is quicker to use as you only need to type "/twitter" followed by your message.

Download Twitter Plus!
Visit the Twitt'd bot website


Sync your personal message with your Twitter status

It is possible to sync what you write on Twitter with Windows Live Messenger, and when you change your Messenger personal message to show up on your Twitter profile. Use Twitter Psm Pusher to update your Twitter status using your personal message or Twitter2PSM to sync your latest Twitter and make it show up as your personal message. There is also Twit2MSN which appears to be a good all-rounder at this function.

Download Twitter Psm Pusher
Download Twitter2PSM
Download Twit2MSN


View your friend's latest tweets

Twit4Live like Twitter Plus! allows you to update your status on twitter, but it also allows you to view tweets and send them to your contacts as well set as your PSM. Overall this script is a good all-rounder, yet contains the specific function to receive toast pop-up notifications of other Twitter users you are currently following.

Download Twit4Live


Post your currently playing music track to Twitter

Windows Live Messenger contains the feature "Now Playing" which allows you to sync whatever your playing on your computer with your personal message. Twitter Music syncs this with Twitter by adding a new tweet with each track played.

Download TwitterMusic

So there is the definitive list of applications to enchant your Twitter experience within Windows Live Messenger. I suggest giving all of these a go to see what works for you, as many of these have similar features/functions and one will generally out-perform the other.

If 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:

• 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 website

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:



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

Messenger Plus! Live allows the use of BBCode as well as hexadecimal colors to be used within your Messenger name and personal message allowing other contact's with the add-on installed to view you in a unique and fun way. The variety of options that you have can be a daunting process, particularly if you don't understand the basic syntax of BBCode. WLNameEditor makes this process simple with an easy to use interface.

The script gives you an array of options including adding emoticons, bizarre text and of course colors and standard text decorations. Generally, if you like to "pimp your Messenger" this is a script you should be interested in. I mean who doesn't love a bright pink PSM to stand out from the crowd?



Download WLNameEditor script for Messenger Plus! Live

In those days of interaction between social networking sites and IM networks, updating your status in all those networks can be annoying sometimes. If you are a Facebook user, there is news for you: a possibility to copy your Facebook status message to your Messenger PSM automatically.

• Facebook Status: Way 1
  
  Way 1 is a Messenger Plus! Live script, made by djdannyp. It works as follows:
  1. Download the script from the Scripts Database, and import it into Messenger.
  2. Open your scripts menu, either from the contact list or from any conversation window.
     Choose the entry "Facebook Status > Settings".
  3. Now browse the link within the Settings window, and fetch your RSS feed on the opening Facebook page.
  4. Paste that feed URL back into the settings window, and set the other settings as you wish. At the end, press "Save".

• Facebook Status: Way 2:
  
  Way 2 is a - oh, surprise! ;) - Messenger Plus! Live script as well, made by me. It works a bit differently, but does the same in the end:
  1. Download the script from my blog. (It was not added to the Script Database because the first script - see above - was already added.)
  2. Import the script; you will be asked if you want to enable the script for the Windows Live ID you're currently signed in with.
  3. If you choose "Yes", you will be prompted for your Facebook login which is not stored on your computer and only used once to fetch your status RSS feed URL.
  4. Now your status gets updated automatically.

Both scripts are easy to use, while djdannyp's version offers more settings, but requires you to fetch your RSS feed manually. I suggest you try both scripts and use the one you like more.

Windows Live Messenger has a habit of crashing for me. It doesn't like me sending files or opening too many conversations before it gives up and I am forced to close it. I then lose all my open conversations, which can be frustrating.

SessionSaver helps make this annoyance more tolerable. SessionSaver is a Messenger Plus! Live script that can restore your conversation windows:



The script works well, is easy to use and looks very professional. This is a must have script in my opinion, just check out some of the screenshots below:



Download SessionSaver

You may remember our previous announcement post of a 'Status Signature Generator Service Script' that planned to replace Web2Messenger.

Well the time has come for a limited public beta release. Currently there are 250 registration spots open, so if you would like to be one of the first people to test and use Web2Live to generate some funky looking signature images such as my one below (other designs available) register now!

Click on the link at the bottom of this post and sign up, if you're not lucky enough to grab one of the limited registration spaces, don't worry too much, more registration spots will be opened at a later date.

Web2Live Homepage

When I'm on my laptop doing work I find myself thinking of things I always need to write down. I usually scribble these thoughts on a pad of paper, or sometimes I open notepad and make a list of the tasks I need to get done. Without doing this I would forget all about the things I need to do.

Because I often have Messenger running in the background and I'm always seeing it on screen, I would find it helpful if my tasks were displayed in a place I look regularly.

Stickynotes does exactly this. One of the winners of the Messenger Plus! scripting contest, this is a unique and well coded script. Easy to use, and does the job great. It's like having post-it notes around your screen:



It is a very useful script and I suggest giving it a try.

Download Stickynotes

Chat logging is an amazing feature of Messenger Plus! Live and a flawed feature of Messenger itself. You can easily log your conversations and they will be saved how you originally saw them. As a bonus you can password protect your logs so only you will have access to them.

Log Manager by Mattike helps manage your log files and easily encrypt/ decrypt them all. It is pretty much an extension onto the current feature, but it makes managing your chat logs a lot easier.

Log Manager is a well coded script, beautifully designed and very easy to use. I think this is one of the better Plus! scripts out there and I highly recommend it. Download it today!

View Mattike's thread at the Messenger Plus! Forums
View screenshots of Log Manager