odigo.com > Reviews (5)

This is an extensive update on one of my earliest ops. Originally this was only one paragraph. I've learned a lot since then!

Odigo is a messenger along the lines of Yahoo and is an instant messenger which can also be used to chat in a chat room.

The messenger is available to download from www.odigo.org. Odigo state that their messenger has around a million users worldwide.

INSTALLATION
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The messenger can be download from the website. The download is approximately 2.8 Mb. Once it is downloaded you can then set it up and create your username and password. This procedure is very quick and simple. You will need Internet Explorer 4+ to run the messenger and the system requirements are as follows:- Pentium 100 and up, Minimum 16 MB RAM, Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP, NT4.0.

GETTING STARTED
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Now you can create your profile. This entails putting a name and details about you and your interests. You can choose to have your email visible or invisible, and from past experiences with messengers, I choose to keep mine private.

There is a nice option here where a picture can be chosen from the online gallery, to represent you on the messenger. There are some very funny icons that can be used and mine has been changed many times.

Interests can be added in the profile, as people can search for chat partners by interest, which I will cover later in the review. There is also a comments box in which you can add anything you would like users to be able to see if they click on your profile.

At present, Odigo have added a new version of their messenger to their site. When this is downloaded all your old contacts are automatically entered onto your new version.

GETTING READY TO CHAT
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If you already have friends who use Odigo messenger, the procedure to add their names is very simple. Simply select the add a friend icon from the messenger and add their ID. The friends list can be divided into sub-categories, such as personal, family, business, or whatever category you choose to put them under. It might as well be said here, I do have one for perverts! There is an option whereby your friends list can be displayed as to their online offline status or by groups.

RANDOM CHAT
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If you have no friends (ahhh!), it is possible to search for a user to chat with. This can be done by loading the people finder page from the messenger This page will display lists of people currently on line. Each user is either displayed as a male or a female icon. By clicking on the user name a box will be displayed, giving their details. A message can then be sent to the user by typing in the box and pressing send or hitting return. Files can also be sent by the messenger, as can URLS.

CHAT ROOMS
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It is possible to set up your own chat rooms from the messenger, but this is an area on which I cannot really comment, as I have not used this feature.

SEARCHING FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE, INTERESTS ETC
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This function is useful if you want to chat to specific people, be they male or female, from a specific country, by age or interest.

This is quite similar to that used on ICQ. By clicking on the arrow to the left hand side of the messenger, boxes can be ticked to narrow your search down. Your favourite query can be saved to save you putting in the details time after time.

CONNECTING TO OTHER MESSENGERS
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There is a function on the messenger by which you can connect to all your other friends who use AOL, MSN or ICQ. I have not used this function, but Odigo say it is easy to set up.

STATUS SETTINGS
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This works in a similar way to MSN in that you can change your status setting if you are away from the computer or do not want to be disturbed. This option can be selected from the bottom right hand side of the messenger.

VISIBILITY
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The visibility option can also be found at the bottom right hand side of the messenger. If you do not wish your ID to be visible all over the odigo radar, this can be turned off.

MOODS
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Users are able to display to other chatters what their moods is on a specific day. At the moment mine is set to fabulous, but it has been known to be set to angry, depressed or bored, depending on how I’m feeling.

INTENTIONS
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This is where your intentions for chatting can be displayed. Mine is always set to meet new friends, but other options include romance and looking for advice. I have found that the looking for advice option is mainly used by people who wish to get a passport into Britain. Amazed……….me too, but it is unbelievable how desparate some people can be. At first, I was sympathetic, then I would hit the ignore button immediately they started enquiring about the possibility – now I just pass on the number of the British Passport Office and say it is my home number. Irresponsible? Probably, but it does become quite tedious after a while.

TELLING A FRIEND
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If you would like to let a friend know about the messenger, this can be done by selecting tools and tell a friend from the messenger. A form must then be completed, which will then be sent to your friend.

CHANNELS
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This is a feature of the messenger I haven’t used a lot, so I have had to had a fiddle this morning! The channel section can be accessed from the top of the messenger. There are options here to find out flight times from different airports, a dating channel, and details on the weather, amongst others.

VERDICT
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As far as messengers go, Odigo is average. The emoticons are pretty dated, and my messenger has been known to become pretty unreliable at times, leaving me no option but to download it again. I must add, that since the latest version has been introduced, Odigo seem to have ironed out this blip. As with other messengers I have used, Odigo sometimes freezes, but the simple option is to turn it off, start it again, and your message can be sent.

All in all, the messenger is simple to use, although quite basic, but I do like the use of the icons for your mood and personality. Yes, you will get your share of internet perverts, but the ignore button is very easy to press!