Introduction

ICQ plugins are external applications that can be added to your ICQ program to expand and enhance the functions of ICQ. Your ICQ 99b program comes with several pre-installed plugins developed by ICQ Inc. such as—the Greeting Card plugin, the Voice Message plugin, the sending E-ICQ plugin and the ICQ ActiveList Invitation plugin. You don’t need to install these plugins—ICQ has done the work for you, and included these features as options within your program.

In addition, you may download, install and activate additional plugins for ICQ that were developed or provided by third parties. If someone sends you such a plugin and you have not installed or activated it (or if someone sends you a preinstalled plugin that you have removed or disabled from ICQ) you will receive an Unknown Plugin notification. You may download this plugin from the ICQ Plugins Center if this plugin was developed by ICQ Inc., or you may download it from the user that sent you this plugin. See Receiving an Unknown Plugin* in the main Help File for instructions.

The Voice Message plugin enables you to record voice messages of up to fifteen seconds in length (120kb) and attach text messages as well. You may send voice messages to other ICQ users, when both you and the recipient are online. All you need to send a voice message is a computer microphone. You may also use the Voice Message plugin to send a Wave sound file, for which you do not need a computer microphone.

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CAUTION!

Plugins for ICQ may be developed by third parties and may be harmful and cause extreme damage to your system.

By downloading, installing, activating or using any Plugin for ICQ developed or provided by third parties, you may be subject to various immediate and long-term risks, including without limitation:

•	Exposure to objectionable material and/or parties, including without limitation, contaminated files.

•	Unauthorized invasion of your privacy during, or as a result of, your or another's use of the Plugin.

•	Spoofing, eavesdropping, sniffing, spamming, breaking passwords, harassment, fraud, forgery, “imposturing”, electronic trespassing, tampering, hacking, nuking, system contamination including without limitation use of viruses, worms and Trojan horses causing unauthorized, damaging or harmful access and/or retrieval of information and data on your computer and other forms of activity that may even be considered unlawful.

•	Unauthorized exposure of information and material you listed or sent, on or through the ICQ system, to other users, the general public or any other specific entities for which the information and material was not intended by you.

If you do not wish to be subjected to these risks, you are strongly advised not to download, install, activate or use Plugins for ICQ that were developed or provided by third parties.

Some Plugins for ICQ were developed by ICQ Inc. To review the list of ICQ Plugins developed by ICQ Inc., please refer to the Plugins for ICQ Center available on or through http://www.icq.com/plugin/.

Before downloading any Plugin for ICQ from any user, and even if the account from which the Plugin for ICQ message is sent looks familiar to you, it is strongly recommended that you verify that the person sending you the Plugin is indeed the person you think he is, for example by asking him for some kind of information known only to the two of you.

Please verify that the sender is who you think he/she is and make sure that you want to receive, download, install or activate the Plugin for ICQ.

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See: Voice Message—Sending

See: Voice Message—Receiving

See: Voice Message Plugin—Configuring Preferences

This Help File is provided as a convenience only (See Welcome to ICQ version 99b*) and is subject to the provisions of the ICQ Terms of Service.

*Access this from the main Help File by clicking on the ICQ button, selecting Help, and then selecting Help Topics.

Copyright © 1999 ICQ Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Voice Message Plugin-Configuring Preferences

Configuring Voice Message Preferences

You may configure the settings of the Voice Message Plugin in your Owner Preferences.

To configure the Voice Message Plugin in your Owner Preferences:

1.	Click on the ICQ button and select Preferences & Security. Then select Preferences to display the Owner Preferences dialog.

2.	Select the Plugins tab.

3.	Select Voice Message.

4.	Choose from the following options.

•	Check the Play Sound box to set ICQ to play a sound every time you receive a voice message.

•	Click on the Play [image] button to hear the sound that will play. Press the [image] button to select another sound from another directory on your hard disk.

•	Select the Show Response Dialog radio · button to set ICQ to display a response dialog every time you receive a voice message.

•	Select the Auto Accept radio · button to set ICQ to automatically accept all incoming voice messages.

•	Select the Auto Decline radio · button to set ICQ to automatically decline incoming voice messages.

•	Select the Auto Decline From Users Not In My Contact List radio · button to set ICQ to automatically decline incoming voice messages from users that are not on your Contact List.

•	Select Voice Messages and click on the Remove button to disable the Voice Messages plugin. Click on the Restore button to restore a disabled Voice Message Plugin.

To add the Voice Message Plugin if you have removed it:

1.	Click on the ICQ button and select Preferences & Security. Then select Preferences to display the Owner Preferences dialog.

2.	Select the Plugins tab.

3.	Select Voice Message.

4.	Click on the Add button to import a plugin from another directory on your computer.

Tip: You may need to go offline and then online again in order to activate the change.

To reactivate a disabled Voice Message Plugin:

1.	Click on the ICQ button and select Preferences & Security. Then select Preferences to display the Owner Preferences dialog.

2.	Select the Plugins tab.

3.	Select Voice Message.

4.	Click on the Restore button.

Tip: You may need to go offline and then online again in order to activate the change.

To disable the Voice Message Plugin:

1.	Click on the ICQ button and select Preferences & Security. Then select Preferences to display the Owner Preferences dialog.

2.	Select the Plugins tab.

3.	Select Voice Message.

4.	Click on the Remove button.

Tip: You may need to go offline and then online again in order to activate the change.

This Help File is provided as a convenience only (See Welcome to ICQ version 99b*) and is subject to the provisions of the ICQ Terms of Service.

*Access this from the main Help File by clicking on the ICQ button, selecting Help, and then selecting Help Topics.

Copyright © 1999 ICQ Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Voice Message-Sending

Sending a Voice Message or Wave File

You may send voice messages to other ICQ users, when both you and the recipient are online. All you need to send a voice message is a computer microphone.

You may also use the Voice Message plugin to send a Wave sound file, for which you do not need a computer microphone.

To send an online voice message to another user:

1.	Click on the name of an online user on your Contact List to whom you wish to send a voice message. The pop-up menu of options is displayed.

2.	Select Voice Message or More Services (Plugins) and then click on Voice Message.

3.	Make sure your microphone is correctly attached to your computer system.

4.	Click on the Send: Voice Message radio · button.

5.	Click on the Record [image] button or press Ctrl+R and clearly speak your message into your microphone. Keep your message within 15 seconds.

6.	Click on the Play [image] button or press Ctrl+P to play back the message that you recorded. Choose from the following options.

•	Click on the User Information [image] button to view the details the recipient entered upon registration with ICQ.

•	Adjust the Volume level to your preference.

•	Click on the Forward and Backward [image] buttons to move through your playback.

•	Click on the Forward and Backward [image] buttons to jump to the beginning or end of your voice message.

•	Click on the Stop [image] button or press Ctrl+S to stop playing or recording your message.

•	Click on the LoopPlay [image] button to play your voice message continually. Click on this button again to disable LoopPlay.

•	Check the Save Outgoing Voice Message box to save the file in the outgoing folder.

•	Click on the Outgoing Folder button to view the folder containing voice messages you have sent.

•	Click on the Incoming Folder button to view a folder containing voice messages you have received.

You may add a text message to your voice message in the Text Message dialog.

7.	Click Send to send your voice message.

To send a wave file:

1.	Click on the Send Wave File radio · button in the Send Online Voice Message dialog.

2.	Click on the Import button to select a wave sound file from another directory of your hard disk.

3.	You may click on the Info [image] button to view the details the recipient entered upon registration with ICQ.

4.	Click on the Play [image] button or press Ctrl+P to play back the sound file that you selected. Then you may choose from the following options.

•	Click on the Stop [image] button or press Ctrl+S to stop playing the wave file.

•	Check the Save Outgoing Voice Message box to save the file in the outgoing folder.

•	Click on the Outgoing Folder button to view the folder containing sound files you have sent.

•	Click on the Incoming Folder button to view a folder containing sound files you have received.

5.	Click on the Send button to send the sound file or click on the Cancel button to cancel sending the file.

This Help File is provided as a convenience only (See Welcome to ICQ version 99b*) and is subject to the provisions of the ICQ Terms of Service.

*Access this from the main Help File by clicking on the ICQ button, selecting Help, and then selecting Help Topics.

Copyright © 1999 ICQ Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Voice Message-Receiving

Receiving a Voice Message

When you receive a voice message from another user a flashing Voice Message/sound file [image] icon will appear beside the sender’s name on your Contact List and in your desktop tray.

To begin downloading your incoming voice message or sound file:

1.	Double-click on one of the flashing Voice Message/sound file [image] icons or right-click on the sender’s name on your Contact List and then select Receive from the pop-up menu. An Incoming Voice Message dialog is displayed.

2.	Choose from the following options in the Incoming Voice Message dialog.

3.	Click on the Reply button to send the sender an event directly from this dialog. Choose an event from the pull-down menu of options.

•	Click on the Preferences button to open the Plugins tab in the Alert/Accept Settings feature to configure plugin settings for the specific user. See Plugins—Configuring Your Preferences.

•	Click on the Decline button to decline the request without giving a reason, or choose from the other responses.

•	Click on the Accept button to begin the transfer of the incoming voice message or sound file. A Voice Message dialog is displayed and the transfer begins.

Once you have accepted the voice message or sound file, you may listen to it now and choose from several options to save it or reply to the sender.

To play your voice message or sound file:

After you’ve accepted the voice message or sound file, click on the Play [image] button to play back the voice message or sound file. Choose from the following additional options.

•	Check the Save Incoming Voice Message box to save the voice message or sound file in your Incoming Folder.

•	Click on the Reply button to reply to the sender. Choose an event from the pull-down menu.

•	Click on the Save To File button to save the incoming message to another directory on your hard disk.

•	Click on the Close button to close the Voice Message dialog.

This Help File is provided as a convenience only (See Welcome to ICQ version 99b*) and is subject to the provisions of the ICQ Terms of Service.

*Access this from the main Help File by clicking on the ICQ button, selecting Help, and then selecting Help Topics.

Copyright © 1999 ICQ Inc. All Rights Reserved.