Elusive Emoticons in Windows Live Messenger to Raise Money for Charity

Microsoft has decided to help charity, with the help of users, through it's Windows Live Messenger instant messaging client. i'm is the new initiative from Microsoft, embedded into WLM 8.1, which allows users to donate money to a charity of their choice without forking out a cent. The donation will be paid for by Microsoft, which has decided to share a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organisations. The charity the user wishes to support is determined by the i'm emoticon code the user places in their display name.


Whenever a user starts a conversion using an i’m emoticon in their display name, a portion of the advertising revenue from the ads displayed in the message window will be donated to the charity of your choice. Currently, there is no cap on the amount donated to each charitable organisation. According to Microsoft: "The sky's the limit". Unfortunately, the i'm initiative is only available in the United States at present, however it will commence in Australia in the next few months, although users elsewhere can still use the emoticons. The i'm emoticon codes for the various charities can be found below, along with instructions on how to use them.

Text Code	Cause
*red+u	American Red Cross
*bgca	Boys & Girls Clubs of America
*naf	National AIDS Fund
*mssoc	National Multiple Sclerosis Society
*9mil	ninemillion.org
*sierra	Sierra Club
*help	StopGlobalWarming.org
*komen	Susan G. Komen for the Cure
*unicef	The US fund for UNICEF
*wwf	World Wildlife Fund
*oxfam	Oxfam
*one
*acs
*hsus
*care

The charities related to the final four codes in the list have not yet been disclosed by Microsoft.

Once you enter an i'm emoticon code into your display name, the following icon should appear beside your display name:



To begin using i'm emoticons:
1. Download Windows Live Messenger 8.1 instant messenger service.
2. Place the i'm emoticon code of your choice into your Display Name by:
1. On the top of the WLM Contacts window, click the arrow next to your name and select “Options”.

Screenshots courtesy of Microsoft

2. Next to your desired display name, type in one of the above i’m emoticon codes, in support of your charity, then click OK.

Screenshots courtesy of Microsoft

3. Keep having conversations so that you can continue funding the charity of your choice.