Related to the Yahoo instant messenger post, this entry is to remind you that you have to take note of the messages that you receive via IM. There are ways to hack your accounts and it will too much trouble to deal with them, if you think about it. Especially when you have a lot of contacts from different cities in the world that you have to warn about it.
Instant messaging
It is convenient to have instant messaging. It makes you accessible to anyone and everyone all the time. You can look at your buddy list and send them IMs no matter how far apart you are and you do not have to spend so much on calls or SMS for that matter. But apparently it is also convenient for hackers to take advantage of.
Who is sending you messages?
Are you sure that you know the people in your buddy list? Sometimes people you do not know well add you to their buddy lists just because. Sometimes you meet other people and you exchange contact information, including Yahoo IDs, or whatever you are using. If you chat with them often enough, you would get used to messages suddenly popping out saying they came from these trusted sources. But you actually never know.
Check the links
Links that come from your buddies do not always come from them. If their accounts have been hacked you could get links to sites that have content you do not really like. What you could do is ask them before clicking the links. That way both of you would be aware. If you and your buddy always talk about home improvement, wouldn’t it be a bit strange if you get a link about dating. Especially if this online buddy is more of a professional contact.