What is i'm? Chat for charity initiative officially launched!

Over the past few years, we've seen people on Messenger put emoticons or special symbols in their nicknames to mourn victims of terrorist attacks, AIDS, acts of God or evil stingrays. Sometimes these appeals create a sizeable buzz, in other cases just dozens of "colorful" contact lists. But with Microsoft now jumping on this trend for the first time you'll be able to actually make a difference without spending any money!

Like we told you in January, Microsoft has hidden an emoticon in its 8.1 version of Windows Live Messenger, and we also suggested that putting it in your Display Name would generate a donation to charity for every conversation you initiate. Several early adopting Microsoft employees who read about it at Mess.be were even ordered to remove the emoticon from their nicknames... until today's official launch of the "i'm Initiative". We previously revealed different shortcuts that show the charity emoticon and, depending on which shortcut you use, you decide which one of the nine participating organization benefits from your free donations. By selecting your favorite cause from the following list and putting the associated emoticon in your Display Name, you can personally help the organization attain its goals:

*sierra - Sierra Club [link]
*bgca - Boys and Girls Clubs of America [link]
*9mil - ninemillion [link]
*komen - Susan G. Komen for the Cure [link]
*mssoc - National Multiple Sclerosis Society [link]
*red+u - American Red Cross [link]
*unicef - UNICEF [link]
*naf - National AIDS Fund [link]
*help - StopGlobalWarming [link]

Refer to the Q&A in our FAQ for more details regarding the i'm Initiative including the participating organizations. Currently answered questions include "Why the i'm emoticon", "What's my effort worth", "Can anybody participate?" and "What about the other emoticon shortcuts?".

One important detail that I would like to pay extra attention to is the campaign's restriction to users from the United States. While you can still put the emoticon in your nickname in order to raise awareness for the campaign among your U.S.-based buddies, it's a bit of a drawback for Messers worldwide.

>> Read all about in our constantly updated FAQ.

>> Don't forget to Digg this news and pass it on! Link to our FAQ for the latest on i'm.

>> Head over to im.live or the press release for more information.

>> Download the required Windows Live Messenger 8.1 (English US) here.