Gmail chat not meant for bulk AIM buddies

December 11, 2007 / Filed under: AIM, Gmail, Google, Instant Message

It's great that the Gmail team implemented support for AIM - consolidating chat and email into a single interface. Problem is, the Gmail interface is not meant for bulk instant-messaging. It worked great for the minimal chat amongst other GTalk users - since that was typically only a handful of people, but now that I can interact with all of my AIM buddies, I'm sensing a bit of an overload occurring.

The interface is not designed properly to handle dozens, or hundreds of buddies, all online at once.

Here's the tiny chat widget, floating along the side of the page:

Screenshot of Gmail

This list doesn't grow or expand - it remains the same size. When you have dozens of your buddies online, you can only see a small handful. What if you need to instant-message someone who doesn't appear near the top of this list? How do you find their name?

Organization is also a problem. With Meebo, I can create different groups, which pertain to various segments of my life: work, family, friends, etc. This helps organize my contacts visually. The Gmail interface for chat is too basic and underdeveloped.

It seems many people wanted AIM support from within Gmail, but simply cramming it in there doesn't make things better. It makes things more cluttered and overwhelming.

If Gmail continues to support chat from within the same interface, they must come up with a better design and layout for the chat-related sections.

Comments/Mentions

# Denis at 12/12/2007 4:25 pm cst

There's a search box, silly =D

# Paul at 12/13/2007 6:07 am cst

You can customize the chat list somewhat in size, http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=33518&topic=12871

Also, you can select who of your buddies is always/never/automatically shown.

And of course Gmail will predictively guess based on a few letters.

Hope that helps a bit...

# Bryan at 12/13/2007 7:47 am cst

If you click options, Show in chat list: All contacts, you get a scroll bar for your entire list.

# Jacob at 12/13/2007 4:03 pm cst

You can set the chat list for tiny, small, medium, or large, but if this isnt enough, then maybe gmail AIM just isnt meant for this kind of heavy duty instant messaging, seperate programs like trillian (if you want to log your chats) are probably better than that.

I do have a question though - how did you put in names for your friends instead of their screennames?

# John at 12/26/2007 6:35 pm cst

I was real happy to see this feature added, that is until I actually went to use it. Having used Trilian for years now I guess that excellent program spoiled me. Problems besides the obvious lack of bells and whistles (Literely) are in my opinion 1. Just because I log on to check my mail does not mean I want to log on to chat with people. There needs to be a auto or non auto log on button. 2. Its just plain awkward and not easy (key word) to find someone to send them a IM.
3. It only signals when one initially sends an IM, after that it relies on a visual, well I may be watching tv and do not see that.

I stopped using it on gmail until they make it work better. Its like putting a fresh sirloin burger on a stale bun. Why do it.

# Judy at 2/14/2009 1:33 pm cst

I don't use the chat feature and only want a plain & simple "contact" list with email addresses.

I cannot get rid of anyone in that AIM/chat list. Where is the delete button??

Plus, I can't figure out how to add names to the contact list, because for those people whose email address has been automatically listed in the chat list, I receive a message saying that I can't have two contacts with the same address!

Hey, it's not my fault! I didn't add the email address to the chat list, which the program apparently thinks is the same thing as the contact list.

Does anyone know how to get out of this vicious cycle?