Mac OS X Leopard - ARCAism

Figure 12-2. The Account Setup sheet used to add new iChat accounts
Depending on the account type for each account listed in your Accounts column, there will
be some additional configuration options. The key options you’ll want to know about are the
“Use this account” and “When iChat opens, automatically log in” options. “Use this account”
enables the account and lists it the File ➤ Accounts submenu. The “When iChat opens, automatically
log in” option is fairly obvious: when you launch iChat, iChat will automatically
attempt to log in to the account.
Some accounts also have security options associated with them; these options generally
enable you to restrict how other people view your status when you are online.
Logging In to Your iChat Account
and Setting Your Status
Logging in to your iChat account(s) is a fairly easy process.
Obviously, if you have selected the option to have your
account automatically log in when iChat launches, then you
really don’t have anything to do. However, to manually log
in and log out, all you have to do is toggle your account in
the File ➤ Accounts submenu.
When you log in, an account window will open up that
will allow you to access account IM features for that account
and view your buddy list, as shown in Figure 12-3.
The top of the account window provides your account
status. The top line will provide the name you have associated
with the account, or your “handle” (which is another
way of saying your screen name, or account name). You can
toggle between the two by clicking the name/handle. To the
left of your name is your online status: a green dot means
CHAPTER 12 iCHAT 231
Figure 12-3. An iChat account
window, with a buddy list