Help
How can we help you?
If you want to know how to get started with BuddyFuse, check out the how-to at the bottom of this page. Do you have a particular question about BuddyFuse? We have collected some frequently asked questions below. If your question is not listed here, you can always contact us!
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What is BuddyFuse?
BuddyFuse is an addon program which integrates chat networks and social networks such as Google Talk, Twitter and Hyves into Windows Live Messenger (MSN). With BuddyFuse, you can seamlessly stay in touch with friends on other networks. Your Google Talk friends are added to your Messenger contact list, and you can chat with them right from Live Messenger. You can also automatically Tweet your personal status message, and you receive notifications for events such as new emails in Gmail.
For a more detailed feature description, check out the features page.
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Who makes BuddyFuse?
BuddyFuse has been developed by a group of students from The Netherlands. Check out our team page for more information about us. BuddyFuse is an independent initiative and we are not affiliated with Microsoft Corporation, Google, Twitter or Hyves.
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What is the difference between BuddyFuse and other chat programs such as Digsby or Google Talk?
Google Talk and Digsby are other downloadable instant messaging clients. BuddyFuse offers a lot of the same functionality, but sits on top of Windows Live Messenger. Because BuddyFuse seamlessly integrates functions from other networks into Windows Live Messenger, you do not have to get used to a new program!
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Are you planning to support other networks than Google Talk, Twitter and Hyves?
We definitely are planning to add support for more networks! We hope to launch support for Facebook, AIM, ICQ, XMPP (Jabber) within the coming months.
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How do I add my Google Talk / Twitter / Hyves account?
This is pretty straightforward. You can also check out our how-to to get started.
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What about my privacy?
We understand you are concerned when allowing BuddyFuse to access your information from chat / social networks. Your information from these networks will only be used by BuddyFuse, and never handed to third parties. The program also does not do anything (such as posting content to social networks) on your behalf without your explicit permission. Check out our privacy policy for more info.
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I see a message about a communication error with a third party service. What does this mean?
This error means BuddyFuse could not reach one of the third party networks (Google / Twitter / Hyves) or something went wrong during the exchange of data. This probably means the service in question is undergoing maintenance. If you try signing in with BuddyFuse a while later the issue should be resolved. However, if the problem persists for more than a day, please let us know.
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I see a message about an authorization error, what does this mean?
Probably either your password of the service raising the error has changed or its authorization token has expired. If you re-add the account to BuddyFuse in the "manage accounts dialog" the issue should be resolved.
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Is BuddyFuse compatible with other Windows Live Messenger extensions such as Messenger Plus! Live?
BuddyFuse has been developed to be compatible with the majority of Windows Live Messenger addons available. It has been successfully tested with Messenger Plus! Live and Messenger Discovery. Certain features such as Plus Skins and polygamy however are not fully supported and might cause conflicts.
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What can I do with the contacts from other networks which have been injected into my contact list?
The contacts which have been added to your contact list by BuddyFuse (e.g. Google Talk contacts) don't support all features available in Messenger. Of course you can chat with them like with regular contacts, but if you change contact information such as phone numbers or custom nicknames this might not persist. We also don't recommend changing any of the group names added to your contact list by BuddyFuse.
How-to
Because all functionality is fully integrated in Windows Live Messenger, it is not very difficult to use BuddyFuse. For those who need a little more guidance, we have outlined a few basic steps (associating a Google Talk account) here.
After you have installed BuddyFuse, start Windows Live Messenger. As you can see, the new line Sign in to set up BuddyFuse has been added. Click Sign in to sign in.
In the top right corner of the main window, a new BuddyFuse button has been added. When you click it you will see a menu for controlling BuddyFuse. First click Manage BuddyFuse accounts to add your Google Talk account.
In this screen you can see all accounts that have been added to your Messenger account. When you are using BuddyFuse for the first time, this list is of course empty. Now click Add... to add a Google Talk account.
Now enter your Google Talk account name and password, and click Ok to add it to the list.
You have now returned to the manage accounts window again. As you can see your Google Talk account has been added to the list. Click Close to close this window and to return to Messenger.
A new Google Talk button has now been added to the Messenger main window. Click this button and then click Sign in to Google Talk to sign in your Google Talk account.
BuddyFuse will display a loading bar during loading.
As soon as the loading bar disappears, you will see the Google Talk contacts in your contactlist. You will now be able to see when your contacts are online and you can chat with them.
When you sign out or start Messenger again another time, you will see a dropdown box with all associated accounts. Select your Google Talk account to be signed in at Google Talk whenever you sign in with Messenger.
Contact
We have set up a Feedback Forum where you can ask questions and post about problems or suggestions you might have. If you want to contact one of our team members in particular, check out our team page.
