Once you have added buddies, you can start an IM chat with them.
Double-click on the name of the contact you want to chat with. An IM chat window appears with the buddy's name in the header.
In the bottom of the chat window, type text that you want to send and hit the Enter key or click Send. The message appears in the chat window under your name.
When your friend sends you a reply message, you can view it in the IM chat window under their name.
To end a chat, press Esc or click on the red X to close the window.
Your chat transcript gets saved by default under the Chats folder that you can access in the navigation pane under the Mail tab. To change save settings, see Setting IM Preferences.
You can also use Yahoo! emoticons in your IM chat. Click on the arrow on the yellow smiley button to open the emoticons drop down menu.
Click on the desired emoticon to insert it in the text field. Type text to accompany the emoticon or simply hit Enter or click Send to just send the emoticon. You can see it appear in the chat window.
Right-click a buddy’s name and select New Chat.
Click New in the IM toolbar.
The Select Buddy or Contact dialog box appears.
Select a contact from your Buddy list. Click OK to open the chat window.
You can also type a contact in the Search box to start a chat with someone who is not in your buddy list. Type the email address of the contact and click OK.