For those of you using MSN Messenger 8.1 -

Please add code *mssoc to your name in order to help raise money for the National MS Society and help support research, education, and assistance that they give people like myself and so many others in the Pacific Northwest region who are affected with Multiple Sclerosis. Remember that the PNW has the highest rate of the disease worldwide and is currently 3x the national average for people to become afflicted. Please help find a cure by adding it the tag to your IMs...then go about chatting as usual.

Here's more info:

i'm making a difference

i'm is a new initiative from Windows Live (TM) Messenger. Every time you start a conversation using i'm, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes. While there is no set cap on the amount each cause can receive, Microsoft will make a minimum $100,000 guaranteed donation to each of the nine organizations during the first year of the program. The more i'm (TM) conversations that happen, the more donations that happen. The sky's the limit.

So any time you have an i'm conversation using Windows Live Messenger, you help address the issues you feel most passionate about, including poverty, child protection, disease, and environmental degradation. All you have to do is join and start an instant messaging conversation. Microsoft handles the donation.

Visit http://im.live.com to join and get more information.