{"id":7068,"date":"2009-04-13T22:40:52","date_gmt":"2009-04-13T17:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=7068"},"modified":"2013-09-21T22:09:05","modified_gmt":"2013-09-21T16:39:05","slug":"google-talk-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/04\/google-talk-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tricks Every Google Talk User Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.google.com\/talk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Talk<\/a> is the messenger of choice for Gmail users. Although the desktop client hasn&#8217;t been improved for a long time, many people use it as their primary <strong>instant messenger <\/strong>just because they are loyal Gmail users and many of their friends are. Unlike most other <strong>IM clients<\/strong>, Google Talk is also very minimalist and doesn&#8217;t intimidate you with ads and the like, so people are just sticking to it.<\/p>\n<p>Here are five tips and tricks that every Google Talk user should know. Make sure you bookmark this page because you never know when they&#8217;ll come handy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af53a176ae9a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af53a176ae9a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/04\/google-talk-tricks\/#1_Desktop_Shortcuts_to_Contacts\" >1. Desktop Shortcuts to Contacts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/04\/google-talk-tricks\/#2_Running_Multiple_Instances_Simultaneously\" >2. Running Multiple Instances Simultaneously<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/04\/google-talk-tricks\/#3_Making_the_Status_Always_Idle\" >3. Making the Status Always Idle<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/04\/google-talk-tricks\/#4_Formatting_Text_in_the_Chat_Window\" >4. Formatting Text in the Chat Window<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/04\/google-talk-tricks\/#5_Learn_the_Keyboard_Shortcuts\" >5. Learn the Keyboard Shortcuts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Desktop_Shortcuts_to_Contacts\"><\/span>1. Desktop Shortcuts to Contacts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7074\" title=\"desktop-gtalk\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/desktop-gtalk.png\" alt=\"desktop-gtalk\" width=\"358\" height=\"153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/desktop-gtalk.png 358w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/desktop-gtalk-150x64.png 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/desktop-gtalk-300x128.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 358px) 100vw, 358px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is probably the quickest way to initiate a chat with a Google Talk buddy. Using this method, you can create a <strong>desktop icon.<\/strong> When clicked, this icon will directly open a chat window where you can chat with your friend.<\/p>\n<p>To create a desktop shortcut to quickly chat with your<strong> GTalk friend<\/strong>, just right click on your desktop and go to New &gt; Shortcut and type <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">gtalk:chat?jid=username@gmail.com<\/span>. To initiate a quick call, use the shortcut <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">gtalk:call?jid=username@gmail.com<\/span> where username should be replaced by your buddy&#8217;s GTalk ID. This method doesn&#8217;t work on Windows Vista, but only on XP.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Running_Multiple_Instances_Simultaneously\"><\/span>2. Running Multiple Instances Simultaneously<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7075\" title=\"multiple-gtalk\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/multiple-gtalk.png\" alt=\"multiple-gtalk\" width=\"350\" height=\"198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/multiple-gtalk.png 350w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/multiple-gtalk-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Google Talk, by default, doesn&#8217;t provide a way to<strong> log in to multiple accounts <\/strong>at once. However, you can achieve that by a workaround.<\/p>\n<p>Just edit your existing desktop shortcut to Google Talk by right clicking on the desktop icon, going to properties and then appending the parameter <em>\/nomutex <\/em>to the target, like this: <em>C:Program FilesGoogleGoogle Talk.exe \/nomutex<\/em>. You can use this shortcut to launch multiple instances of Google Talk, thereby allowing you to login to multiple Google Talk accounts simultaneously.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Making_the_Status_Always_Idle\"><\/span>3. Making the Status Always Idle<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7076\" title=\"galways-idle\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/galways-idle.jpg\" alt=\"galways-idle\" width=\"165\" height=\"169\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no way to control you can control your<strong> Idle Status<\/strong> on Google Talk. But, if you can install gAlwaysIdle, you can choose to remain either &#8216;Always Idle&#8217; or &#8216;Never Idle&#8217;. Just by right clicking on the Google Talk system tray icon, you can make use of these idle options.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Formatting_Text_in_the_Chat_Window\"><\/span>4. Formatting Text in the Chat Window<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7077\" title=\"format-gtalk\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/format-gtalk.png\" alt=\"format-gtalk\" width=\"258\" height=\"106\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Did you know that you can format text on Google Talk even though there are no visible buttons present for that purpose. You can do basic formatting in Google Talk like making the <strong>text bold, italic and underline<\/strong>. To make the text bold, just enclose it within *asterisks* and to make it italic, just enclose it within _underscores_<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Learn_the_Keyboard_Shortcuts\"><\/span>5. Learn the Keyboard Shortcuts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Google Talk provides plenty of <strong>keyboard shortcuts<\/strong> that you can use to perform a variety of actions. Their documentation doesn&#8217;t seem to be listing the shortcuts though, so here&#8217;s a list of many user discovered shortcuts. Learn them once, and you&#8217;ll find them indispensable forever.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the list, as listed on Sizzled Core:<\/p>\n<p>1. CTRL + Mousewheel up\/down: It will change the font size in a conversation window.<br \/>\n2. CTRL + E: Center text<br \/>\n3. CTRL + R: Right justify text<br \/>\n4. CTRL + L: Left justify text<br \/>\n5. F11: Start a call<br \/>\n6. F12: Stop the call<br \/>\n7. ESC: Close the current window<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s pretty much it. If you know of any other tricks or tips that you think will be useful for Google Talk users, please share them in the comments.<\/p>\n<p><em>Guest blogger Shankar Ganesh writes on KillerTechTips.com on general tech tips ranging from most useful Firefox addons to how to make Windows run faster. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/guest-blogging\/\">write a guest article<\/a> on QOT and share your tricks.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google Talk is the messenger of choice for Gmail users. Although the desktop client hasn&#8217;t been improved for a long&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[44],"class_list":["post-7068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-computers","tag-guest-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7068\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}