Hi,
The above pic is what the Messages pane shows when the View Menu > Messages item is changed to Text.
It will also show the Background Pic if you drag a Pic to the Chat window itself (or even to that white Space show in the pic)
There can be several reasons why a Buddy will not appear in the List
1) You have chosen not to "Show Off Line Buddies" and they are Off Line.
2) You have them "Blocked" or Not "Allowed" in the Accounts option in that pic then the Security tab.
3) The same thing happens if they Block or use Allow Buddy list only or Allow Specific People and don't add you to the List involved (either the Buddy list of the Allow Specific People list)
4) Variations on misspelling the Screen Name including:-
a) Adding and AIM Name with @aim.com at the end.
b) Adding an @Mac.com name as an AIM Name (And not including the @mac.com bit)
c) Adding a MobileMe name as and AIM type (and not adding the @me.com bit)
5) In ichat 4 and 5 only setting a Buddy list to Invisible. In iChat 5 this can be done to one Buddy List at a time.
6) If talking about your own Screen Names showing in two places it could be a Buddy List is Not allowing Multiple Logins and one is being Logged out as the other signs in. (It has been some while since iChat allowed you to add your own Screen Name to your own Buddy list).
7) Messing in another Mac User Account using the same iChat Info to Test Parental Controls can also make Buddies Disappear you you do not set the Parental Controls to Allow iChat before changing Mac User Accounts (it marks all none Allowed Buddies as Blocked which is a flag at the AIM server and will be seen that way in the main Mac User Account as in 2) above)
Notes:
Your Screen Names and Passwords are held in the Keychain and are called back from there if you delete the .plists (well in this case com.apple.ichat.AIM.plist)
The Path to the .plists is Hard Drive/Users/(Your account)/Library/Preferences sometime written as Home Folder/Library/Preferences or ~/Library/Preferences
7:57 PM Tuesday; February 23, 2010
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