Nostalgia · How-to
Online, Busy, Away or Appear Offline: the unwritten rules of your status
What your messenger status really says about you, when to use Busy, Away and Be Right Back, and the eternal question of Appear Offline. A guide, half serious.
Chatroom · 5 November 2026 · 1 min read
On the old messengers, the little coloured orb next to your name said more than any message. On Chatroom it's back, so here's the etiquette, half serious and half not.
Online (green)
What it says: "I'm here and I'm up for a chat."
The rules: if you're green, expect people to say hi. If you don't want that, there's a better status for you.
Busy (red)
What it says: "I'm here, but leave me alone."
The rules: people with a red orb are working, studying, gaming or watching the game. Don't nudge them. (Okay, one nudge. Maybe.)
Be Right Back (orange)
What it says: "Don't go anywhere, I'll be back in five."
The rules: brb has a time limit. After an hour it's not brb any more, it's Away.
Away (orange)
What it says: "I've wandered off. Leave a message."
The rules: messages left for someone who's away are fair game. Long, rambling, three-part ones are traditional.
Appear Offline
What it says: nothing at all, which is the point.
The rules: the most controversial status in history. You can see who's around without anyone knowing you're there. Everyone did it. Nobody admitted it.
On Chatroom, Appear Offline hides you from everyone's contact list, and only contacts you've accepted can ever see your status anyway.
The personal message
Your status says whether you're around. The line under your name says why, or what song you're very pointedly listening to. Here are 50 ideas.
How to change yours
Click your name at the top of your contact list and pick a status. It's the same menu as 2004, with fewer people asking for the computer.
Sign up free and set yourself to green.