Mystery Orange Status Ball

[dodo]

Okay, one of my contacts had an orange ball near her name and had
written a status message that she was available to talk. I didn't try
to contact her at the time. Nothing I've seen mentions an orange
status icon--only green, yellow, red, and grey. Can anyone explain
this?

[Ryan Morehart]

I think that the yellow and the orange you are talking about are
actually the same. Orange indicates that they are logged in but have
walked away from their computer (or at least aren't using Gmail at the
moment).

Ryan

--
Make long URLs memorable: http://urlet.com

[dodo]

I didn't know there was an orange. The descriptions in Help don't
mention it.

On Feb 5, 5:07 am, "Ryan Morehart" <moreh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I think that the yellow and the orange you are talking about are
> actually the same. Orange indicates that they are logged in but have
> walked away from their computer (or at least aren't using Gmail at the
> moment).
>
> Ryan
>

[Zack (Doc)]

Ryan means... What Google is calling Yellow, you (and many others) call Orange.

I agree it look Orange, but Google calls it Yellow.

[dodo]

But I never saw orange before; I did see yellow.

On Feb 5, 1:00 pm, "Zack (Doc)" <z...@tnan.net> wrote:
> Ryan means... What Google is calling Yellow, you (and many others) call Orange.
>
> I agree it look Orange, but Google calls it Yellow.
>

> On Feb 5, 2008 1:39 PM, dodo <DEPfah...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > I didn't know there was an orange.  The descriptions in Help don't
> > mention it.
>
> > On Feb 5, 5:07 am, "Ryan Morehart" <moreh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > I think that the yellow and the orange you are talking about are
> > > actually the same. Orange indicates that they are logged in but have
> > > walked away from their computer (or at least aren't using Gmail at the
> > > moment).
>
> > > Ryan
>
> > > On Feb 5, 2008 3:55 AM, dodo <DEPfah...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > Okay, one of my contacts had an orange ball near her name and had
> > > > written a status message that she was available to talk.  I didn't try
> > > > to contact her at the time.  Nothing I've seen mentions an orange
> > > > status icon--only green, yellow, red, and grey.  Can anyone explain
> > > > this?
>
> > > --

> > > Make long URLs memorable:http://urlet.com- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[dodo]

Okay--right now that orange ball is showing by the contact's name I
described on Feb. 5. Prior to Feb. 5, I had never seen it. It is
definitely orange; it is definitely not yellow. Within the orange
ball is a little white right angle at the top half of the ball. If
this were an orange clock, the white right angle would be 9:00. Also,
because it is after midnight and my contact is not a night-owl, I
suspect she is not online even though she created a custom message
inviting others to talk to her. I might consider that she is idle,
but can a person create a custom message for idle? I didn't think so
since the idle status occurs automatically. I think I'll send her an
e-mail asking if she was online at this time.

> > > > Make long URLs memorable:http://urlet.com-Hide quoted text -

[Ryan Morehart]

The custom message created while you are available stays even when the
you become idle. Your friend just left Gmail open and went to bed.

Ryan

[dodo]

I did not know that the custom message remains. Then is the colored
ball (yellow or orange) the only indication someone is idle? And why
isn't orange mentioned in the Help section? Everything I have read
about the idle ball mentions yellow. Had orange also been mentioned,
I never would have had to ask.

On Feb 7, 6:33 am, "Ryan Morehart" <moreh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The custom message created while you are available stays even when the
> you become idle. Your friend just left Gmail open and went to bed.
>
> Ryan
>

> > > > > > Make long URLs memorable:http://urlet.com-Hidequoted text -

[granny58]

the little right angle thingy you spoke of is supposed to be the hands
of a clock..it means they are away for a short time, which for some of
us, me included, could be days actually, as we forget to change the
thing.

> > > > > > > Make long URLs memorable:http://urlet.com-Hidequotedtext -

[Ryan Morehart]

The orange isn't mentioned because whenever the icon was designed the
person considered it yellow with a fade to a darker color. It just
happens to look orange ish.

Ryan

[vicki]

ok. What is this thing? I have caught a glimpse of this "yellow ball" that is actually orange to us. Its not there alot. I have only seen 1-2 times.  Didnt think much about it at the time, i thought it was something i was running at the time, as it did not stay very long. How weird is this. Did anyone actually figure this out?  I havent seen mine in 4 days, so i cant grab it and investigate it.

[nick...@gmail.com]

You will NEVER be able to see your own yellow/orange/whatever color you want to call it dot.  The dot changes that color when a person is idle.  The act of you moving your mouse to look at the dot will make you no longer idle and change it to green or red.  There is no need to investigate this.  It's the same as when your screen name turns gray when you are using AIM.  When you are using AIM and you become idle, your screen name changes to gray.  Once you move your mouse though, it becomes black again.

For those of you wondering, AIM is American Online Instant Messenger.

[vicki]

I am not using aim, thats the problem! Have no idea where this thing is coming from.

[Doug Weller]

No one suggested you were using AIM, that was just an example of
another service that does the same thing.
Vicki, have you looked at Help yet? Because if you haven't, that
should be where you start.
https://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=29298&topic=13292
explains it all
Doug

On Feb 9, 12:56 am, vicki <mybalian...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am not using aim, thats the problem! Have no idea where this thing is
> coming from.
>

> On Feb 8, 2008 2:35 PM, <nickma...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > You will NEVER be able to see your own yellow/orange/whatever color you
> > want to call it dot. The dot changes that color when a person is idle. The
> > act of you moving your mouse to look at the dot will make you no longer idle
> > and change it to green or red. There is no need to investigate this. It's
> > the same as when your screen name turns gray when you are using AIM. When
> > you are using AIM and you become idle, your screen name changes to gray.
> > Once you move your mouse though, it becomes black again.
>
> > For those of you wondering, AIM is American Online Instant Messenger.
>

> > On Feb 8, 2008 1:07 PM, vicki <mybalian...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > ok. What is this thing? I have caught a glimpse of this "yellow ball"
> > > that is actually orange to us. Its not there alot. I have only seen 1-2
> > > times. Didnt think much about it at the time, i thought it was something i
> > > was running at the time, as it did not stay very long. How weird is this.
> > > Did anyone actually figure this out? I havent seen mine in 4 days, so i
> > > cant grab it and investigate it.
>

> > > > > > > > > > > Make long URLs memorable:http://urlet.com-Hidequotedtext<http://urlet.com-hidequotedtext/>-

[nick...@gmail.com]

When you are looking at that help page, remember that when they say yellow, that is the color that the designer intended the ball to be.  Some people see it as an orange, and some people see it as yellow.  If it helps, I'll reword the descriptions here:

• Green: Available
• Red: Busy. This lets your contacts know you're busy and don't want to be interrupted.
• Grey: Signed out of chat
• Any other color: Idle. Your status automatically changes to idle when you're away from your computer for 15 minutes. You can't manually select to appear idle.

[Vijay Govind]

I disagree... You can see it, very briefly (Especially when you use
the web or flash interface). I think I have read somewhere in this
forum / group that the timeout is 15 minutes.

I have never seen it as a problem and I don't think it affects me or
people who would chat with me.

Cheers!
Vijay

[vicki]

Havent seen it in two days now. i know what you mean when you say it should be yellow, but may look orange to others. But this is not a chat status ball. Its orange, with black marks inside, and its bigger than the normal status ball,. Maybe my computer is haunted. I really wasnt that concerned until everybody else started writing about it. Maybe the ones they are talking about is a status icon. Dont know. Maybe everyone will get one of these things like mine soon! Just kidding.

[Ryan Morehart]

If you see it again take a screen shot (PrtScn then paste into Paint),
I'm curious about what it is.

I attached a picture with the way that the yellow status icons look on
my system.

Ryan

[vicki]

I thought of taking a picture of this orange ball, hasnt appeared yet. I at first thought it was my norton sec. symbol, but thats not it. With your email problems, have you tried changing to i.e. browser? You shouldnt have too, and you obviously dont want to. I have used firefox before and had no troubles with it. I just dont like change so much, thats the reason i always stick with i.e

[dodo]

For the idle icon to come on, are you totally away from your computer
for 15 minutes OR can you be doing something else on the computer but
just not using gmail for that time (but are still signed on)? Also,
if you were signed out of gmail, would others see a gray icon by your
name? Or is it only when signed out of chat (which is what Nick
stated)?

On Feb 9, 9:02 pm, nickma...@gmail.com wrote:
> When you are looking at that help page, remember that when they say yellow,
> that is the color that the designer intended the ball to be. Some people
> see it as an orange, and some people see it as yellow. If it helps, I'll
> reword the descriptions here:
>

> - Green: Available
> - Red: Busy. This lets your contacts know you're busy and don't want
> to be interrupted.
> - Grey: Signed out of chat
> - Any other color: Idle. Your status automatically changes to idle

> when you're away from your computer for 15 minutes. You can't manually
> select to appear idle.
>

[dodo]

Ryan, you called it yellow on your system. Does it appear yellow on
your computer? What I saw from your system was orange. Also, where
is this "Paint" you paste into?

On Feb 10, 6:18 am, "Ryan Morehart" <moreh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> If you see it again take a screen shot (PrtScn then paste into Paint),
> I'm curious about what it is.
>
> I attached a picture with the way that the yellow status icons look on
> my system.
>
> Ryan
>

> On Feb 10, 2008 2:22 AM, vicki <mybalian...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Havent seen it in two days now. i know what you mean when you say it should
> > be yellow, but may look orange to others. But this is not a chat status
> > ball. Its orange, with black marks inside, and its bigger than the normal
> > status ball,. Maybe my computer is haunted. I really wasnt that concerned
> > until everybody else started writing about it. Maybe the ones they are
> > talking about is a status icon. Dont know. Maybe everyone will get one of
> > these things like mine soon! Just kidding.
>

> > On Feb 10, 2008 12:02 AM, <nickma...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > When you are looking at that help page, remember that when they say
> > yellow, that is the color that the designer intended the ball to be. Some
> > people see it as an orange, and some people see it as yellow. If it helps,
> > I'll reword the descriptions here:
>
> > > Green: Available
> > > Red: Busy. This lets your contacts know you're busy and don't want to be
> > interrupted.
> > > Grey: Signed out of chat
> > > Any other color: Idle. Your status automatically changes to idle when
> > you're away from your computer for 15 minutes. You can't manually select to
> > appear idle.
>

> chatstatus.png
> 5KViewDownload

[Zack (Doc)]

Technically, it's away from the computer. Being away from GMail is
not really idle since you are doing something.

If you are signed out of GMail, then you ARE signed out of chat (it's
one sign-out). But just being signed out of Chat is enough (so you
could still be in GMail but out of chat).

[Ryan Morehart]

It appears as exactly the color as it is in my screen shot. You can
find Microsoft Paint under Start->Program Files->Accessories->Paint

Also, to your other post, if you are signed out of chat others will
see a grey icon by your name.

Ryan

[dodo]

Let's not be technical; let's be specific. I would like clarification
of what I asked previously: Does the idle icon appear by my name to
others if I'm signed on but haven't used Gmail for 15 minutes OR if I
haven't used the computer for 15 minutes? Thanks.

On Feb 12, 3:50 am, "Zack (Doc)" <z...@tnan.net> wrote:
> Technically, it's away from the computer. Being away from GMail is
> not really idle since you are doing something.
>
> If you are signed out of GMail, then you ARE signed out of chat (it's
> one sign-out). But just being signed out of Chat is enough (so you
> could still be in GMail but out of chat).
>

[Zack (Doc)]

Specifically, the text of the help page reads

"idle when you're away from your computer for 15 minutes"

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=29298&topic=13292

Specifically, if you're away from the computer, you haven't used it,
or GMail, for 15 minutes.

Specifically, it will appear by others if THEY haven't used the
computer for 15 minutes (you can still be using yours).

[dodo]

Good point--the help page was specific as to not using the computer
for 15 minutes. And you're right, of course, about, therefore, not
using Gmail. Yes, I understand that the idle sign appears by OTHERS'
names whose computers are on but not in use for 15 minutes just as
they would see me as idle if the situation were reversed.

On Feb 13, 4:22 am, "Zack (Doc)" <z...@tnan.net> wrote:
> Specifically, the text of the help page reads
> "idle when you're away from your computer for 15 minutes"http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=29298&topic=13292
>
> Specifically, if you're away from the computer, you haven't used it,
> or GMail, for 15 minutes.
>
> Specifically, it will appear by others if THEY haven't used the
> computer for 15 minutes (you can still be using yours).
>

[dodo]

Zack, I was reviewing some posts in this group and one other, Gmail
Help Discussion, and found a particular post in which I was involved
well before your answer to me below on Feb. 13. Here is that post
(Jan. 26 and 27), which apparently is incorrect but no one there
disagreed with it. (I hope you can follow the sequence of both
posts.)

> On Jan 27, 11:49 am, MsI53 wrote:
> Yes, that is correct.

> On Jan 26, 11:59 pm, dodo2ajr wrote:
> So if I'm signed on to gmail but, say, working in another
program on
> the computer, I will show as idle to my contacts after 15
minutes of
> inactivity on gmail?

On Feb 13, 4:22 am, "Zack (Doc)" <z...@tnan.net> wrote:
> Specifically, the text of the help page reads
> "idle when you're away from your computer for 15 minutes"http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=29298&topic=13292
>
> Specifically, if you're away from the computer, you haven't used it,
> or GMail, for 15 minutes.
>
> Specifically, it will appear by others if THEY haven't used the
> computer for 15 minutes (you can still be using yours).
>

[dodo]

This just occurred to me. What if I am signed into Gmail but am
logged off the computer. However, my husband is logged onto the
computer with his identity (I call it "my side"/"his side") and is
actively using the computer. What icon would fellow Gmailers get for
me if I am their contact?

On Feb 13, 4:22 am, "Zack (Doc)" <z...@tnan.net> wrote:
> Specifically, the text of the help page reads
> "idle when you're away from your computer for 15 minutes"http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=29298&topic=13292
>
> Specifically, if you're away from the computer, you haven't used it,
> or GMail, for 15 minutes.
>
> Specifically, it will appear by others if THEY haven't used the
> computer for 15 minutes (you can still be using yours).
>

[Fuzzy Logic]

If your browser is not active with Gmail open, it will show you as offline.

Fuzzy

[dodo]

Makes sense. I'd like to believe I would have figured that out had I
waited a couple more minutes! Seems like a "duh" question in
retrospect. Thank you.

On Feb 16, 10:58 pm, "Fuzzy Logic" <fuzz...@gmail.com> wrote:
> If your browser is not active with Gmail open, it will show you as offline.
>
> Fuzzy
>