Seen a strange new icon in your Messenger lately?

Here's the explanation: http://im.live.com

i’m is a new initiative from Windows Live™ 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. We've set no cap on the amount we'll donate to each organization. The sky's the limit. There's no charge, so join now and put our money where your mouth is.

i’m is about making a difference. Not in a huge expensive way, not in a time-consuming way. But in a simple, effective way.

You won't have to change your conversation to change the conversation. With every instant message you help address the issues you feel most passionate about, including poverty, child protection, disease, and environmental degradation. It's simple. All you have to do is join and start an instant messaging conversation. We'll handle the donation.

Once you've signed up, every ad you see in your message window contributes to the grand total we send to the causes.

At this time, the i’m initiative is available only in the United States.

Within Windows Live Messenger, click Tools and select Options. Place the text code corresponding to the cause of your choice into your Display Name.

Text Code      Cause
*red+u          American Red Cross
*bgca           Boys & Girls Club
*naf             National AIDS Fund
*mssoc         National Multiple Sclerosis Society
*9mil            ninemillion.org
*sierra          Sierra Club
*help            StopGlobalWarming.org
*komen         Susan G. Komen for the Cure
*unicef         The US fund for UNICEF