Q: How does the "I'm Away Message" feature work?
A: You can use the Away message feature to let others know that you are away from your desk or that you don't want to be disturbed. When users send you messages while you have this option set, your Away message is sent to them automatically, indicating your unavailability.

To turn this feature on (using the default message: "I'm away from my computer right now"), select the File menu (People menu on Macintosh), click Away Message, and click Default Away Message. To add your own message, click New Message. The New Away Message window appears. Enter a label for your message, and type the message.

You can also hide incoming messages while you are away. This "answering machine" feature keeps track of all your messages and displays them after you click I'm Back. To get this feature, upgrade to the latest version of the AOL Instant Messenger (SM) service.

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Q: How do I stop IM from sending automatic responses to other users? When I have not been active for a while and someone sends me an instant message, my computer automatically responds to the other person with an "auto-response" message, even though I have not set my Away option.
A: Go to the Away tab in Preferences, and uncheck Auto respond with message in the "When idle" section.