I consistently get “Nudges” from Erin over IM and since I use Pidgin (freeware multi-platform IM client that is lighting fast to load/connect), I’m never able to nudge her back. In case you’re not aware, nudges are like sounding a gong in your IM window, complete with vibration-conveying visual effects. Great stuff.

Erin Nudges

After getting three of these nudges in a 31 second interval, I decided to download and install the actual messenger client so I could retaliate. I downloaded the installer, double-clicked on it and got this helpful screen.

Messenger Spam

Here I thought I was just downloading and IM client, but instead I could get all these cool things at once. Lucky me. I understand some of the business thinking that led to the decision to include these elements but to have them opted in by default is crappy. Needless to say, they were all unchecked and after nudging my colleague back a few times, I un-installed Messenger as quickly as possible. I have no doubt that their strategy drives installs, but I’m not sure that doing it at the expense of user goodwill is sensible in the long term.