Changing Views in Google Talk

If you want to chat with Gmail or Google Talk users, you have three options: the standalone Google Talk client, GMail + Chat, or a third-party application that supports the Jabber protocol such as Gaim. However, you might sometimes notice–if you run two apps at the same time–that the contacts that appear on your Google alk window are different from those that appear on GMail + Chat, or thru Jabber.

It’s because of the views. I’ve always wondered about this, thinking there must have been a bug with my Google Talk installation. That is until I experimented with the “view” button at the bottom part of GTalk. This would end up to be the solution to my problem, as this “view” button actually controlled how Google Talk organized online contacts.

Apparently, you can set up your Google talk window to appear as follows:

• Show one page. Google talk will only display the first few entries on your contact list, and these will only be those who are online, and who you’ve been chatting with. The rest, including those who are offline or who appear to be idle, are relegated to the second-page.
• Sort by name. This allows you to either sort your contacts alphabetically, or based on online status.
• Show pictures. This is something unique to the Google Talk client–you can see pictures on the contact list itself. Using Gmail + chat only gives you pictures when putting your mouse over the contact’s name. Here, you can configure Google talk to display the profile images of your contacts at all times.
• Show offline friends. This dramatically lengthens or shortens your contact list.
• Also show Gmail contacts. This is limited to Google Talk, as GMail + Chat users won’t have need for this. If activated, then even offline contacts but who have been your correspondents in Gmail at one time would appear on your contact list.