Status message (instant messaging)

A status message can tell other contacts the user's current status, such as being busy or what the user is currently doing.

However, status messages may be displayed even if the person is present.

They are often updated much more frequently than messages in answering machines, and thus may serve as a means of instant, limited "publication" or indirect communication.

Generally, the available status is denoted by a green dot, while the busy status is denoted by a red dot on most of the instant messengers.

In the XMPP protocol for instant messaging, the status of a user is signalled by an element called presence.