Custom sound alerts for favorite iChat buddies

As a telecommuter, I rely on iChat each day for both professional and personal communications. I tend to tune out the constant barrage of sound alerts as buddies become available. However, I like to be aware when my manager or select buddies become available, so I enable a distinct sound alert for these individuals. Here’s how.

To enable a custom sound alert for an iChat buddy, Control+Click or Right Click a name on your Buddy List, then select Show Profile and choose the Alerts tab. Next, choose the Buddy Becomes Available option from the Event popup menu.

There are a dozen available Events you may choose from besides the Buddy Becomes Available, including Buddy Becomes Unavailable, Message Received, Chat Room Message Received, Message Sent, Text Invitation, Audio Invitation, Video Invitation, A/V Chat Started, A/V Chat Ended, Incoming File Transfer and File Transfer Completed.

After selecting the Event, check the Play Sound checkbox and choose a distinctive or custom sound.

Want a foghorn sound when your boss becomes available? Or maybe a happier sound when a family member or that special somone is available?

Then choose the Add/Remove menu option shown at the bottom of the Play Sound popup menu to add any custom sound you have stored in the Library/Sounds folder in your Home directory.