Scratch Warrhol

Its nine years later and this conversation just fixed a problem that has been driving me crazy. Thank you thank you!!

I am wondering how it is that some people know I am getting ready to type them an IM when I have not sent them one before, and have not finished typing and sent the message? All I've done is opened their IM window and started to type. It's disconcerting to me when I am forming my words to IM someone for the first time, usually for a question that has come up in roleplay or something - only to have the person IM me FIRST saying "What?" before I even finish/send the IM! Perhaps that is a bit rude on their part, but it's almost like they've done it just to say "HA ha, I know you're IMing me!" Personally, I never have any indication that someone is "getting-ready" to IM me, or has opened my IM chat window but not yet sent a message....how is it that these people know? Is there a setting in the viewer? I've been in SL for over 3 years, and this is something new in the last few months. I doesn't matter if I am in the vicinity of the person or on the other side of a sim....so no, I wasn't standing there staring at them.