Set alerts options

This article describes the Alerts options window, where you tell Lync what kinds of alerts you want to receive, and from whom.

Set the notification option for being added as a contact

By default, when someone adds you as a contact, Lync will add him or her to a running list of people you might consider adding to your own contacts list. At your convenience, you can review this list by clicking the New tab on the contacts view of the Lync main window. Look at the list of potential contacts, decide who to add to your own contacts list, and assign privacy relationships to those new contacts.

However, if you prefer, you can choose to automatically add to your contacts list anyone has added you as a contact. With this setting, you will never see contacts on the New list. Instead, the new contact is automatically added to your contacts list and is assigned the privacy relationship of colleague. To set the option to automatically add these contacts:

• Open the Alerts options window, and under the heading General alerts, clear the Tell me when someone adds me to his or her contact list check box.

Set Do Not Disturb options

If you are very busy, setting your status as Do Not Disturb is handy for reducing the number of interruptions you get. But you may still want to keep in touch with important contacts. You can make exceptions for contacts to whom you've assigned the Workgroup relationship (typically your closest coworkers).

Open the Alerts options window, and under the heading When my status is Do Not Disturb, select one of the following options:

• To hide all Lync alerts so that you cannot be interrupted when your status is set to Do Not Disturb, select Don't show alerts.

• To see only conversation requests from Workgroup members and hide all other alerts when your status is set to Do Not Disturb, select Show only conversation alerts from people in my Workgroup privacy relationship.

• To see all alerts, but limit conversation requests to those sent by Workgroup members when your status is set to Do Not Disturb, select Show all alerts, but only conversation alerts from people in my Workgroup privacy relationship.

Note:  If you have set your status to Do Not Disturb and you make a 911 call, your status automatically changes to Available. You can reset it at any time.

Set options for handling alerts from non-Lync contacts

Because contacts not using Lync are likely to be outside of your organization, you may want to set alerts for their communications differently from those originating from your coworkers and other Lync users. To do that, open the Alerts options window, and, under the heading Contacts not using Lync, select one of the following options:

• To block all alerts from non-Lync contacts, select Block all invites and communications.

• To receive invite alerts (notifications that you've been added to someone's contacts list) but block other communications from non-Lync users, select Allow invites but block all other communications.

• To see all communication alerts from non-Lync users, select Allow anyone to contact me.