Excessive Chat Log - Too Many Pages

[Darnell 8,478]

I just printed my Skype chat log to a file and found out it is 1,650 pages !!! Holy #######. With emails, this is going to be 150 lbs of paper requring a small suitcase. What did everyone else do ? I am sure we are not alone in this overwhelming amount of chat log evidence.

how to pare?

assuming you won't pare it back, for any reason -

go get a duplex printer, install the printer drivers, print to 4 pages per side (giving 8 pages per sheet of paper).

[NoneYa 73]

@Darnell... thanks. I have a duplex printer and will attempt that.

[NoneYa 73]

I have to ask... Did you *really* print the chat log before counting the 1,650 pages?

No, I did not print it to paper. I printed it to a file and at the end, it displays the amount of pages it would generate. I am afraid if I sent that much to my printer it will burn it out.

[Darnell 8,478]

@Darnell... thanks. I have a duplex printer and will attempt that.

if you muck about with margins, you'll gave a bit more 'words per page' as well.

if all was printed to a text file - hey - dig around for vern buerg's '4print.com' ... ya, it's a dos program, and works swimmingly well. I especially like the little footers where it lists the file name, page x of y, date of file, date printed.

[NoneYa 73]

@Darnell- DOS is easy to me but it won't play with this 64 bit Windows 8 machine I am using...

but for someone running 32 bit, I'll include the link to so they can try it.

http://archives.scovetta.com/pub/fehq/DOSUtils/00_index.htm

[Brian121957 43]

I just printed my Skype chat log to a file and found out it is 1,650 pages !!! Holy #######. With emails, this is going to be 150 lbs of paper requring a small suitcase. What did everyone else do ? I am sure we are not alone in this overwhelming amount of chat log evidence.

My gmail chat logs were the same kind of problem.

1st,,I converted them to .pdf files so they could be sent as email and printed in the Philippines.

2nd,, I printed them 2 pages on one surface of paper. Text is 1/2 size but still readable if you really want to. And last is you find a good print shop that can print front and back. you get a 4 to 1 reduction total.

My yahoo chat logs could be exported to a spread sheet program (Excel). In excel I could limit each message to just print the first line, about 30 characters, not the entire 200+. That reduced the logs to about 15% of its full size. When you read them you can't really follow a conversation but you still see all of the time stamps so you can see when and how long we chatted.

[Enigma11561 336]

People. Think about this for a minute. I am a CO who has to process 20-30 visa applicants today. You come with boxes of skype chat logs. I will look at you like you are crazy. I am not going to go through all that to ensure you have a bona fide relationship. That proof is on you. I gonna tell you to take seat, help someone else, while you go through that mess to find maybe a half dozen pages, over some months, where you both profess your love for each other.

I have also heard that some times the chat logs are not so important as the content of the conversation. Printing a few conversations over a few months where you are actively talking about a life together , in my opinion, is worth more than a printout that only shows you two were on line together. Heck, you could have been talking for hours on how to grow vegetables.

[Brian121957 43]

My gmail chat logs were the same kind of problem.

1st,,I converted them to .pdf files so they could be sent as email and printed in the Philippines.

2nd,, I printed them 2 pages on one surface of paper. Text is 1/2 size but still readable if you really want to. And last is you find a good print shop that can print front and back. you get a 4 to 1 reduction total.

My yahoo chat logs could be exported to a spread sheet program (Excel). In excel I could limit each message to just print the first line, about 30 characters, not the entire 200+. That reduced the logs to about 15% of its full size. When you read them you can't really follow a conversation but you still see all of the time stamps so you can see when and how long we chatted.

Oh.. but I forgot to mention that unless there is some other problems I think the Philippines is one of the easier interviews. They only asked a few questions, less then 10 mins and did not ask to see any logs or bank records. I think the only real question that mattered was the one the CO asked my fiancées 9 year old daughter. "Do you like your new dad?". I tried to have chats or video conversations with her daughter when ever possible. Its important to build a relationship with all the family members not just your fiancée.

[Robert&Karen 264]

We selected "print to file" and put it on a CD.

[NoneYa 73]

Well, I spoke with someone last night that just got approved and they told me they took 1 email per week with them and that is all. They didn't even look at it. They told me they were mostly interested in the financials. I am going to do something similar... but I will have it from mulitiple sources. I understand that bringing too much paper might be a bad thing. I hope to get it down to a reasonble 75-100 pages which are skimable.

[Tahoma 2,292]

People. Think about this for a minute. I am a CO in Manila who has to process 20-30 100-150 visa applicants today. You come with boxes of skype chat logs. I will look at you like you are crazy. I am not going to go through all that to ensure you have a bona fide relationship. That proof is on you. I gonna tell you to take seat, help someone else, while you go through that mess to find maybe a half dozen pages, over some months, where you both profess your love for each other.

I have also heard that some times the chat logs are not so important as the content of the conversation. Printing a few conversations over a few months where you are actively talking about a life together , in my opinion, is worth more than a printout that only shows you two were on line together. Heck, you could have been talking for hours on how to grow vegetables.

Good post.

[Darnell 8,478]

We selected "print to file" and put it on a CD.

Which you can't bring in to the Immigrant Visa unit at at US Embassy in the world.

It's not allowed.

Would you include it in yer packet, your casefile?

[pepper 34]

We did not send chat logs/emails at the initial filing. Then i just brought about 5 pages of chat logs at the interview. CO did not even ask for it. I know its better to be prepared but you dont have to overdo it. Goodluck!

[usaeagle 1]

My Fiancee had an interview on Dec 1st and it went well. We opted to not print any chat logs as like most of you, it would be way too many pages to print. We had enough phone records (200 pages over a period of 1 year), screen shots of us talking on skype and gift recipts. The person who interviewed her did not even bother to check the phone records at all and did not ask her anything about chat records.

Edited December 13, 2011 by usaeagle

[dwheels76 5,468]

Skype huh. Man wished I had know years ago when this courtship started I would need every conversation logged and such. I have had landlines (at least I have those bills) but mostly cell phones. The cell phone company wants $25 for every month you are requesting. My husbands cell phone company wants $50 for every month. And its only a phone long not any texting. Guess you have to get a court order for that stuff.

And I was using alot of those disposable calling cards not the cards you have accounts. Live and learn. I just hope we have so much overwhelming evidence that phone records for every dang day won't matter. Heck I too have 750 pages of facebopok emails, 350 pages of hotmail and yahoo email. The log alone for facebook was 43 pages, Hotmail 27 pages. I so love the way Yahoo puts IM's and emails all together they really have it together over there.

Anyway keep us posted how it goes with CO. I bet they don't even look at all your efforts.