Security Standalone
Can you shut off auto login to messenger in email?
I prefer to keep the standalone messenger for my IMing habits. The security settings, interface, etc are all better.
What you need to do is locate where the chat is in Yahoo! Mail and where the status message is sign out of it which will make you Offline for chat.
1. For Yahoo! Classic Mail chat: it is located in a blue box on the left, labeled “Chat & Mobile Text,” just change your status to Sign out of chat which will make you offline.
2. In the All-New Yahoo! Mail you sign out of chat at the very top of the page to the right of where it says "Hi, your name" You will see a drop down arrow click and choose "Sign out of chat." Your status in for chat in Yahoo! Mail will change to offline and chat will be disabled. http://help.yahoo.com/tutorials/cg/mail/cg_chat6.html