Windows 7: Windows Live Messenger will not Add Gmail Contacts

I recently decided to fully make the switch from Hotmail (Windows Live Mail) to Gmail.

I could sign up for a NetPassport just fine with my Gmail account. However, when I added contacts on WLM, nobody received any of the requests. I tried adding my @hotmail and I received nothing.

They appear on my contact list as offline and when somebody (who has an @hotmail or @live) address adds me, they show as online. There is no notification that somebody new has added me, so it's evident that they are being added to my WLM contacts list, and I theirs, but no notifications are being received.

However, when somebody with an @gmail address tries to add me, they still appear as offline - as though they never added me.



I've pretty much concluded that there's something going on with Gmail and Windows Live Messenger, but I'm wondering if there is a fix for this. I would really love to completely give up Hotmail completely, but if I completely add those with @gmail addresses, then this may not be a possibility.

Nobody I know with a Gmail has had this problem in the past.