It seems a little flimsy especially after using Meebo which feels a bit more robust.
If you log into Facebook this morning you’ll see a new bar all along the bottom, a bit like the status bar on your browser and over on the right of it you’ll see something like this:
When you click on it you’ll see all your friends who are online and you can chat to them by clicking on their name. Just like MSN or AIM or Meebo. Nothing new at all to IM but it might get those who don’t use existing IM services to start using this to chat to each other. Another piece of stickiness on the Facebook Venus Flytrap. This is what a chat window looks like. I hope Brian Mc doesn’t mind his chat shown here:
One feature I do like is the Newsfeed updates show up in the chat too. That’s pretty viral.
So handy for those that don’t have IM and I’m sure just like Facebook Mail, they have plans to allow you access your other IM services soon.
Very handy to catch someone as they’re online, but adds another IM network to the huge list that I already use.
I wonder how long it will take an app (like Pidgin) to integrate it.
If all your friends were online at the same time and all wanted to chat?
Was wondering what that was alright! Things are changing so quickly – the new Gmail insert link, the stuff with Twitter and now this, it’s damn hard to keep up all the time!
GMail chat was the thing to get most of my friends into IM’ing, I don’t know how much of them would go for another but its in a similar vein, getting people who wouldn’t voluntarily go for AIM or MSN to chat.
Bloody thing doesn’t work for me – Browser not supported. I’m using Firefox [Minefield] and it wants me to download Firefox!
I’m not leaving a browser window open just for IM. But I imagine there’ll be a plugin for Pidgin any week now…
i’d use it if meebo integrated but otherwise it’s not relieving my facebook fatigue.
Does anyone use the Facebook toolbar? Does it integrate with that at all?
I have a lot of friends who either wouldn’t use IM (not online much/don’t know how/aren’t bothered) or people who I don’t have IM addresses for. For that – tapping your existing network of friends and acquaintances, it’s good. Beyond that, it’s just one more IM client. How long ’til integration with multi-platform clients? That’s when I’ll become a real fan!
It’s okay, but a tad unnecessary and intrusive. If I wanted to sign into a message service I would, now by leaving facebook open on my browser people can message me and i can’t really ignore them.
You can mark yourself as offline in it and you won’t be bothered.
ah okay, am very bad at reading directions.
The Angry Hedgehog: Facebook Chat and IE 6
bring on the pidgin plugin …. please!!!
Pidgin, Adium and Digsby now support FB Chat.