Facebook IM launching soon

Filed under: Business, Design, Developer, Internet, E-mail, Web services, P2P, Social Software, Beta

Facebook IM launching soon

by Chris Gilmer Sep 26th 2007

Get ready for a whole new Facebook. Instant Messaging is getting set to find a home in the ever expanding, bulging at the seams social network.

Just when you thought that all that news about Facebook's valuation, the developer grants, and the possible Microsoft investment was enough to raise the roof on their worth, we hear news that the site is launching an IM client.. A new Facebook IM is set to go into Beta this Friday and will take on the likes of MSN, AIM, Google Talk, and Yahoo. We would imagine that this could not be used as a standalone application, and would work inline with Facebook profiles. Sam Sethi has received an early look at the beta, and enjoys the fact that there is no download or install necessary. But will it replace your standard IM?

With Yahoo! and MSN being somewhat locked down in their protocols, we are sure that things will change as the Facebook IM becomes the new in "instant messaging application". But for now, it looks like only chatting between Facebook friends is possible.

UPDATE: The Facebook IM application FriendVox, is rumored to be in development by a third party called Techlightenment, who specialize in Facebook application development.

Tags: aim, api, chat, developer, facebook, facebook-im, google-talk, grant, im, instant-message, msn, yahoo

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

keeves said 10:54AM on 9-26-2007

I hope this is a built-in feature to facebook, and not an application developed by some other company which would require everyone of your friends to also add before it could be of any use.

Chris Gilmer said 10:58AM on 9-26-2007

From the sounds of it, facebook friends are added automatically.

keeves said 11:29AM on 9-26-2007

MSN (or Windows Live) effectively have a monopoly of messaging in the UK and Yahoo messenger and AIM messenger dominating the US. There would have to be a good reasons for the millions of happy instant messaging users to switch over.

Having read more on this on other sites it appears to be a application that you would have to add, produced by a different company. Current on-line messaging services are a bit rubbish, and i suspect this will be a poor clone of these on-line services.

I anticipate that this application will not take off. It will probably be added to clutter up the profiles of people who currently have 40+ other useless apps on their page.

The most you'll probably ever hear of this again will be from those distant 'friends' (who your not sure you even know) who will try adding you to it every day, along with those other 'supper wall' applications and 'zombie' invitations.

If Facebook however were to release their own instant messaging ability that would be a completely different matter. I suspect a carefully built-in feature, ideally with a standerlone IM program to complement the on-line facility would take off, and could pose a serious challenge to current IM programs.

Anand said 11:34AM on 9-26-2007

I think an IM would have a negative effect on the way facebook works. One of the best things about facebook is the concept of the wall and leaving a message just for the sake of it. With an IM, it would take focus of the wall and profile and more conversations would happen behind closed doors. Just my opinion.

ToddZ said 12:01PM on 9-26-2007

Good grief, what is the point of this? As if people don't have enough IM options already? As if Facebook users don't have enough ways to communicate? I hope this doesn't take off. I hope I don't have to spend all my time with Facebook open. Wait, make that: I won't.

Randall said 12:57PM on 9-26-2007

The only reason this might take off is because everyone will have it. I remember back in middle school a few of my friends and I would talk using MSN messenger but since 90% of our school still had AOL internet everyone ended up switching over to AIM just so we could talk to our friends. Since all my friends have facebook, this might just work.

Jordan Running said 1:15PM on 9-26-2007

I think you do us a disservice, Chris, by not mentioning that this is not a feature being added to Facebook by Zuckerberg & Co., this is yet another application being developed by a third party, and has no affiliation with or support from Facebook, Inc.

ChrisR said 4:45PM on 9-26-2007

I think IM will be a perfect fit for Facebook.

I just wonder how people with hundreds or even thousands of friends will deal with the fact that they can be IM'd at any moment by all of those people.

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