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Facebook is tipped to unveil a messaging service that will let its community members instantly chat to each other as they ‘poke’, ‘bite’ or just plain old socialise online. Although the new software will not support multiple conversations, it will allow users to have text-based chats with anyone of the website’s 60million users. It will be free to use when Facebook includes the service as a feature on its main page in the next few weeks, according to launch details obtained by the Financial Times. Yet its release may hurt some of Facebook’s third-party software developers, who just last year were invited by the site to “help grow the Facebook applications ecosystem.” The Californian-based firm denied it was stepping on anybody’s turf, by telling the FT that users can remove any of its applications and replace them with a third-party or rival feature. Observers already pitch Facebook’s chat service against AOL, Microsoft, Google and Skype, currently the main IM offerings for members craving more human, seamless interaction. But the tool is not only a salvo against Search and VoIP players: the fact that user messages will be ‘instant’ suggests Facebook may be responding to micro-blogging site Twitter. Before its bid to extend further into social media, Facebook was yesterday doing a spot of house-keeping to keep its existing community content about their privacy. As part of a new privacy policy, users get a secure interface and a new privacy option on their friends list - to “control exactly who can see what,” Facebook said. It explained: “We are introducing privacy changes that work towards our goal of giving you the control you need in order to share information comfortably on Facebook.” The changes, and such a carefully-worded aim, come after Facebook unleashed a peer-based advertising programme that triggered community outrage for making members feel too exposed. Mar 20, 2008 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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