Facebook Chat is Here, Ridiculous
April 21st, 2008
Facebook‘s chat feature launched today. In my opinion, we all have PLENTY of chat and conversation options separate from Facebook and this new feature is just redundant. I already have AIM/iChat, GChat/GTalk, ooVoo, Skype, Twitter and SMS that enable me to have real-time conversations with my friends. Facebook was never about that for me. It’s a place to store and share information–including the contact information I choose to display for the conversation-enablers mentioned above. I won’t say that I’ll never use this new Facebook chat feature, but I maintain that it’s ridiculous and unnecessary.
Below is my reaction. What’s yours?
13 Responses to “Facebook Chat is Here, Ridiculous”
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I agree, we already have way too many chatting choices, most of which I’m signed up for and still don’t use. Facebook would have been much better off integrating an existing service as opposed to creating a new one.
I agree. But I like Facebook being the stem from which all the conversation connections can flower. I don’t want to chat ON fb, period. For me, it’s about maintaining a profile and posting information, not about talking inside your browser. I have enough things competing to waste my time and command my attention. No more time sucks, please.
I’m with you–it’s redundant. In addition, other services have that trusty chat logging feature (I log all chats, not because I need everything on the record, but *sometimes* I have to go back in time and refer to something said or linked in a chat). If Fbook had a logging feature, I def wouldn’t trust it. They know enough about me already. I think the feature was an attempt at stealing yet another fbook application (Social.IM) idea and making it a staple with the site. Granted, I have used it over the past few days to talk to people I don’t talk to on IM….but I wasn’t trying to have any deep or long convos with these people. A simple, “hi, look the chat works,” convo was what we discussed, at best.
I disagree Ms. Honeycomb.
Most peeps also have a photo sharing tool that they love (Flickr) but that hasn’t stopped them from uploading pics to their Facebook account.
And since you can’t export your Facebook friend emails (Scoble tried and get booted temporarily), I doubt most people have every Facebook friend loaded into their AIM or Gtalk or whatever accounts.
Facebook would be foolish not to create a chat client.
Tim
ps – Have you tried it? It’s actually pretty darn slick.
Hollywood-
Maybe it’s because I don’t *want* to chat with the majority of the 1,000+ friends I have stored on there. And it’s fine to have a few different chat platforms or photo platforms, etc. It’s good to have plenty of options. But for me, Facebook is a catch-all friend storage place. The chat feature has too high a distraction potential and I don’t really want all the random people I’m connected to on Facebook to be able to just talk me up whenever they want. It’s like, too many dudes now think they have quick access to say “hey baby ur hot” and I don’t want and didn’t choose for that crap to disrupt what I’m actually using Facebook for. I personally just like my chatting to be separate from my profile, on my own terms, with only the people I choose to add to a list. To each his (or her) own.
Facebook is like an archive. Twitter, Gtalk, ooVoo – THAT’S where it’s happening.
When I first saw this I thought it was ridiculous. I wouldn’t quite say redundant so much as Facebook’s first blatantly “wrong” move. They have done a great job with finding out of the box bells and whistles to keep the interest level up. I completely understand the thought process here, implementing a chat engine is actually quite simply and if it even keeps people on Facebook for 10 more minutes they did their job. This is a win win for them on the surface and frankly could be much bigger than we even realize. I can reach a lot more people on Facebook then I can on AIM. Simply put, I don’t know everyone’s IM name, but now that alleviates that problem. It’s a great idea, but what they don’t realize… is that part of the enjoyment of Facebook, is taking things at your own leisure and NOT speaking to people right now. Kind of like when you just want to reach someone’s answering machine…
I wouldn’t use it as my main chat platform.. but if I am on Facebook.. and someone I’d like to talk too is logged in. Then I would use it.
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