Users of AOL’s main instant-messaging service can now chat directly with friends on Facebook.
p
AOL Inc. said Wednesday that a new version of the AIM software connects with the chat function on Facebook’s Web site, letting AIM users communicate with friends who are logged on to the social network.
p
The AIM user still needs a Facebook account, however, and it’s the Facebook persona rather than AIM’s that appears to the friend on Facebook.
p
Users who download the new AIM software and link it with their Facebook profile will see their AIM buddy list include online Facebook friends in a separate section.
p
New York-based AOL said it was making the changes as part of ongoing efforts to improve the user experience.
p
Excluding mobile, AIM has about 17 million users — a fraction of the more than 400 million on Facebook.
p
Before the rise of cell phones and social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, AIM was a pioneer in online social networking. Its instant-messaging service was one of just a few that made it easy for people to communicate instantly on the Web.
p
In an effort to keep users engaged on its platform more recently, AIM launched a lifestreaming feature last year that let users see friends’ latest posts on social sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
p
AIM also has had arrangements with other instant-messaging services, including Google Chat, which is incorporated into Google’s Gmail service and lets AIM users sign in to their accounts from the e-mail site.