Facebook poised to tackle AOL’s AIM

Since I first created an account, I have strongly believed Facebook was vastly superior to the other social networking giant that is MySpace.

However, now what I know is finally becoming public knowledge.

Facebook is more than a social networking site. It is a way of life that can serve nearly any social need.

This is evident because www.cnn.com posted a story Tuesday that said Facebook will soon be launching a new instant messaging system for Facebook users to enjoy.

The new attribute of Facebook is called “Facebook Chat,” and according to the article, it will be rivaling instant-messaging juggernaut America Online’s AIM for the title of No. 1 instant-messaging service.

MySpace has an instant-messaging system, but my experiences with it have been lackluster. It seems to rarely work.

Some could argue, then, that Facebook might be setting itself up for failure too, but look at the track record of Facebook.

It started out as a social networking site that only students could use, but then it was opened up to anyone with an e-mail address.

The folks at Facebook know how to do things right, and an instant messaging service produced by them is sure to please.

Of course, there are some details of “Facebook Chat” that some might say are negatives.

For example, a person can only instant message one person at a time, so you can’t get a tri-chat going to work on homework or make plans for the evening.

This is a bit lacking since you can send e-mail-esque messages to multiple people through a different feature, but there is no Facebook system that allows you to talk with someone in real-time.

Some people have complained about different Facebook features because either they didn’t want to be so inundated with information about their “friends” in the network or because they felt their online lives were too exposed and accessible for others to pry into.

Besides the obvious fact that people should realize that nearly everything on the Internet is accessible by the masses, Facebook is very reactive. Every time a mass complaint was made about any feature, Facebook took steps to remedy the situation, so if “Facebook Chat” is a little rough around the edges, Facebook will address the problems.

Personally, I live on Facebook. It is generally the first and last thing I log into when I sit down at my computer, and I have an application on my cell phone that allows me to constantly be plugged into my Facebook account so I can send and receive messages and status updates from anywhere I have a phone signal.

I am stoked Facebook is continuing to provide me and millions of others with valuable tools.

Conceivably, there will come a time when we can do everything via Facebook. We’ll be able to pay bills, order pizza, conduct money transfers, go shopping and much more simply by logging into the social networking site.

The possibilities are deliciously endless.

So put aside any complaints you might have and embrace the new wonder that Facebook is providing. Don’t get upset about a few more messages notifying you of friends who are using it and wanting you to use it as well.

It’s the Facebook revolution. Get on board or get out of the way.

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