![]() Not to mention the ability to combine your other instant message services like AIM, MSN/Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and Gtalk. Digsby will not only let you chat using Facebook IM, but can show notifications of all your news feed entries, alerts, and Friend requests. It even offer shortcuts for some things that you maybe wouldn't expect, like opening About or sending feedback.įor a richer Facebook-without-the browser experience, I recommend my IM Editors' Choice, Digsby, over Chit Chat for Facebook. The app also offers a slew of keyboard shortcuts for things like minimizing windows, loading your home page, writing on a user's wall, sending mail, private messaging. Of course, if the people you're chatting with are using the Facebook site, they won't see these enhancements. Another way in which Chit Chat surpasses Facebook's chat is by letting you change the text font, size, and color. I do wish, however, that, like Disgby or Trillian, Chit Chat could sort by Friends with whom you've had the most chat activity. You can also save the chat window's size, and sort by most recent login. One way Chit Chat definitely beats Facebook's own instant messaging is that it can remember and show your previous messages. So it's pretty much all of Facebook's communication without any of its pictures or video. You can even make posts to their wall or private messages from the chat window. The tabs actually look more like buttons, but they get the job done, indicating whether Friends are on- or offline. For one, you get a tabbed chat window, and you also receive notifications when Friends come online. There are, however, some benefits to using a separate Facebook chat app. And the fact that Chit Chat doesn't support the new multiparty Facebook Group chat-just the one-Friend-at-a-time IM-will turn off aficionados of the new Groups feature. Neither of these really merits installing and running a separate app to interact with Facebook. You can also add music status updates, though these are probably more intrusive to your Facebook friends than the similar features in Windows Live Messenger, AIM, and Digsby are. ![]() In addition to starting chats with your friends from your buddy list, you can update your status from the buddy list window. ![]() The window adheres to Windows 7's Aero shake effect but not snap, which makes sense, as you probably wouldn't want it to take up half the screen. Happily, you can turn this off in Settings.Ĭhit Chat looks like a somewhat less slick version of Windows Live Messenger the font for contacts is very small, and the window doesn't snap to the side of the screen the way Trillian and Disgby can. One thing that may not be immediately apparent is that, when you do so, Chit Chat puts an entry in your Facebook profile saying that you've signed in with it, as a promotion tool. ![]() Other than opting out of these, you just launch the app and sign in with your Facebook e-mail and password to get going. In addition, Chit Chat tries to get you to sign up for a market research program to earn its keep. I'm not a fan of apps that try to piggyback downloads of other apps but I suppose free programs need to pay for themselves some way. But if all you're interested in is Facebook IM-notably not the multiparty chat in the new Facebook Groups-Chit Chat for Facebook is a worthy option. Other IM clients like Windows Live Messenger and Digsby can already handle Facebook's chat (in addition to interoperating with more traditional AIM, MSN, and Yahoo Messenger systems). Instant messaging is a great opportunity: it's not strong suit, and it's fair game for third-party alternatives. With 500 million Facebook users, it's understandable that other software companies would want to get in on the action however possible. ![]()
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