Facebook introduced yet another feature last week to aid its users in spending hours at a time on the social networking Web site.
Facebook Chat will allow users to have real-time conversations, either in a separate window or on the bottom of the page.
Users can click the “Online Friends” button to see which friends are available for a chat. Users can choose to appear offline.
Facebook Chat is the Web site’s only official instant messaging system, and it will automatically appear on Facebook members’ profiles.
Katie Hammond, a freshman in elementary education, doesn’t use an instant messenger now, but she said she may use Facebook’s version.
“It would be more convenient than getting on a whole different messaging system since you’re already on Facebook,” Hammond said. “So I guess I would use it. I used to use MSN Messenger, and I think I would use it more than I used MSN.”
Bryan Caldwell, a sophomore in civil engineering, had some criticism for Facebook’s new instant messaging feature.
“Well it’s cool in a way, but its kind of defeating the purpose of Facebook, because now you won’t leave comments on people’s walls,” Caldwell said.
He said he believes Facebook’s introduction of Facebook Chat is an attempt to attract younger users, especially the middle school and high school MySpace crowd.
“Since now everyone can get Facebook, Facebook is probably trying to branch out to younger kids, because MySpace is starting to get a little trashy,” Caldwell said.
He also said the feature may further increase security concerns for the Web site since the program will not allow Facebook users to block people on their friends lists from chatting with them.
“That’s just another way people can stalk you,” Caldwell said.
Meghan Davis, a sophomore in secondary math education, said she has mixed feelings about Facebook Chat.
“I would probably use it, and I would probably talk to a lot more people than I normally would,” Davis said. “I remember AIM, and I just talked to a bunch of random people. On the other hand, I’m kind of like, that sort of defeats the purpose of Facebook. But I think it would be fun for a while because people would talk to a lot more people.”
Davis said although the feature will allow friends communicate more casually, she thinks the Web site is trying to attract younger users and forgetting about its older members.
“Younger people are going to like it,” Davis said. “Every day, Facebook is turning more into MySpace. I liked it better when it was just for college students.”