Text has been part of the driving force behind the mobile phone revolution of the past ten or more years. Practically everyone does it now [and though she often invents her own abbreviations that are very difficult/impossible to decipher, even my mum is a manic texter]. Now, thanks to smartphones, there is a whole world of texting apps that offer a generally free and alternate environment to carrier-supplied SMS.
Most of the big name chat services such as Windows LIVE (which I will forever refer to as MSN), Gmail Chat, Yahoo! and myriad obscure services are all represented in some way. Even Google Plus has Huddles, which is essentially a chat service.
Now Facebook is weighing in on the chat thing with Facebook Messenger (FBM), a stand-alone app designed for text-based chat and sharing images. According to the official
FB blog, FBM is an extension of FB’s regular messaging system. In addition it appears that FBM will allow users to send texts to non-FB people by way of their phone number and email address, making FBM much like a noxious weed as it latches onto folks in your address book who don't yet use FB. I say "yet" because it's probably only a matter of time.
One day down the track, that person will join FB (probably involuntarily) and lo, Fb will say, "welcome, we've been expecting you."
FBM also allows you to talk to a group of friends... say you wanted to organise a group of them to start a riot—nothing new here, except that you can add your location to the conversation so that members of the group can find you. As mentioned, you can share photographs with your friends, to which they can add comments.
As each of the big players in the social media space jostle for mindshare and
text time, it seems that Facebook has found the perfect way to creep ahead. In effect, your friends will be forking over your most personal details whether or not you like it.
FBM is available for iPhone and Android (or at least it should be—at the time of writing I couldn’t find it in the Australian iTunes store).