Facebook IM Client Coming This Week?

Until today, I had heard nothing about an instant messaging client for Facebook being in the works. But, apparently that may be the case.

In news that is not just new to me, Sam Sethi of blognation UK has stated today that he has “just been given a sneek preview of a new Facebook IM client that is going into beta this Friday.”

If this is true, is it really created by Facebook developers (as opposed to being a third party app), and could it really be a threat to the proprietary offerings of Yahoo!, Microsoft and AOL?

Judging from the screenshot below (from blognation), the client does not appear to be directly developed by Facebook, as there is a “friendvox” logo at the head of the page and the Facebook logo only present within the content. It does not appear to be a Facebook app, although the article calls it both a client and an app. My searches for “friendvox” came up empty-handed, all of which left me completely puzzled.

Mr. Sethi's description of the upcoming IM client makes it sound like a major contender, saying “there is nothing to download or install, no registration and best of all, all of your friends in Facebook can use it instantly.” He goes on further to suggest that Yahoo! and MSN reconsider the proprietary standard of their respective instant messaging clients.

“I was told by a senior Yahoo! executive last year that they would never make Yahoo! IM an open protocol because it was not in their interest. They had already partnered with MSN and so why would they want to ever open the door to Google or other XMPP clients. Well if this IM application does take off, as I expect, then Yahoo! and MSN may have to reconsider their closed proprietary positions.”

Even though Facebook is the 2nd biggest social network, could an IM client for its users really challenge the instant messaging heavyweights. MySpace, the largest social network, already offers an instant messaging application, and although it is widely used, it is not the most popular.

“Where Facebook has the advantage is that there are absolutely no barriers to entry for the demographic that most commonly uses messaging systems (High School and College students),” says Steve Spalding of How To Split An Atom, mentioning possible strong points for Facebook, if this is indeed their development. “Instead of having to open up an external client like AIM, bored students can wile away the hours while still being able to surf Facebook profiles.” Even GTalk, Google's offering, requires a Gmail account, which may turn some people away.

I guess we will have to wait until Friday to get the official word. For now, I have discovered that two apps, Instant Messaging and Palaver, are already available to allow Facebook users to communicate instantly.