Wednesday, April 23, 2008
facebook chat
I just tried out the Facebook chat app. I'd been curious since it appeared yesterday, but I didn't want to foist my testing upon anyone. Luckily I didn't have to, because Rana apparently wanted to test it too...because she messaged me just a few minutes ago.
What I wanted to test was whether or not the in-browser/layered version of the app would still consider you active and online if the tab with Facebook wasn't the active tab. If my browser is up (meaning, if I am up...) I always have multiple tabs open and switch around a lot. I could imagine that would be annoying if Facebook considered the inactive tab as "offline."
Well, it doesn't. If you have a tab up with Facebook loaded, and you're working in another tab, and you get a message, the title of the tab changes (dare I say it blinks? because that is what it does...) and says "new message from [person]!"
It's very exciting.
Notes:
* I don't use the pop-out chat because I need another window open like I need a hole in the head.
* I don't know what happens if you have multiple chat sessions open in an inactive tab. Probably the title of the tab keeps blinking as appropriate.
* I'd like to have an optional sound notification.
* If the chat API is open too, I predict it will take approximately 3-5 days for chat skins and themes to become available for download...with embedded ads. I'm ok with that. Hell, I should do one up. You know, in my copious free time. Whatev. I just want a little ping sound when I have a new message.
If anyone wants to chat, feel free anytime my wee dot is green.
updated 4/24/08: according to the FB FAQs, the API isn't open (yet? ever?), so no skins in the future. Also, Amit Agarwal at Digital Inspiration (who I used to link to a ton at the old blog, and still read daily) has a post about putting the chat client in the sidebar of your browser. I won't do it because I already have Sage in my sidebar and I don't need something else. But it might be useful to some.
What I wanted to test was whether or not the in-browser/layered version of the app would still consider you active and online if the tab with Facebook wasn't the active tab. If my browser is up (meaning, if I am up...) I always have multiple tabs open and switch around a lot. I could imagine that would be annoying if Facebook considered the inactive tab as "offline."
Well, it doesn't. If you have a tab up with Facebook loaded, and you're working in another tab, and you get a message, the title of the tab changes (dare I say it blinks? because that is what it does...) and says "new message from [person]!"
It's very exciting.
Notes:
* I don't use the pop-out chat because I need another window open like I need a hole in the head.
* I don't know what happens if you have multiple chat sessions open in an inactive tab. Probably the title of the tab keeps blinking as appropriate.
* I'd like to have an optional sound notification.
* If the chat API is open too, I predict it will take approximately 3-5 days for chat skins and themes to become available for download...with embedded ads. I'm ok with that. Hell, I should do one up. You know, in my copious free time. Whatev. I just want a little ping sound when I have a new message.
If anyone wants to chat, feel free anytime my wee dot is green.
updated 4/24/08: according to the FB FAQs, the API isn't open (yet? ever?), so no skins in the future. Also, Amit Agarwal at Digital Inspiration (who I used to link to a ton at the old blog, and still read daily) has a post about putting the chat client in the sidebar of your browser. I won't do it because I already have Sage in my sidebar and I don't need something else. But it might be useful to some.
Labels: technical interlude