Facebook Messenger for Firefox users
As a means of integrating social into Firefox users’ experience, Facebook Messenger has launched as part of the browser, built on a new Social API for the web, and because roughly 20 percent of all time spent online is on social networks, Firefox has sought to organically make that a part of their browser. Users need to update to the latest Firefox, then click “Turn On” on the Facebook Messenger for Firefox Page, and Facebook chat and updates pop up right in the sidebar of Firefox.
Here’s how it works:
[pl_video type=”youtube” id=”pSGoS8VkOFE”]
Marrying social with browsing
As shown in the video above, when the feature is enabled, you’ll get a social sidebar which includes Facebook updates and chat, and you can like new comments, tag photos, and get notifications for messages, friend requests and more, turning Firefox into a little Facebooking machine.
The company says the integration is the beginning of making the browser more social, adding that more support for other features and multiple providers is on the way.
“Mozilla is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the Web,” the company said in a statement, “and we can’t wait to see what cool Web experiences developers will build on our Social API. We want to build a social standard for the Web to give developers more opportunities and users more choice, much like we did with our work on OpenSearch. Imagine using the Firefox sidebar, toolbar buttons and even an AwesomeBar button for news, music, finances, email, group projects and more.”
When users do not wish to be available, Facebook Messenger can be disabled altogether, or simply “hide” the sidebar which will put it away and stop notifications so you can focus.
Marti Trewe reports on business and technology news, chasing his passion for helping entrepreneurs and small businesses to stay well informed in the fast paced 140-character world. Marti rarely sleeps and thrives on reader news tips, especially about startups and big moves in leadership.
