If Google is going social with Google Buzz, Facebook’s chat facility is going towards that feature too, in a more subtle way. The Official Facebook Blog just announced that Facebook chat now integrates with various popular IM clients, including AOL’s.

What this simply means is that you can now stay connected with your Facebook friends through chat, even if you navigate away from Facebook.com.  In fact, you don’t even have to stay logged in to Facebook just to chat with your Facebook buddies. Chat messages can now be sent to your desktop IM client. This new feature will also let you control how and where you chat with your friends. You can also select  which of your online friends you would like to appear online by adjusting some settings on your Friend Lists.

This new feature uses Jabber XMPP, which is actually an open messaging protocol supported by most IM platforms. Some of these IM clients include – iChat, Pidgin, Adium, Miranda and more. So, if you’re using any of those IM clients, you can now start chatting with your Facebook friends using any of the said IM facility.

To connect Facebook chat with your existing IM clients, click on the “Connect your IM” link on this site tour, select your IM client and follow the instructions for setting up your account. Then, enjoy chatting with your Facebook friends while you surf the web, just like your ordinary desktop chat facility.

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