Facebook Messenger for Web – MSN 2.0?
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Late last year, the much remembered chiming, bleeping social
hub known as MSN Messenger finally shuffled off this mortal coil to join the
choir irrelevant. It made sense, with web-messaging on mobile platforms, Skype
and Facebook’s easy to use messaging system, there was no real need for another
separate program for online messaging anymore, the times have changed, as Bob
Dylan would say if he decided to write that song again.
As of Wednesday though, the ever-innovative eggheads over at
Facebook launched another independent version of the messenger app, this time for
desktop browsers. It works more or less the same way as the mobile one does,
the only real difference being that it’s spread across a wider canvas. The
guiding principle behind it seems to be that you should be able to use the
messaging service without being distracted by the rest of the site.
The thing is, we already have that. With the advent of
heightened online connectivity on mobile platforms, WhatsApp, Skype, Snapchat
and all the other modes of communication that aren’t handcuffed to a social
network as Messenger is, nobody was really clamouring for a standalone iteration
of it. It seems to me that Facebook are doing this because they want to
dominate that market as well, they want to be the new MSN.
The thing is though, do we really need a new MSN? It shut
down because nobody was using it anymore and while, granted, a lot of people
stopped using it right around the time that Facebook introduced a messaging
function, it also had a lot to do with the idea of a dedicated messaging
program (or ever page) being hopelessly out of date.
‘But Callum you silver-haired fool!’ I hear you sputter ‘Skype
is a dedicated messaging platform and it’s still used all over the world!’ Well
yes, but it’s a video calling/conference calling platform first and a messaging
platform second. MSN came about in a time when sending short, rapid-fire,
conversational messages online instead of emailing was pretty revolutionary,
now it’s just standard practise.
More to the point, if we’re in a situation where we want to
avoid being distracted by Facebook, the messaging portion of it probably also
falls under that umbrella. More to the point, if you do actually have to look
at a Facebook message but are so easily distracted by the home page that you
dare not go anywhere near it, you probably ought to be re-evaluating your life
in a much broader context.
I could be wrong, everyone could embrace the new browser
version and before long a fully-fledged program could be unveiled with so many
emojis that they will actually have to invent new facial expressions to warrant
them. The dedicated messenger program could be on the verge of a second-coming,
you’ll have to let me know, I’ll be busy going outside and doing things whilst
my WhatsApp takes care of all that.
Callum Davies
Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF
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Facebook Messenger for Web – MSN 2.0?
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Friday, April 10, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Friday, April 10, 2015
Rating:
Unknown
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