AOL letting AIM instant-messaging users chat with friends on Facebook’s chat

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AOL integrates Facebook chat with AIM

SAN FRANCISCO — Users of AOL’s main instant-messaging service can now chat directly with friends on Facebook.

AOL Inc. said Wednesday that a new version of the AIM software connects with the chat function on Facebook’s Web site, letting AIM users communicate with friends who are logged on to the social network.

The AIM user still needs a Facebook account, however, and it’s the Facebook persona rather than AIM’s that appears to the friend on Facebook.

Users who download the new AIM software and link it with their Facebook profile will see their AIM buddy list include online Facebook friends in a separate section.

New York-based AOL said it was making the changes as part of ongoing efforts to improve the user experience.

Excluding mobile, AIM has about 17 million users — a fraction of the more than 400 million on Facebook.

Before the rise of cell phones and social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, AIM was a pioneer in online social networking. Its instant-messaging service was one of just a few that made it easy for people to communicate instantly on the Web.

In an effort to keep users engaged on its platform more recently, AIM launched a “lifestreaming” feature last year that let users see friends’ latest posts on social sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

AIM also has had arrangements with other instant-messaging services, including Google Chat, which is incorporated into Google’s Gmail service and lets AIM users sign in to their accounts from the e-mail site.