chat

Have you noticed anything different about Facebook? Yesterday when I was checking out my profile, a new chat pop up appeared showing me all of my groups of friends. I didn't think much of it and then I realized — new filter functionality in chat — yippee! Facebook has already improved friend organization with their Friends list feature, and now you can control which groups of friends see you online.

Now you can check off certain lists you want to include in the chat pane so you can be online and chat with close friends, and your work colleagues won't know you're available to chat. You can also create new lists by selecting the "Friend Lists" menu on the Chat pane, then enter the name, and drag whoever you want to be included in that list. And if you don't want to appear online to anyone, you can turn off the green switch beside a particular Friend list (they will not be able to see if you are online), or just choose Options and go offline altogether.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get lost when I'm forced to log in and tab through my multiple email accounts and instant messenger clients — all while trying to keep up on my Myspace and Facebook pages (not to mention Twitter that's a full time job in itself) throughout the day. What can I say, I'm addicted to staying connected!

So imagine my utter relief when I found Digsby — a life saving application that gathers up all those different accounts, and keeps them neatly in one convenient spot. No more expose-ing to find the right open window, browser tabbing, or multiple chat alerts to sift through. To find out why I heart Digsby right now, just read more

If you prefer using Adium as your all-in-one messaging application, you'll be happy to hear that there is now a plug-in that integrates video and audio chat into this IM client. The freeware MeBeam plug-in lets you start chatting with you contacts immediately by video when you click "Initiate MeBeam Videochat." According to lifehacker, Adium will create a web-based chatroom and send the URL to your contacts, who don't need the plug-in themselves. Not the greatest quality since it's still fairly new, but you can have up to fifteen people in a multiuser videochat, which is really neat.

For those of you who are eagerly anticipating the release of Trillian for Macs, Cerulean Studios has just announced that it is in the process of developing a Mac OS X port for its software. Discussed on Mashable, Trillian for Macs will include all the features from the Windows, Flash and iPhone versions— allowing a user to load one program for multiple IM chat clients. So for those of you who want a change from Adium, Trillian may be your answer. Trillian for Macs is set to be released in the upcoming months when the user interface improves. Do you know a great shortcut or tip you think geeksugar readers should know? Share it in our 'How To' Help - Guide To All Things Geeky group, read more

If you like accessing all your IM clients with meebo, imo.im is a new instant messaging tool that you can use to link your accounts as well as start chat groups.

It's especially good for Google users since Gtalk doesn't offer group chat functionality. Still in Alpha phase, don't expect imo to have a bunch of mind-blowing features just yet, although the company promises some in due time. via mashable

Last week I showcased some great IM chat clients made specifically for the iPhone. Well, now I can add Meebo to the list because they've just announced a new and improved version for the iPhone. Discussed on CrunchGear, you can now have all your IM accounts and buddies from AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ or Jabber in one place. No download is required to get started. Just log into your Meebo account and you're instantly connected. This IM client is guaranteed to load much quicker on both WiFi and Edge networks than previous versions. Such a great way to save money on long distance calls!

With so many bells and whistles on my new iPhone, I'm still learning the ropes of various applications, including chat. Unfortunately the built-in iPhoneChat client isn't the greatest to say the least. It can only handle ten minute chat sessions, has interface glitches, software issues and sadly only supports AIM. Consequently, I was curious to see what else I could use to make my chat experience more pleasurable. I've provided some suggestions below which I've found to be the best iPhone IM clients.

• JiveTalk: JiveTalk by beejive is a beautiful IM program for the iPhone that looks similar to iChat (with the pretty bubbles), is very fast and supports AIM, MSN, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, ICQ and Jabber.
• FlickIM: This chat program, specifically designed for the iPhone, allows you to send YouTube videos and Apple movie trailers over chat. FlickIM can load on the Edge Network in four seconds, whereas other chat programs like Meebo take 20. Probably because it only supports AOL’s AIM, whereas Meebo integrates many clients at once.

via electro^plankton

Clear your schedule for this afternoon, because MAC is hosting a chat with Viva Glam spokeswoman Eve and her makeup artist, JJ. JJ's the makeup genius who used MAC's C-Shock collection on Eve in her video for "Tambourine." MAC's site provides a listing of the products used on Eve, so this is your chance to ask JJ exactly how she worked her magic! The chat is happening between 5–6pm EST, but it opens up for questions at 4:30pm. Head to MAC to "talk" with Eve and JJ, and let me know if you've played around with any of the C-Shock colors!