MSN Web Messenger Closing

On June 30, 2009 (yup, just a couple days away now) Microsoft has decided to put an end to MSN Web Messenger. The Web Messenger service has been around for years, and was an alternative for those who didn’t want to, or weren’t able to use the full instant messaging client. With the web-based integration of instant messaging right from the Windows Live People page in Hotmail (fondly called your “contact list”), you can now chat right from Hotmail.

Just sign into Hotmail, and you should see the familiar Messenger Icon towards the upper right hand side of the screen. Click on the drop down box to see the sign in options (shown above). For those, like myself who don’t use a Hotmail address for authentication, you do have access your contacts from your Windows Live People page with no problem whatsoever.

While it works great in IE and Firefox, I tried it on two different machines using Google Chrome and the Messenger option simply does not appear. On a fresh install of Chrome, after logging into my Live ID, I was prompted some pages might not display properly with the browser I was using So if you are a Google Chrome fan (like me) you may not be quite as impressed with this change.

Bottom line? MSN Web Messenger will be gone on Tuesday. If you want to access WLM on the web you’ll need to use the new Hotmail (or Live profile) option, or use a web based client such as Meebo or eBuddy.

Zoho Chat Adds Multi-protocol IM

In the world of software as a service (SAAS), Zoho provides serious competition to Google Apps. Zoho provides a rich suite of web-based apps, from document creation, spreadsheets, databases and even HR and accounting. And now, their web-based chat app Zoho Chat 2.0 adds features that make it a serious alternative to Meebo and eBuddy. 

Zoho Chat 2.0 is integrated with a range of Zoho products, but the most significant update is support for multi-protocol instant messaging. Now Zoho Chat supports AIM, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN (Windows Live Messenger), Google Talk and Jabber in addition to their own Zoho network. 

I tested the integration with Zoho Meeting, which allows multi-point desktop sharing, and it worked very well without any software downloads or special configuration. Zoho has also provided ways to embed Zoho Chat into your blog or website to chat with visitors or provide live customer support. 

While the multi-protocol IM support leads to obvious comparisons to Meebo and eBuddy, Zoho is clearly targeting SOHO and enterprise business. This could be a real plus for companies looking to plug IM functionality into an existing enterprise social network, wiki or blog without requiring them to built-from-scratch. It allows Zoho to establish a presence in a market where the other players seem more interested in the consumer or entertainment world. Will the strategy pay off? Only time will tell. But for now, web workers everywhere win. 

Useful Links

• Zoho Chat
• Zoho Chat 2.0 Launches with Multi-Protocol Support and More – Zoho Blog

Meebo Adds Facebook Chat

Several months ago, Meebo added an “unofficial” connection to Facebook chat. Backwards engineering Facebook’s chat system proved unstable, and it was later pulled. Well, after working through official channels with Facebook and their API, Meebo has officially added Facebook Chat integration once again.

Facebook chat integration requires that you have a Facebook account (of course) but allows you to connect and chat even when you’re not signed into the Facebook website.

With the addition of Facebook, Meebo now supports a total of ten IM networks:

• Meebo chat rooms
• AIM/AOL Instant Messenger
• Yahoo! Messenger
• MySpace
• Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger)
• Google Talk
• ICQ
• Jabber
• Flixter
• and now, Facebook

You can take it for a spin yourself at www.meebo.com.