Add Facebook chat to OS X Messages

Facebook chat settings

3D men chattingThe built-in OS X Messages app really is a powerful communication tool, handy for staying in touch with friends and family across a range of chat type technologies.

By default the application supports connecting to:

  1. AIM
  2. Google Talk
  3. Jabber
  4. Yahoo Chat

A lesser known fact is that Facebook chat is actually based on the Jabber platform, which means you can connect to and use the service using nothing but the OS X Messages app.

To add your Facebook chat account to the Messages app:

  1. launch it from your applications folder or spotlight,
  2. Click on the ‘Messages’ menu bar option and then click preferences or CMD and , on your keyboard
  3. Click on the ‘Accounts’ tab, and then click the + symbol at the bottom of the screen
  4. Enter the details as per the screenshot below, replacing the stars with your Facebook profile name and your Facebook account password.
    Facebook chat settings
  5. Then click the Create button.

You should now find you will have an extra list of ‘friends’ showing on your screen. This window is actually named ‘Buddies’ and has lists of contacts from networks outside of the iMessage network.

To start a chat with someone on the Jabber network, simply double-click on their name, or type it in as you would a normal iMessage.

The Messages app comes bundled with OS X Snow Leopard and isn’t available in older versions of OS X.

 

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Facebook 10.0 for iPhone released

In an unexpected twist from Zuckerbergs illogical timeline sorting, the latest release of the Facebook app for iOS features a new setting… One that 99.98% of Facebook iOS users have been crying out for!

You can now actually sort your feed by most recent posts! Who’d have thought it.. Finally you don’t have to see what Facebooks algorithm thinks you want to see.

All be it slightly hidden away, under the right hand side menu system, and not at the top of the screen like in past app updates.

Facebook Settings

Stay tuned for a more in-depth review of the Facebook app and it’s updated features.

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How to enable Facebook Timeline – NOW

Facebook have recently released news about the whole new ‘Timeline‘ feature. Which will change the entire look and feel of Facebook profiles. Providing something no other social network does, (yet – no doubt they will soon do) the ability to scan back in time along a ‘timeline’ using a slider. Sliding the slider back in time highlights updates/actions which happened on your profile at the time selected.

One of the main benefits of the time line feature, is it will finally give users the ability to move away from the stale, boring, conforming and standardised profile.

However, as this is ‘bleeding edge’ the Timeline facility is currently locked down to developers only. If you are itching to get your hands on it, and see how your profile will look at the time of launch – you can enable the Timeline feature right now, by following the easy steps laid out in Techcrunchs’ Post

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How To: Disable Facebook Chat

In a recent block post, I promoted Safari Add-in AdBlock, and it’s ability to rid your browsing experience of those annoying in page adverts.

Now I have taken this a step further, and using one of AdBlock’s manual filters I have now managed to completely remove the Facebook Chat applet completely. I am not a fan of Facebook chat, and it’s complete unreliability. Because of this I am always set to ‘offline’ mode. Which makes the button a waste of screen real estate.

You too can hide the button, simply by adding the manual filter below into AdBlock settings.

  1. Launch Safari
  2. Click on the Safari menu option
  3. Click Preferences
  4. Click on the Extensions tab
  5. Click on the option to launch AdBlock settings
  6. Click on the Customise tab
  7. Click on the edit filters button and paste in the following line:
    www.facebook.com##A[class=”fbNubButton”]
  8. Your edit box should now look like the one below in Fig A. Now click on the save button
  9. Relaunch Safari and visit your Facebook page, you should find the button has now gone!
Fig A

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iPhone application must have's.

Below is a list of applications I don’t think I could live without on my iPhone. This list will never be complete, thanks to the fantastic app’s in constant development around the iPhone app store!

  1. Analytics Agent Lite by Global Agent Inc. – Invaluable app for keeping a keen eye on your Google Analytics account. A must have for every serious webmaster.
  2. Blog Press by CLT Studio – Handy little app for posting to your website whilst on the move! Supports most CMS systems
  3. Bump by Bump Technologies LLC – Brilliant little app for sharing via bluetooth, with the added novelty of having to bump hands to initiate the transfer.
  4. Chris Brogan by MotherApp – A fellow bloggers very own app, novel way of delivering a blog site.
  5. CoPilot Live by ALK Technologies – Possibly one of the best tom-tom replacements out there. Fantastic, faultless sat nave app! 
  6. Doodle Jump by Lima Sky – Has to be the most addictive game I have ever played! Really simple concept and design!
  7. eBay Mobile by eBay Inc. – Speaks for it’s self really. But this app is ideal for catching that bargain and bidding whilst on the move!
  8. Engadget by AOL – Technologygadgetry blog from a team of expert columnists all over the world.
  9. Export for Google Docs by Four Meisters System Consulting Inc. – If like me, you are embracing the whole cloud computing lark, Export is ideal for working closely with your google docs.
  10. Facebook by Facebook – I am not a huge fan of the whole facebook concept and the annoying app invites you constantly get, however most of my friends seem to use it as a communications hub, so find myself chatting on it far too often! 
  11. Google Mobile App by Google – Has some excellent search facilities and features, a must have for internet power users!
  12. Gorrilacam by Joby Inc. – A top notch replacement for the featureless built in iPhone camera app.
  13. Green Flag Rescue by Altaine Ltd – for that ‘just in case’ backup.. Handy if you don’t know where you are and have broken down.
  14. Jumsoft Money by Jumsoft – Sync your online bank statements with your desktop PCMac and your iPhone.
  15. LinkedIn by Linkedin – Linkedin is social networking for professionals. The LinkedIn app enables most website features direct from your iPhone.
  16. LogMeIn Ignition by LogMeIn – Access your PCMac direct from your iPhone using the LogMeIn client
  17. MobileMe Gallery by Apple Inc. – Access you MobileMe gallery from your iPhone
  18. MobileMe iDisk by Apple Inc. – Access your MobileMe files on your iPhone
  19. Movies by Flixter – Brilliant little app for keeping an eye on up and coming movie releases and reading peoples ratings and reviews. 
  20. NetAwake by Power of Two Software – Simple little app for remotely waking your networked devices using WoL packets.
  21. Network Ping Lite by MochaSoft – ping entire subnets straight from your iPhone in minutes.
  22. OOFy by Polyideas – control your Microsoft Exchange out of office settings and message from your iPhone.
  23. PAC-Man Lite by Namco – it’s PacMan! Enough said..
  24. Palringo Instant Messenger by Palringo – Instant messenger client 
  25. Paper Toss by BackFlip Studios – A nifty little game, in which the object is to flick balls of paper into a bin
  26. Pastefire App by Sens Digital S.A.S. – Share content from your PC to your iPhone simply by pasting it into a box on a website. Seemless transfer of data, saves emailing your self! Brilliant!
  27. Q Contacts by Addy Mobile Inc. – A powerful alternative to the built in contacts app, which shortcuts to common contact functions.
  28. QR App by Block5 – ReadProcess 2D barcodes on your iPhone
  29. Rally Master Pro 3D by FishLabs – Excellent car rally game for your iPhone with fantastic graphics.
  30. Rightmove App by Rightmove – Brilliant little app for viewing advertised house sales from your iPhone
  31. Rowmote Pro by Evan Schoenberg – No need for a hardware remote for your mac, this is an excellent direct replacement with constant development and improvements!
  32. Shazam by Shazam – Tag unknown music tracks by placing your iPhone near the speaker.
  33. ShopSavvy by Big in Japan – Scan products barcodes and search the web for cheaper prices within minutes
  34. Skype by Skype – Make free skype to skip phone calls, reduced rate skype to normal phone calls and sendreceive instant messages with other Skype users.
  35. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock by Lexware Labs AB – Alarm clock which monitors your sleep cycle and wakes you at the optimum point (inside a specified window)
  36. SPB Wallet by SPB Software – Keep track of passwords, serial numbers, codes, registration details, logon information and more.
  37. Spotify by Spotify Ltd – Stream music direct from the net, to your iPhone
  38. Subnet Calc by Matthew Galloway – an subnetIP Address calculator for your iPhone
  39. Tap Tap Revebge 3 by Tapulous – Guitar hero style game for your iPhone
  40. Traffic Rush by Donut Games – Novel little game in which you essentially act as traffic lights, controlling traffic at a busy crossroads
  41. Direct.Gov Traffic News by Direct.Gov – Up to date traffic and roadworks information on your iPhone
  42. TV Guide by Jersey Productions – A free TV Listings utility for the UK’s “fantastic” TV channel selection.
  43. Tweetdeck by TweetDeck – A powerful and feature rich Twitter client for iPhone
  44. Twitteriffic by The Iconfactory – Yet another powerful Twitter client
  45. Urbanspoon by Urbanspoon – A fantastic little app for finding that place to eat out when you stuck for ideas.
So that’s it.. For now anyway! No doubt I will install more as they come out! I also plan on doing a similar list for Mac OS X. If you have any you would like to add, drop me a line! Or comment using the form below.

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