Aol Instant Messenger hooks up with Facebook

Users on Aol's pioneering chat utility Aol Instant Messenger (AIM) can now chat with their buddies on Facebook.

This week, Aol announced that it is letting Facebook into the AIM ecosystem and allowing users on either network to chat across with users on the other. This is a major outreach for Aol, since it has historically been reticent with outside contact.

The Aol Instant Messenger version (7.2) that makes it possible is still in beta, and is available for download here. Users can click on the "Facebook Connect" button on top of the buddies list and set up the chat. Once you do that, your friends on Facebook will appear as buddies on AIM, along with their status. Facebook users can chat with AIM users using an application from the web-based Facebook interface.