If it makes sense for Google to invest in Android "so that people will spend more time searching for stuff online" it sure as hell makes sense for Facebook to create a chat client so that people will spend more time using Facebook to chat.

1. Google currently get fairly guaranteed income from its search. Facebook hasn't reached that level yet.

2. Having some people online more chatting might make some other people actually want to be online less. I'm happy that no one ever pops a Facebook on me. For a number of friends, Facebook as close as I want or need to be much of the time.

Existing users will be locked in even more to Facebook. New users will sign up as many of their friends start to rely on the new service.

Exactly. Which is why when the linked writer finishes his snarky observation with: "Facebook Messaging is bad? No. It just isn’t built for you."

I pause for a moment.

I think it's equally lucid to think "but I don't want to step onto your lawn!" as it is to denigrate the "get off my lawn" mentality.

The privacy implications wavered by others, if not frivolously, then for other reasons, are still of concern to me. Regardless of whether or not I'm happy to waiver them myself.

and a company whose business is bypassing privacy to learn about consumers, will have a record of all telecom between those consumers

it will ultimately cause users to spend more time on site when they can send sms or email very easily through FB. for instance, i neglect to use FB chat a lot because i'm not sure if the user is really logged in - if it instantly became an email or SMS so i know it would reach the recipient, i would use it more