Facebook launches 'next generation messaging'

[riso]

Extolling the virtues of what messaging should be -- seamless, instant, personal and simple -- Mark Zuckerberg has just launched what sounds just like a socially-aware version of the now-defunct Google Wave.

It is not email -- though you will get a username@facebook.com email address -- but it handles email. It's a messaging platform that interweaves all of your incoming messages, be they SMSes, emails or instant messages into one big dashboard.

The most exciting prospect is the idea of a 'social inbox', which is basically an automatic email whitelist. Instead of being forced to hand-create lists of 'favourite' friends that skip your spam filters, Facebook's new messaging platform will automatically filter mail from your Facebook friends, your friends-of-friends, and so on.

Tags: email, google wave, GoogleWave, instant messaging, InstantMessaging, messaging, wave