Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Orkut Adding Google Talk Next Week?

Google may (as in probably) be adding Google Talk within the Orkut interface allowing us "Orkuteers" to chat instantly to each other as well as see who is online.

(Light Reading) The company says its Google Talk and Orkut development teams are busy putting the finishing touches on the integration. The announcement will likely be made sometime next week. [...]

"We noticed that a lot of people that were using Orkut also had their GTalk client open at the same time," says Google spokeswoman Courtney Hohne.

Orkut members will be able to text message and voice chat with other members of the community if they choose to communicate in that way. Google believes the new functions might add a sense of immediacy to member interaction on the social networking site.


It looks as if the previous rumors regarding Gtalk and Orkut may have some weight to them after all. Installing Gtalk will solve two problems at once, as it will not only create a chat program within, but also an online status indicator as well.

Of course, I hope Google gives users the option to turn this off (like in Gmail) or even better, call users via audio within the site (not to mention potential advertisers as well).

Note: It would be cool if Google integrated this within their Friend Maps page, as users would then be able to see which of their friends are online half way around the world.

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