New York City (ip-192.com): AOL has a new friend – Facebook. As part of an ongoing effort to improve its user experience, Internet company AOL announced that starting today users of its AIM instant-messaging service can chat with friends on Facebook. An upgraded version of AIM connects with the instant-messaging function on Facebook's Web site. AIM users can now communicate with friends who are logged on to the social network and available to chat. They'll also be able to import so-called news feeds and "wall" posts to AIM and export status updates, videos, links, and photos to Facebook.

The new cooperation between AOL and Facebook was announced shortly after Google unveiled a Facebook rival feature called Google Buzz, which allows users of its email service, Gmail, to send messages, photos and videos to one another and to Tweet them out on social networking site Twitter.

"Strategically, there's no doubt that there will be evolution," says Brad Garlinghouse, president of AOL's Internet and mobile communications. "You're seeing a more aggressive AOL taking smart risks and finding partners who are seeking to disrupt the market."

Excluding mobile services, AIM has currently about 17 million users. That’s a fraction of the more than 400 million users on Facebook. AOL launched a "lifestreaming" feature last year that let users see friends' latest posts on social sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Ethan Beard, Facebook's director of platform marketing, said in a news release that he hopes "other companies will follow AOL's lead and integrate their communications experiences with ours; now that our new Facebook chat API makes that possible.”

Related posts:

1. Gmail Goes Social like Twitter
2. Facebook to Open Office in India
3. Facebook app comes to PS3, Xbox
4. Personal data: Facebook tightens access
5. Facebook’s Beacon is down – permanently