Nobody likes being pushed around. But if you use the Facebook app on your smartphone, that might be how it feels. A few months back, Facebook made its members switch to Facebook Messenger for person-to-person texting, instead of using the Facebook app itself. The forced march to the new app set off a firestorm of complaints that clouded initial perception of Messenger as an app. Now, with a bit of distance, let's take a fresh look at the pluses and minuses of Facebook Messenger. Here's how to deal with the transition.
1. Don't freak out about Facebook Messenger's notorious terms and conditions. Yes, they do read like something authored by a Napoleonic lawyer on meth, but so do the terms for many platforms. (The world has plenty of power-mad attorneys.) And the so-called 'spying terms' aren't as weird as reported. Auto-turn-on of the camera? It's spying! Or something necessary to take a picture of a check or bill for new payment capabilities. Auto-turn-on of the microphone: Snooping! Or the only way to let you voice-call a friend.
Messenger actually offers tighter privacy controls than the standard Facebook app. Go to Settings in the app and you can turn off all kinds of notifications, syncing and other actions you don't like.
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2. Don't fool yourself into thinking that Facebook wants to spy on you. You are a wonderful person but simply not valuable enough for Facebook to take those kinds of risks. Relax. Unless you are Jennifer Lawrence or President Obama. If so, you do need to take some precautions.
You can get Facebook messaging on your phone in two other ways. Method one: Simply access Facebook through your phone's browser. It may not be the ideal experience, but it is certainly acceptable, and browser-based Facebook on a phone runs just like it does on your PC, complete with messaging and access to friend lists. Method two: Get 3. Don't forget that you don't have to use Messenger.Paper, Facebook's smartphone-specific app. Paper is terrific. It gathers Facebook posts into a Flipboard-like story flow. It's elegant and evocative on phone screens. And, up in the corner, you'll find your friends lists and messaging built in.
4. Don't feel locked in. There are plenty of ways your friends can message you on your phone outside of Facebook. Viber (free, Apple, Android, Windows, BlackBerry), now owned by Japanese commerce giant Rakuten, allows free phone calls and texts worldwide to other Viber users; Google Hangouts (free, Android, Apple) lets you videochat and, if you are on an Apple device, make free phone calls to any number in the United State or Canada from within the app; GroupMe (free, Apple, Android, Windows) focuses on group messaging; Taptalk (free, Apple, Android) and Povio (free, Apple, Android) both let you text others using images and videos instead of words.
And then there is WhatsApp (free, Apple, Android, Windows, BlackBerry) Facebook's own alternate, ad-free messaging network. 450 million folks worldwide use it. Why not you?
Oh, and there is simple phone texting, too. Don't forget that.
And if you decide to use Messenger, do take advantage of the cool features in the app, like these:
Find friends fast. A blue badge in the Messenger People category shows who's available to chat now. Phone number chat. Messenger lets you chat with anyone, even a non-FB member; simply add his phone number to chat. Free phone calls. This works only for actual Facebook friends, but you can phone from Messenger and talk without incurring any cell charges. Sticker madness. You can spice up your chats with stickers that come with Messenger. But if those aren't enough for you, click the basket at the bottom of the sticker screen; it takes you to a Sticker Store where you'll find seven additional sticker packs. Go nuts. Mike Edelhart is the lead partner for the Social Starts investment fund and CEO of the Pivot Conference. Mike was executive editor of PC Magazine and editor of PC Week. Social Starts has no investments in any of the companies mentioned in this article.
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