Facebook Fans Can Chat in Real-Time with New Pixode App

Pixode has come up with an interesting way to build community on Facebook pages. The company has introduced a new app called “Chat for Pages.” The app allows fans of your page to chat in real-time with each other.

How Chat for Pages Works

Here’s how it works. The Page Admin must first install the app on the page. Then, the admin or anyone else can enter the chat room and invite their personal friends to join the conversation by clicking the little “person” icon:

Note: The first time any of your fans or friends tries to join in the chat room by typing in a comment and hitting the send button, they will be taken to a new page where they will have to install the app:

Once they install the app, they will return to the chat room, and can start carrying on a conversation. The Chat for Pages app lets you change the font color and add emoticons. You can also address other users in the chat directly by clicking on their name, or simply using the @ symbol before their name in the chat box.

The one downside of this app is that you can’t invite fans to chat from the chatroom unless those fans are also the admin’s friends. But you can always tell your fans you’re available to chat by posting a status update that includes the link to the chatroom.

I tested this app out with a couple of friends. One was able to get right into the chat room and start talking with me. But the other friend didn’t see the chat box to type in a comment, even after refreshing the page. So she wasn’t able to easily install the app, and join in the conversation. Also not sure how this will work when you have multiple people talking at the same time.

Here’s a screenshot of what the chat will look like:

What I like about this app is the fact that you can have discussions with fans outside of the timeline, and that you can invite people to join in the discussion. But I’m not sure how this will help increase your page’s visibility in the news feed. When fans are commenting on a post, your page has a better chance of showing up in the news feed more often. But if they’re commenting on an app, I think you’ll lose that edge.

The other possible drawback for pages with multiple admins is the fact that you can’t chat as the page. If an admin wants to keep their personal profile private, they won’t be able to take part in the chat. Pixode says it may add the capability of chatting as the Page in the future.

What do you think of this new feature? Do you think your fans would like to chat on your page in this way? Please share your comments below, or better yet – let’s chat about it on my Facebook page! Click https://www.facebook.com/GloriaRandCopywriter/app_497122490317374