Firefox 17 Now Includes Facebook Messaging Sidebar

Mozilla on Monday announced that Firefox 17 now includes a Facebook messaging sidebar for easier communication with a users Facebook friends list.

The opt-in feature allows users to quickly access?Facebook Messenger from any page on the web. Users can also see their Facebook notifications whenever using the browser and they are given the option to hide the sidebar when not in use.

In a public statement regarding the release of Firefox 17’s new feature Mozilla states:

?As social sites have become a key part of people?s online lives, we want to make it easier to use the Web the way you want.”

The HTML5-based options is a joint effort between Mozilla and Facebook and is based off the HTML5 Social API.

Mozilla is also believed to be working on Twitter and other social network connections. In a blog post Mozilla writes:

?Today?s Facebook integration is just the start of making Firefox more social. We?ll soon add support for more features and multiple providers.”

While specialty browsers have worked to integrate social network features into their interfaces Mozilla is the first big player in the mobile browsing game to make a similar jump.