How to Find the Chat Box on Facebook

Facebook was first introduced in 2004, and has since become one of the most prolific social networking services on Earth. Facebook has over 600 million active users, and research by Social Media Today indicates that 41.6 percent of the U.S. population has a Facebook account. Facebook has a number of messaging options, including an instant-messaging chat box. Finding this box is easy, assuming you aren't experiencing technical difficulties.

Things You'll Need

• Facebook account

Instructions

1. Go to Facebook. Start up an account or sign in with your existing Facebook account.

2. Look for the small, horizontal gray bar on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. It should feature a picture of a silhouetted person, with a green dot next to it and the word "Chat," along with parentheses and a number representing how many of your Facebook friends are online.

3. Click the bar to open a box with a listing of all your Facebook friends who are currently online.

4. Double-click on one of the listings to open the chat window and begin chatting.

Tips & Warnings

• If the chat bar doesn't appear on your browser, refresh the page. If it still doesn't, log out of Facebook and log back in. If there still is no chat bar, try clearing your browser history and cache. If still the bar doesn't appear, contact Facebook technical support to help assess the problem.

References

• MSNBC Business Insider; Goldman to Clients: Facebook has 600 Million Users; Nicholas Carlson; January 2011
• Social Media Today; 41.6% of the US Population Has a Facebook Account; Roy Wells; August 2010