14 DAY TRIAL // The integration of social features, courtesy of Facebook, on Yahoo properties is moving forward with the launch of a big, new feature. Users will now be able to update their status on Facebok from inside Yahoo Mail. The feature will be added to the existing Yahoo status update tool and will only be available in "select markets." Yahoo contacts in Mail will also have Facebook profile pictures if there are any.
"If you use Facebook, Yahoo! Mail is getting better for you! As you may have heard, Yahoo! is putting a big focus on bringing you more social features, and this evening Yahoo! Mail is rolling out another handy way to connect with your friends. In select markets, we’re adding the ability to update your Facebook status right from Yahoo! Mail and see your friends’ Facebook profile photos when they email you," Yahoo said in a blog post.
"To turn on these features, first link your Yahoo! and Facebook accounts by clicking on the “Add to Facebook” link in the status section on the What’s New page in Yahoo! Mail," it explained.
Yahoo has been trying to patch more social features to its services recently and a big part of that is the Yahoo Update one. As you can expect, it allows Yahoo users to write status updates that get pushed to their friends on the Yahoo network. The updates don't necessarily have to come from Yahoo, a lot of third-party services are supported, including Twitter and Facebook.
With the new Yahoo Mail feature, things are moving the other way around, from Yahoo to Facebook. In the countries where it will be available, users will see checkboxes for each service supported below the text box of the status update tool. For now, the services listed will be Yahoo and Facebook, and users can choose if they want to update their status on either one or both.
But the integration goes deeper, as, now, users will be able to see the Facebook profile photos of the contacts that have linked their Yahoo and Facebook accounts. They will also have a link pointing to the Facebook profile of those contacts. This is the latest move in Yahoo's announced partnership with Facebook.
