Internet Explorer users are limited when it comes to add-ons and extensions provided for the browser. This is especially noticeable when the selection of add-ons is compared to other web browsers like Firefox or Google Chrome.
Microsoft introduced a new feature in Internet Explorer 8 recently that it calls Web Slices. These are designed to extend the functionality of Internet Explorer on supported sites.
A web slice is a notifier basically that updates information in a small window regularly. There are web slices for many popular services including news, shopping and social networking sites.
The Facebook web slice for Internet Explorer 8 has been designed to offer Internet Explorer users a faster way to access Facebook updates.
Facebook Updates In Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer users get access to updates directly in the browser without visiting the Facebook website. All that is required is to click on the Facebook Web Slice in the Internet Explorer favorites bar to list the latest updates on the site of the linked Facebook profile.
A click on the icon for the first time displays the Facebook login page. You need to log in to a Facebook account before updates of that account are shown on the web slice.
Everything after the login is automated, and all it takes to access the updates is to click on the icon in the favorites bar. It will display the latest updates with links included that lead right to the Facebook website. It is furthermore possible to update your Facebook status right from the web slice’s window.
Facebook Web Slice is only available for Internet Explorer 8 and newer. It can be downloaded from the Internet Explorer add-on’s gallery over at the Microsoft website.
Update: The Internet Explorer gallery has changed in recent time. While you can still install Facebook as a pinned site on Windows 7 or newer, its functionality changed as well.
The icon that you need to pin to the taskbar of the operating system notifies you of events, but it won’t display those nor offer options to write a new status message right from the interface.