Image via FriendFeed

Bret Taylor of FriendFeed broke the news today that the social aggregator service has been purchased by none other than Facebook. In the short term, things will remain the same as they've always been. But Bret's post on the company blog suggests that plans are already afoot to integrate FriendFeed into the current black hole of social networking.

For me, and apparently a good deal of other FriendFeed users, this isn't good. One the one hand, I won't deny that being bought by Facebook means more resources for FriendFeed, as well as the opportunity to further grow the service's user base. On the other hand, it shows that Facebook intends to put the service to use as part of itself, or put the service to sleep.

One of the main reasons I use FriendFeed is because it lets me connect with others without all the cruft and crap that comes with Facebook. If the services are merged, then what? FriendFeed is to Facebook as Blellow is to Twitter; both serve a professionally-oriented niche compared to the bigger services, but it's an important niche. Clearing out FriendFeed for the general service doesn't serve anyone but Facebook and its investors.

While I hope the best for FriendFeed and its team, I'll be expecting the worst from this point on. And I'll be keeping my eyes open for any new, professional social aggregators that come along.