Check out S-E's new feature for POL. Basically, it lets you log into your POL account through your web-browser. Why would you want to do this? Well, you can check your friendlist and actually send and recieve messages from your browser. So, if you're at work like I am and can't use POL or FFXI, you can still chat with your buddies who are IN game.
Long gone are the days that if your friend was playing online he was unavailable unless you logged in too :) This is still in beta, but I had no problems using it. Go to the
POL page and look for the POL Plus button on the left bar, beneath all the FFXI stuff.
Check it out!
-- Waylan