Facebook launches video chat: for a few hours now, social network subscribers can use the most advanced tools to communicate with their friends, able to chat for free. Here’s how video calling on Facebook works.
What has been rumored for months is now a reality: Facebook has activated video calling, allowing users to speak and see each other face-to-face via VoIP through chat.
The agreement, made with Skype and thus with Microsoft (which, we recall, now owns the company that made its fortune by launching free calls), involves the use of video calling within Facebook chat, provided the user has set their status to “online”.
If the person you wish to contact is unavailable, there is the option to leave a message (or rather, a video message) that will remain visible and stored until the contacted person connects online: a sort of advanced answering machine.
Another important feature is the ability to create groups with whom you can chat simultaneously. This video calling mode is also extended to any group chat, without necessarily using the “group” functionality.
To activate video chat on Facebook, all you need to do is download a free plugin, and you’re done: everything will be automatically ready and set up.
Therefore, video calling on Facebook promises to be an intuitive and very easy system, all based on social interaction and Skype technology.
You can access the service at http://www.facebook.com/videocalling, where you can also watch a demonstration video of Facebook video calling.
Beyond its usefulness for users, this new feature further consolidates the business and collaborative relationship between Facebook and Microsoft, which is now a strong and forward-looking reality. From Bing integration to Skype integration, the partnership is entirely evident.
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