Facebook's "something awesome" event on Wednesday included the introduction of video calling with Skype, group chat, and a redesign for Facebook chat.Video calling will bring Skype right into the Facebook interface, while group chat will allow users to chat without having to set up an actual Facebook group, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during a press event at the company's Silicon Valley headquarters. The chat revamp, meanwhile, is intended to provide users with easier access to friends who are online.
With video calling, users can leverage Skype to contact friends, right from Facebook.com. It rolls out today, and Facebook promised access in as little as two clicks. It is not yet available on mobile.
To activate, click the video call button at the top of the chat window. The first time you use it, click setup, approve the applet, and Skype will automatically download within the browser. That should take about 30 seconds on any broadband connection, Facebook said.
Skype CEO Tony Bates made an appearance and said the company has been working on the Skype integration for about six months. He was not concerned that this will draw traffic away from Skype's main service. Skype has a goal of 1 billion users and "this helps us get there," Bates said. "We want to be as ubiquitous as possible."
Skype, of course, is in the midst of being acquired by Microsoft, which has a long-standing partnership with Facebook. Zuckerberg said Skype's ties to Microsoft "gives us the sense of stability" and the knowledge that Skype is a company Facebook can trust. More
