Yesterday, head honcho Mark Zuckerberg announced the surprise marriage of Facebook and Skype.
In an attempt to pump up the rarely used IM Chat feature on Facebook, Zuckerberg announced that Skype will now be automatically integrated into the popular social networking site.
Now when you see an old friend or family member on Facebook, you can have a visual conversation with them in real time, instead of the old “type/respond” method currently in use on Facebook and most other sites. If you see someone online you wish to talk to, just click the icon next to their name in the chat window. Skype will then instantly take over and call that person directly for you. A ring tone will alert the person on the other end that you’re trying to reach them, at which time they may choose to answer the call or ignore it. If they ignore the call or are away from their computer, a “voicemail” alert will let them know you tried to reach them. But if they answer the call and they have a web cam, you’ll both be able to see each other as you converse. Or if they don’t have a web cam, they’ll be able to see you, but you’ll only be able to hear them. Of course you’ll both need a Skype account for all of this to work, and so far this is a Windows only operation.
“This is by far the easiest way to get connected by video,” Facebook’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said during yesterday’s launch. “If it was any easier, it would be like reading your mind.”
The new partnership with Skype is said to be in response to the new Google+ social networking site launched earlier this week, which some have called a potential Facebook killer.
FOR MORE INFO ON FACEBOOK + SKYPE, CLICK HERE!
