Videochat on Facebook May Be Around The Corner

Some of us were scratching our heads when Microsoft gave $8.5 billion for Skype a short time ago. The skepticism set in; why would Microsoft spend so much on a VoIP company? It was a gamble. What was Microsoft going to do with Skype? The tech crowd suspected months ago that Facebook and Skype would team up.

The picture is getting clearer now since Facebook has announced something big is about to happen. The tech experts are spreading the buzz about Skype videochat coming to Facebook.

The mechanics of the deal is not quite clear yet, if it does happen.

The impact of Facebook and Skype teaming up may be broader and far more reaching than imagined. I personally think the videochat is going to explode as time passes by. And why shouldn’t it? Why chat when you can talk to each other via video? Convenience is the keyword here.

I’d been thinking to myself for some time, that Facebook could face some really stiff competition if another bright mind came along and designed something similar to Facebook, but would also allow you to talk face-to-face via video. Mark Zuckerberg may have considered the same possibility.

Skype has already integrated with Facebook somewhat. You can see if your Facebook friends are online from Skype and you can send direct messages from Skype to Facebook. You can chat with Facebook friends on Skype. You can call Facebook friends. The options are many since the Skype upgrade.

Videochat may not hit it big on Facebook right away. Users may be reluctant and shy away from it at first. But I’m convinced if the integration becomes successful and fully functional, the videochat may be the telephony of the future. I don’t envision it any other way. Even if you give users the option of calling via audio while browsing on the Facebook page, this too will have an impact.

Look into the future. You could videochat with 20, 40, or 100 Facebook friends at the same time! This may sound ridiculous, but if you bring fiber optics into the equation the technology is available.

If you’re not aware of it, Facebook is coming to television and it’s going to happen soon. Hybridization of television and computing is going to be a gamechanger. Social networking is coming to primetime.

Not only can you Facebook your friends while watching TV, you could message them with Skype while mobile. Or you could watch TV while mobile, or you could Skype friends while watching TV. What about videochat coming to Twitter?