Facebook to Launch Video Chat Soon?
Since its launch one year ago, Facebook Chat has become a vital tool for keeping users on the site for longer periods of time, and Facebook has continued to enhance the service. Just last week, Facebook added Friend List support for Chat, letting users choose who they want to be visible to while online. Now, it appears Facebook may be preparing to add video chat soon as well.
According to a JavaScript file live on Facebook CDN servers, it appears Facebook could be preparing a robust video chat service inside Facebook. The function names all clearly describe a video chat service, and the code prints messages like “Incoming call,” “Waiting for your friend,” and “Video call canceled” to users.
The potential launch of a video chat service reflects Facebook’s desire to expand the communication applications it operates on top of its social graph. Many Facebook applications offer video chat, but operating such a service directly is in line with Facebook’s strategy to date of building out communication utilities directly, and is in line with user expectations for chat.
Such a move could also threaten other popular video chat services from Skype, Google, and others, as many users will prefer to use the tool that’s most integrated with their routine ways of communicating with friends. However, it’s also not cheap to build or operate.
In the end, video chat is a natural extension of Facebook’s synchronous communication tools that should continue to increase session length. And as more Facebook users are on the site synchronously, new product doors are opened – for Facebook, and for app developers.
Update: Facebook says the company has no plans to launch the feature for now. “We had been testing a video chat feature, but currently have no plans to launch it to users,” Facebook says.
May 16th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I wish they’d finally get started on keeping their Jabber Chat Integration Promise which they made more than a year ago instead of messing around with even more ressources requiring crap such as V Chat. Or how about at least trying to become as accessible for everyone as they claim to be?
May 17th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
If video chat is starting soon so its good but it will be only for those who got web cam. Facebook chat option is redesigned which is also good.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:57 am
[...] Laut Facebook ist gerade in den letzten vier Monaten die Chat-Nutzung sprunghaft angestiegen und hat sich mehr als verdreifacht. Das hängt denn wohl auch damit zusammen, dass das Unternehmen nach eigenen Angaben viel dafür getan hat, das Chat-Angebot für die User so attraktiv wie möglich zu gestalten. Ein Beispiel hierfür ist die „Friend List“, über die man seine Freunde beispielsweise nach Priorität in Listen einordnen kann und damit einen besseren Überblick hat. Auch Massen-Nachrichten lassen sich so einfacher verschicken. Ein weiterer Punkt, der den Facebook Chat so reizvoll für seine Nutzer macht, ist vermutlich auch die Möglichkeit zum Gruppen-Chatten. Zusätzlich überlegt Facebook gerade, einen Video-Chat anzubieten. [...]
July 20th, 2009 at 4:00 am
it’s a good news, video chatting will help facebook to become more popular in the world!
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
I’ve always wondered why they didn’t do this. This is great for long distance relationships. My girlfriend and I have started using veribu.com that has this same feature. It’s way more simple and easier to use than skype. I’m looking forward to this on facebook.
January 17th, 2010 at 11:38 am
hi add as friend. on facebook webcam now
March 7th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
In fact, there is already working facebook video chat on http://apps.facebook.com/onconference
November 30th, 2010 at 4:05 am
would this will give more headache to Google
i had also written similar article have a look
http://www.frip.in/facebook-to-launch-video-chat-with-skype/