Facebook Launches Video Chat and More

Facebook has announced the much-anticipated video chat, along with chatting in groups, both made possible through integration with Skype. Beta versions of these products are available on the site already, so if you've had a chance to try them out, we'd love to see your opinions in the comments section.

The info-graphic above sucinctly sums up today's announcement, which includes the much-anticipated integration with Skype for video calling and group chat.

Skype's Vice President and General Manager for Consumer, Neil Stevens, succinctly sums up where you need to go to get in on the new products, in a post on the company's blog:

To get started connecting face-to-face using Facebook video calling powered by Skype. It's quick and easy. Just ensure your Facebook chat status is set to "online" and you are ready to go! You can initiate a FAcebook video call right from the Chat box or you can click on your friends Profile and if they are online, a "Call" button will apper at the top right of their Profile Page. If your friend does not answer, you can leave them a video message. Your recorded video message will be waiting in your friend's inbox the next time they check their Messages.

Skype's CEO previously recorded an explanation of how Facebook video calling works with the Skype integration, so we've embedded a copy of his footage below

Today Facebook introduced several updates to messages: video calling, group chat, and a new chat design.

Video Calling: Together with Skype, you can now video call your freinds on Facebook for simple real-time face to face conversations

Group Chat: One of our most requested features is the ability to chat with multiple people at once. Now you can have conversations with more than one person on the fly for quick group discussion.

New Chat Design: The new chat desugn prople can see a sidebar that shows the friends they message most, whether on or offline. Simply click on a friend to start chatting or send a message.