Skype, the world’s leading voice over IP service in the process of being acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) for $8.5 billion, has expanded its integration with Facebook.
Skype 5.5 Beta version for Windows will now let users send instant messages to their Facebook Chat friends directly from Skype.
Skype users will be able to check the new Facebook contacts tab within Skype to see when a Facebook friend they want to chat with is online and can then click to start an instant messaging conversation.
This is a big deal because millions of people use Facebook’s Chat application daily and the integration will keep users from having to leave Skype to chat in Facebook.
Users may also tap into the Facebook News Feed in Skype to "like" a friend’s status or comment on it, also without having to redirect to Facebook.
These features arguably should have been available when Skype and Facebook struck their initial deal last October, when Skype began infusing Facebook’s News Feed and Phonebook into its platform.
To read the original eWeek article, click here: Skype Deepens Facebook Integration With Chat, Contacts