Can Skype Deal Help Facebook Beat Google+?

Facebook is said to be partnering with Skype to offer video chat features on Facebook - a move that help the most popular social networking website to counter threat from Google+, or Google Plus.

Google's latest social networking tool Google+ tries to answer almost all the shortcomings of Facebook, including offering video chat feature.

Currently, Facebook doesn't offer video chat feature.

In Google+, up to 10 people can video chat through +Hangouts. Watch the below video to see a demo of Hangouts feature.

Whether it's inside a pub or on a front porch, human beings have always enjoyed hanging out. And why not? It's how we unwind, recharge, and spend unscheduled time with old and new friends alike. Hanging out is deceptively simple though, and the nuance gets lost online, Google said in a blog post.

With Google+ we wanted to make on-screen gatherings fun, fluid and serendipitous, so we created Hangouts. By combining the casual meetup with live multi-person video, Hangouts lets you stop by when you're free, and spend time with your Circles. Face-to-face-to-face, the blog post added.

The Skype partnership comes as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently told reporters at the company's Seattle office that it is set to launch something awesome. He said the team in its Seattle office had developed the project and that's where it will be announced, Reuters reported.

Rumors are abuzz that Facebook is coming with an answer this week for the Hangouts feature of Google+.

California-based Facebook will launch a new Skype-based video chat product that works within the browser, TechCrunch reported citing an insider with knowledge of the partnership.

However, it's unclear whether additional software like Skype's program will have to be downloaded, but indications are that it will not.

It makes sense for Facebook and Skype to join forces against Google+, which could be another Facebook and even Skype's serious competitor.

Facebook and Skype have been working together earlier in a more limited capacity, integrating various Facebook features into Skype's program, but this deal could be a big leap for Facebook as well as Skype.

In October 2010, Skype integrated Facebook's News Feed and Phonebook features in its software.

The recently speculated partnership will be a win-win situation for both companies. Facebook has more than 750 million users; if Skype integrates into Facebook it could mean an explosion in Skype users, while Facebook will get a massive leg-up if users will start using the social media site to chat via voice or video.

On the other hand, Facebook should also answer some of the other features offered by Google+.

Google+ offers more privacy control than Facebook. Instead of Friends' list on Facebook, Google+ groups a user's friends through +Circles. Google+ users have more control about which groups of friends see a photo or status update.

Watch the below video for a demo of +Circles:

In addition, a Google+ user may see a topic or news that they might only want to share, watch with certain Circles with the help of online sharing engine +Sparks. Sparks delivers a feed of highly contagious content from across the Internet in over 40 languages.

+Sparks looks for videos and articles it thinks you'll like, so when you're free, there's always something to watch, read, and share, Google said.

Meanwhile, the potential Facebook-Skype deal comes as Microsoft struck a deal to buy Skype for $8.5 billion. Microsoft, which has a stake in Facebook, has a close association with the social networking giant and its Bing powers Facebook's search.