Facebook Video Chat Verdict: Nice, but one for the Grandparents

There was a reason the Facebook execs introducing the new Video Chat feature brought up the case of a grand-dad wanting to see his grandchildren. This new feature really will be best for the older generation – the ones that know how to get onto the internet, but don’t know much else. Tech-forward youngsters (and oldsters) will already be on Skype, and so Facebook is angling this as super-easy-to-use: something that anyone can do without having to open any new websites or do any fiddly installs.

Maybe this is a Facebook announcement that reflects the changing demographic of Facebook’s users – the 50+ age group who are taking up Facebook in droves and who want a very simple and intuitive experience. And they don’t just want to post music videos, they also want to connect very closely with people that mean a lot to them – usually family members.

That’s where this clean, easy to use and immediate service will score.

The video window sits up nicely, it’s a smooth easy to use experience and even on a crap connection, kept the video going.

But really it’s not a hard-hitter in tech terms, simply embedding Skype functionality in the Facebook window.

And see our other problem with this service: we’re going to have to change out of our pyjamas.