The Video Chat Battle

The battle between Video chatting platforms is intense, and ultimately I believe it will be won by the company that provides ease of use across all platforms and the simplest implementation of contact lists.

Skype was the first notable platform. I have an hard time navigating the unfamiliar interfact and since it requires a Microsoft account, the contact list isn’t integrated with platforms me and my friends already use. So prior to creating a Skype call I have to contacts them via some other means and obtain their Skype address.

FaceTime, is one of the most intuitive services I use. I can call any of my contacts through my iPhone. I love being able to turn switch between a FaceTime to a traditional call with just one button. The biggest issue with FaceTime though is it only works on Apple devices. I believe there will always be a place for FaceTime in the world of video chat, but the biggest battle will between google hangout and Facebook messenger.  

Google hangouts have a lot of advantages when it comes to productivity allowing coworkers to share google drive files, and allowing up to nine people in on a video conference. Facebook’s messaging app’s lack some of the productivity features, of it’s google base counterpart. But where it shines is contact connectivity. My Facebook network includes every person I would want a potential video chat with. I don’t have to ask them to download a specific app or sign up for an account. We are already connected. Within my community Facebook is use so frequently that the odds that a contact is logged in on any device is much higher than in any other platform.