Putting a Face on Facebook

In July of 2011, the world's leading social networking website, Facebook, added a new dimension to its services. It launched a partnership with Skype, a popular Internet video-chat provider. What exactly does all this mean for the average person? Basically, anyone with a Facebook account and a webcam can now talk face to face with any of their friends over the computer.
This technology is not new, but it does make video calling one step easier. No longer do Facebook users have to sign up for separate accounts for this function. Instead, with the click of a button, they can call any friend on their contact list and start video chatting in real time.

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2011年七月，全球社群網站的龍頭Facebook增添了一項新功能到它的服務中。它與熱門的網路視訊軟體供應商Skype展開了合作關係。上述這些事對一般人來說究竟有何意義呢？基本上，每個擁有Facebook帳號和視訊鏡頭的人都可以透過電腦和友人進行面對面的交談。
這不是什麼新科技，但是它的確讓撥打視訊電話變得更為簡單。Facebook用戶不需再個別註冊其他帳戶來使用這種功能。相反地，他們只消按下一個按鍵，就可以撥給聯絡人清單上的任何一位朋友，和他們展開即時視訊電話。

生活必備字詞

◎launch (vt.) 開始進行，發動
They launched a protest against the cosmetic company's practice of animal testing.
◎partnership (n.) 合夥（關係）
◎no longer 不再
After the big fight, Mindy and Daisy were no longer friends.