Last week, in an Apple-style tease, Facebook promised an "awesome" announcement today.

The news is a video calling feature that Facebook users can access without a separate Skype account. The response seems to be excitement, indifference, and a little anger laced with betrayal:

Facebook, you can't do this to us. I have been loyal to you for years because you held out a tantalizing future where my only interaction would be with one-inch-square boxes that vaguely resembled my memory of what people once looked like. You promised me that I would never have to talk to anyone ever again.

According to the Washington Post, CEO Mark Zuckerberg no longer considers growth a metric of social networking. Rather, Facebook will focus on apps and mobile technology. This shift is convenient following some reports that Facebook is losing users.

Discussion Starters:

• What do you think of Facebook's pre-announcement? Is this a clever marketing approach or just annoying?
• In Chapter 1, we discuss the pending convergence of communication technologies. Do you see this announcement as a move towards convergence or something else?