For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that you have a friend named Bob, it’s his birthday this week, and the only way you stay in touch with Bob is via popular social networking site Facebook. Until now you could wish Bob a “Happy Bday!” by posting a message on his Facebook wall. The now Microsoft-owned company Skype has recently announced that there is now a way cooler method of wishing Bob a happy birthday.

Instead of simply posting a message on Bob’s Facebook wall, you can do something that goes “above and beyond what every birthday boy and girl expected this year,” as Global Senior Marketing Manager at Skype Leanne Johnson put it. What Leanne Johnson meant by that is that you can create a very cool video greeting and send it to Bob.

What’s the cool part? The fact that you can team up with various bands and artists for the video greeting. Ash, Body Language, Bowling for Soup, Charlie Simpson, CSS, Imogen Heap, Kill The Young, The Parlotones, and Scarlett Grey are the bands and artists you could team up with to wish Bob a happy birthday.

You can create the video greeting by using the new “Say it with Skype” Facebook app. Here’s what you have to do create the video greeting, in a nutshell:

• Access the Say it With Skype app on Skype’s Facebook page here.
• Select Bob from your list of friends.
• Select one of the ten participating bands. Sing along wit the pre-recorded performance if you want to.
• Add a profile picture, write a personal message to customize your message for Bob. The band will hold up the personal message you select.
• Send your Skype video greeting card to Bob.

So if you want to say Happy Birthday like you’ve never said it before, check out Say it with Skype.