Skype's Got The Hype!

After searching many similar blogs (and reviewing my own), I noticed that Facebook, YouTube and MySpace are the most common communication tools outlined. It almost seems that they are the only ones making an impact in social media. I knew there had to be devices somewhere on the Internet that were either too fresh or just forgotten. And then it dawned on me – Skype!

Skype (part of the eBay group) was founded in 2003 as a communication device used to make free phone calls from your computer to anywhere in the world. All it takes is downloading some (free) software and you're set. It’s free to call anyone with Skype and extremely cheap to call land lines and cell phones anywhere in the world. Sending text messages, setting up a voicemail and forwarding calls to your cell phone have recently emerged as new features. You can even get an online number so people can call your computer from their regular phones. There’s even an added bonus for those who love face-to-face: free video calls straight from your webcam. And the newest craze for 2008?The ability to use Skype with the Sony PSP Slim &Lite .

But the real question is how it’s impacting corporate communications. Well, it allows businesses to conduct meetings from all over the world, for free. In fact, Skype allows up to nine people to join in on a conference call or up to one hundred in a group chat. With our global village becoming smaller every day, companies are sending out employees to far corners of the world – and they don’t want to spend extra money just to stay updated. Sure, cell phones these days have international service, but you can’t always depend on them. Just last week, a close friend of mine was in Myanmar and couldn't get service on his cell phone, presumably because the government isn't too keen on outside contact. Had he been introduced to Skype, he would have remained connected. It's also great for students on a college budget whose roommates are studying abroad for the semester or for anyone who doesn't want to spend obnoxious amounts of money just to keep in touch. The ICT Professional Development for Wellesley College even recommends using it as a tool for the classroom; and Asterik VoIP calls it “one of the most fantastic internet applications ever built,” suggesting five of the most useful plugins for Skype.

So whether your anthropology team is off in Egypt or your multi-national PR firm has just opened offices in five European countries, you never have to miss a beat (or those extra dollars you’ve earned). It may not be the newest device out there, but one that connects us in a whole new way.