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FEB 2008 28
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 Skype is an online web application that allows users to make telephone calls over the internet. Simply put, the online service offers all the conveniences of Instant Messaging, plus the ability to make voice calls and host video conferences.
Skype is free to sign up and, once you do, you can make calls to other Skype users free of charge and to landlines and cell phones for a small fee.
The service released it's first public beta version in August of 2003 and has been growing rapidly ever since:
As a result of Skype's increasing popularity, many businesses have begun to ask us whether or not they should offer Skype as another way for their
clients to reach them. The short answer is yes- but there's no rush.
With the launch of our new web site, Nimblelight added Skype buttons as a method for our clients and potential customers to reach us on our contact page and on our about page. In the midst of a major redesign, adding Skype options to our contact and about pages wasn't a big deal- we were redesigning the layout of the pages anyway and, to make adding the button easy, Skype provided the necessary HTML (we ended up tweaking it, but we're pickier than most).
 Skype's vice president of marketing, Saul Klein, makes his case for adding a Skype option to a web site: "Anyone can add a "SkypeMe" button to a web page just by cutting and pasting HTML code from the Skype web site. All of a sudden, more than 69 million Skype users can make a free phone call to you, IM you or leave a voice mail. It's a great way to provide sales and tech support."
While Klein makes a good point, we probably wouldn't have gone out of our way to add Skype if we hadn't been in the midst of a redesign anyway. Skype's user base is international, with only 9-10% of registered users in the United States. In addition, while Skype claims 276 million user accounts, that number includes inactive accounts as well as users with multiple accounts (neither of which are insignificant).
Businesses should consider how adding Skype as a contact method affects their internal practices. At Nimblelight, we always have someone in front of a computer, so it's not difficult to have that person keep an eye on our Skype account. For some types of businesses, Skype may not be worth the additional monitoring and training that comes with adopting any new communications technology.
 Although no official statistics have been released that detail Skype user demographics, it's safe to assume (as with most new technologies) that their users skew younger, wealthier and male. Skype may not be appropriate, therefore, for Dr. Phil's web site but might make a great addition to an online ski shop.
Skype is a great communications technology that should be considered for every business. But it's still a growing technology, so businesses don't need to rush to integrate it into their site. To minimize costs, businesses should wait until the next time they plan to redesign their web site (or at least their contact page) to add Skype.
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