I've been trying to embrace what my brother calls "extreme gratitude," in a Skype context. On this Thanksgiving day I'm grateful for:

Skype the Provocateur. Showing VoIP could be a consumer hit, Skype lit a fire under hundreds of software companies, portals, mobile operators, cable operators, and phone companies. I'm glad they've unleashed a torrent of attention and resources to re-imagining and building the conversation economy. And I'm pleased I get to chronicle this revolution.

Skype the Privacy Advocate. My calls are private. Encrypted. Nobody's business but mine. I'm glad Skype makes it safe for NGO workers in totalitarian states to call the office and securely exchange documents. I'm glad it lets aid workers in disaster and war zones call home. In times of fear, governments forget restraint and usurp basic freedoms. Skype is more private than land lines, cell phones, wireless phones, or carrier pigeons. I'm thankful they've advocated, through their engineering, that privacy should be the default, not an option.

Skype the Relationship Keeper. Friends are hard to come by. Skype helps. I've blogged since 1998. That, and working for a large Swiss company, helped me meet people and make friends throughout Europe and the Americas. Skype helps me keep those relationships vivid, personal, and current. Partly because it is free or cheap. But more because Skype makes it so easy and convenient to hear their voices and all the little sounds of their offices and homes and cars.

Skype the Bridge Builder. I'm also meeting strangers through Skype (some very strange and you know who you are!) from everywhere English is spoken. Millions of relationships are being sustained. Far flung expatriates, emigres, soldiers, students, and refugees are calling home and staying in touch. Even more than other channels, Skype is keeping people connected to their families and communities. But Skype also helps people forge new ties across geographic, age, and cultural borders. And for that I'm grateful.

For what in the Skyposphere do you give thanks?