• Bill Campbell (somewhere between Skype HQ in London and Skype R&D in Tallinn),
• Martin Geddes (at VON Boston)
• Jim Courtney (at VON Boston)
• Phil Wolff, managing editor (Digital ID World, San Jose) on Tuesday. Skype me or call my mobile at +1-510-444-8234.

If you want blood in your story, here's some advice.

1. Download Skype
2. Turn it on and keep it on
3. Add a headset and a webcam
4. Set your profile to Skype Me
5. Talk to random strangers
6. Take notes. Even record the calls.

You won't get the story until you talk with people over Skype, chat with someone around the world, compare the weather, learn something, somehow apply Skype to your work.

Here are some of the most common questions we're asked by reporters new to the Skype beat.

• Why is Skype so popular?
• How many people use Skype?
• Is eBay getting its money back?
• What is Skype?
• How does Skype make money?
• What's a Skypecast?
• Who uses Skype?
• How do you pronounce Skype?
• Will Skype be used in business?
• Will Skype kill AT&T or be killed by AT&T?
• Will Skype kill eBay or be killed by eBay?
• How fast are eBay sellers adopting Skype?
• What's the difference between Vonage and Skype and VoIP and IM?

Cooler questions:

• How will Skype get to $1 billion revenue?
• Why is Skype a screaming success everywhere but the US?
• What are the five biggest external threats to Skype?