Congratulations to the Jyve team who submitted a personal presence server with browsing and call forwarding to win the Skype Developer Competition. Full kudos to them. All the details can be found on the Skype site here. I certainly enjoyed supporting them during testing and constantly asking for more. Well done guys! Some of the others won't come as any surprise to Skype Journal readers, you have already read about them on these pages. Certainly shows the inventiveness and in some cases playful nature of Skype Developers.

Some of the other entrants. The only one I'm yet to try is the Dial MP3.

• Jybe, a simple and easy to use tool for sharing office documents and enabling real time collaboration over the web with Skype contacts.
• Dial Mp3, which allows you to listen to any mp3 in your collection on your phone.
• Pamela Basic, a personal assistant for Skype that answers calls and chats for you in 32 languages when you are away.
• Gizmoz, which lets all Skype users communicate with animated, 3D talking headz. :
• YapperNut Answer Machine for Skype ("Amy"), which offers voicemail, delayed messaging and allows you to receive and send messages when away from the computer.
• Spontania Video4IM, a high-quality video solution

Commercial Mentions:

• KhaosLabs - Free ActiveS COM wrapper.
  
• Columbus CRM (Skype integration with CRM solution)


• ISkoot (free call forwarding)


• Audiomatic (voice activated macros including Skype commands)


• SalesForce CRM integration

The SkypeNet will soon jump to a whole new level of enablement. Skype is readying their own link tags which will be incorporated in an upcoming release. While there are real parallels to "Jyve's" solution set launched just days ago, Skype's move is a giant leap towards becoming the standard communications platform for the internet.

Everyone that has an online community or runs a website will see the potential. By simply adding a standard string of Skype code any visitor will be able to click and chat, call or send a voice mail etc. No plug-in or additional download will be required. This means anyone can use Skype buttons.

Examples of Potential Skype Links: skype:+18005550000 skype:+18005550000?call skype:echo123?call skype:echo123?chat skype:echo123 skype:echo123?voicemail skype:user1;user2?chat (creates multichat) skype:user1;user2?call (create conference call) skype:echo123?add (add to contactlist; show authorization) skype:echo123?sendfile (open sendfile dialog to skypename)

Actual Jyve Tags Call to: Chat Message to me: Leave a Voice Mail:

Note this builds on the adoption of the callto:// tag that was almost forgotten until Skype came along and used it. The downside. We may now see mass duplication as other IM systems add similar functionality. Still the real-time web is drawing a step closer. This creates all sorts of opportunities from eBay sellers to large scale communities and yellow page listings.

If you want to get the jump on how these will work and how you can enable your site, then download the Jyve Plug-in. When Skype launches their updated version just update the tags. I expect it will be easy to swap over. In the meantime you can prototype new solutions.

The benefit to Skype. Webpages become another viral asset. Visitors without having Skype who click on a chat or call button will see a popup that points them to download Skype.

The lesson for developers? If you are going to mess with applications that can easily be added into Skype then you will find your good ideas uplifted. Sometimes in just days. The learning is focus on "integration" and new functionality when required that can be jointly developed together. In the future you may even get paid by Skype for such developments.

Frustrated by not being able to share your online presence at your favorite social networking site? Want to add your Skype presence information and contact details to Typepad or Yahoo360 (not on Yahoo360!)? Perhaps even a business or calling card to your website or blog. Or include your contact information and online status as part of your signature in a forum or on an email.

About a year ago I wrote about a Jyve Card and have used it ever since on my personal website. When you click on the Skype Card button up pops a new window with my contact details, my online status and various ways to get in contact with me. A business card and mini profile all in one.

Click to open my Skype Card.
Which scaled down looks like this:

To get your own Skype Card, just do the following.

1)Download and Install Jyve WebTools Skype plug-in
2)After Download Jyve will start.
3)Follow this link to http://plugin.jyve.com/skypecard/
4)Fill in the form. Your current Skype profile information will already be included. You may change this if you wish.
5)Press save and copy the html at the bottom of the page onto your blog or webpage. Save. View your card. Make amendments.
6)As long as your Jyve-Skype plug-in is running your presence information will be updated on the card and on any website you choose to leave it on. For example it's on my RYZE page. Add it to a flexible platform like a wiki (sometimes you need to change the code), perhaps MSN spaces... whereever want to share your presence.
7.Manage your online Jyve presence status. Options include "in a call" disclosure and a independent status control.

The very observant will note there is a change from the first system that enabled easy and quick call back information. Messages are no longer sent to a central server. You must have Skype n Jyve installed to use the calling features.

It may have been a coincidence however yesterday I received a note from Richard Moross the founder of something called PleasureCards. I played around quickly on the site. What intigued me was the business model to get card printed. I liked less the highly structured control of the information. Still combine PleasureCards with a Jyve WebTools and some interesting new opportunities would emerge. What I'd really like for the Jyve - Skype Card is a format for creating it that mimics Google's personal page in beta. See this. http://www.google.com/ig The flexiblity to move elements around is what will really make products like these take off.

Ever miss an important Skype call? Want to forward your inbound Skype Calls to your mobile phone and are willing to spend a few SkypeOut minutes to do it? Jyve offers a quick and easy solution to make it happen. More importantly you can forward calls from specified buddies or anyone.

To add call forwarding for your Skype.

1. Download Jyve Web Tools
2. Activate the "Advanced ON"
3. Select Call Forwarding
4. Point Jyve to your phone number or the Skype name you want to forward calls to.
5. Make sure you have a paid up SkypeOut balance. You pay for calls forwarded.

Note the same feature will also act as a ringer. Ringing your home phone and letting you know that your PC has a Skype caller.

How does it work?
When Jyve Skype Forwarding is active, your calls will be forwarded to the number or Skype name you have specified. Jyve enables call forwarding by sending the caller a text message (well not yet on SkypeIn) that the call is being forwarded. Then Jyve creates a conference call, muting the mic and speakers on your PC and connecting the Skype call to your mobile or another telephone or Skype client. It's a simple solution. When the callers hang up the conference bridge ends. Jyve is then ready to forward the next call.

Jyve relaunched over the weekend with a new set of WebTools to create the first really interactive Skype enabled websites. Jyve WebTools is a free program that partners with Skype to do things you could never do before. From call forwarding to online "presence" data. You can download it here.

When Skype provided the SkypeMe button and linked it to a callto:// tag, many bloggers began asking for more. Presence indicators that show online status, the desire to get text messages rather than calls etc. It's also why I've kept pushing on "presence" and "presence strategies" for these solutions have huge implications for businesses. So here's why this version of Jyve is a big stealthy idea. It's the prototype for a revolution in online presence. Jyve may have a few months on Skype (it's in the works at Skype) and the Jyve WebTools will evolve. Jyve puts the control of "web presence information" and contact capabilities in your hands under your control. You can share it where you like and turn it on or off when you like. You can be offline on your website and online for your buddies. A first look at a future where you control your presence information and decide who will be your presence agent(s).

Real-timing Social Networks:
Jyve begins the process of "real-timing" social networking sites. When I go onto a website where I want to connect with others I don't want to wait for e-mail messages to be exchanged. While on many sites there are so few people online that there's nobody I'd be likely to want to talk to. Jyve WebTools have the potential to shake it all up and solve the Lavalife problem. Lavalife claim 8 million registered users and yet only 2000+ are likely to be online at any one time. Jyve creates the potential to connect with people who have registered for a site and yet aren't currently logged in. With Jyve presence activated you can get messages from people who are looking at your profile right now. Exchanges can become "real-time" with voice. Whether for dating, translations, meeting other people or for talking about specific topics, Jyve provides the potential for websites to make their profile directories more active. Just go to Jyve and see what I mean. Go to Jyve

What Jyve WebTools do:
Jyve is pioneering a new series of website interaction opportunities for Skype visitors. Advanced buttons enable Skypers to send voice messages, open text chats and even create conference calls just by clicking buttons you can add simply to your webpages. The same program also allows you to share your presence information. From "online" to "away" or "in a call", finally presence indicators on webpages are beginning to have meaning.

For Charles and the development team at Jyve they are the first with a stable scalable Skype presence product. Congratulations! I'm personally hoping that Skype pays real attention to the presence opportunity. I'm afraid that they will think short term and go after centralizing and providing their own presence servers. Instead where we really need the effort is in the Presence API and tying it to the SkypeOut account. In the meantime download Jyve and share the word. Go to the Jyve community and see them in action. This should give you some ideas of what a true Skype Interactive website could include. You now can also have the same functionality on your website.

Please explain Web tools and how to use them:
The web tools are a set of buttons that you can add to your website that make your site Skype Interactive. People can now imitate a Skype communication with you or each other through your website. There are buttons for Instant Messaging, Voice Mail and Calling as well as other useful Skype functions.

How do I get started?
You install the plug-in (1 Meg), takes 5 seconds. And you can interact with any site that has the advanced Jyve-Skype buttons. With the Plugin installed, you now can broadcast your Presence to any website you choose simply by adding your button to the site:

What do I have to do to get my Presence working?
Nothing! The moment you install the Jyve Plugin, your Presence starts working. And it updates in real-time. You have the ability to turn it On/Off as well as broadcast a different Presence to the web than you do to your Friends.

Note: Jyve is a program like other SkypeAPI programs which have access to all the data tranmitted though the SkypeAPI. Jyve WebTools currently update the Jyve server only with changes in your presence information.