I didn’t think that I could love another new gadget as much as I love my Smartphone. However, I have recently discovered Skype and become a huge fan. Technically, Skype is a software product that allows you to video chat online. Basically you can talk live and in-person over the internet without using your cell phone and racking up minutes or video fees. My love affair started over the holiday after receiving the new Wii Fit Plus game for Christmas. If you have a Wii, you know that part of the fun is competing with family or friends – or in my case providing video fodder for submission to America’s Funniest Home Videos. Anyway, Skype has allowed me to play Wii with family and friends across the miles. While we can’t give each other high fives we can still share in the thrills of victory or (again in my case) the agonies of defeat.
Apparently, my infatuation with this service is shared by many. A recent New York Times article about real-time interactive technology reports a huge surge of popularity with Skype-type products and that many companies are working feverishly to provide additional shared video products/experiences. Verizon Communications, for example, offers a Facebook connection tied to its FiOS Internet service where people can post messages while they watch a TV program. Video game console makers like Microsoft and Sony also have various voice chat and messaging system products available.
According to the article, one of the most popular uses of Skype is for the shared experience of watching and commenting on TV shows. Friends with “gather” via Skype to watch programs such as General Hospital, Gossip Girls or Dancing With the Stars. Skype is perfect for the generation that wants a more interactive experience in everything that they do and marketers think that this type of interaction will lead to a more engaged audience. Definitely a consumer trend to watch. You can check the technology out for yourself at Skype.com and (literally) see what you think.
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