There  was lots of lament and thrashing when Skype announced the forthcoming end to the Skype Extras program for distributing Skype software partners offerings. By the end of August, 2010 the Skype Extras item in the Skype for Windows client will go away. But does that mean the end for developing products and services that use the Skype API’s? Certainly three of Skype’s software partners do not think so; they each have recently launched either an upgrade or a new offering:

Scendix has released Pamela version 4.6, continuing the enhancement of its popular utility for managing, archiving and recording Skype calls. Pamela also lets you have some fun with its Rich Mood Message editor and Emotions player. But most importantly Version 4.6 provides the long sought recording of Skype video calls.

InnerPass last week launched version 2.0 of its Skype-enhanced document management offering. A new client, which, in addition to incorporating traditional document management features such as version management, also allows you to manage all your Skype activities – web collaboration with conference calling that also includes multi-party desktop sharing.

And yesterday, Netralia, whose Skylook and Call Burner offerings have built significant user bases since their 2005 and 2007 launches respectively, have just announced the forthcoming launch of Vodburner, “the first product on the market to create video podcasts”.

Netralia CEO Jeremy Hague, in the press release linked above, has nicely summarized the reality behind what is currently available to support development of applications that incorporate Skype:

“We are proud to announce the upcoming launch of VodBurner today, which comes at an interesting time for the Skype Developer community, given the recent announcement regarding the Extras programme.”

“I think Skype’s announcement has caught a lot of people off guard, and there may have been some overreaction in some of the media comments.   It is important to remember that the programme is only being closed in its current form.  This does not mean Skype is removing support for developer apps.”

“Skype has supported developers since 2004, with the release of the Skype Public API.  This support is continuing.”

“Extras Manager, a separate initiative, was introduced in early 2007.  The idea was great – provide new and existing apps with an advertising platform inside the Skype client, and a payment platform integrated with Skype Credits.”

“However, the implementation was lacking.  As you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, we believe Skype has made the right choice to curtail this programme.  We are hopeful that Skype will find another way to execute on the promise of some of the great ideas of the Extras Manager dept, but providers of Skype apps do not need to rely on this.”

“What we are about is providing great applications that make use of Skype’s technology to benefit people, who will hopefully go on to be our customers.  This was our approach before Extras Manager was first thought of, and will continue to be our approach regardless of the approach Skype takes in the future.”

The important point at this time is to emphasize that developers, who make the effort to use the API’s, can be successful and continue to dedicate resources to the development of new or upgraded products.

• They have all built significant user bases; InnerPass has has over 1.5 million downloads since its version 1.0 launch in January 2009.
• They have found new ways to work with Skype as a conversation tool.
• They have all developed products which contribute to making Skype disruptive about business.

Two previous posts on this subject:

• “Skype Extras” Is Dead; Long Live the Skype API’s!
• Demythifying the Skype Developer Story

And Scendix comments on the end of Skype Extras in their PamNews blog:

• No Skype Extras System anymore

Summaries and reviews of these new offerings will follow over the next two weeks.

Question: will we learn any more about Skype’s developer and/or business programs at next week’s eComm Europe? Nobody’s saying but … there is a keynote speaker from Skype, eComm Europe’s headline sponsor.

Building on Skype’s recent announcements of its evolving Skype for Business activities, Chief Strategy Office Christopher Dean gave a keynote address yesterday at a joint VON/Channel Partners Conference session. Three posts have followed up on the session:

Khali Henderson, in Skype Not Just Telecom’s “Bad Boy”, CSO Says, reports Christopher’s overview of their approach to business markets:

“Skype is no longer just sort of the ‘bad boy,’ disruptive influence in the telecommunications market,” he said. “What we offer is strong opportunities to leverage these trends for operators and their customers.”

The company, he said, is actively seeking partnerships with service providers – wireless and wireline operators and MSOs – as well as OEMs and ISVs and applications developers, to be part of what he calls an “emerging ecosystem.” Skype’s role is to be an overlay of services – audio conferencing, video, desktop sharing, presence, IM, file sharing and more – that drive demand.

Khali reports that Christopher went on to discuss the success of Skype’s partnership with the Hutchison 3 Group and the services offered involving 3’s Skypephone as an example of how Skype has helped a partner successfully build their business.

Alec Saunders reports on the session in Skype counters critics, embraces ecosystem:

…. Skype CSO Chris Dean began his remarks at VON by saying that there is an ongoing sea change in the telecom market, and it’s only accelerating.  The macro trends are around wireless, wireline, emerging applications and service models, the economy and the regulatory environment.  And he warned that there are immense risks to operators that don’t adapt.

Jon Arnold, in VON – Final Day/Skype Keynote – Seeking Channel Partners, reports:

Most of us know this [the business market] is a top priority for Skype, and the most newsworthy item from the keynote was their new focus on channels, which of course ties in nicely with both events here – VON and Channel Partners. The main idea here is that Skype will be launching a service provider VAR program later this year. Christopher provided a URL about the program for reference, but as you’ll see, there’s not much there yet.

So, in the course of a few minutes, the audience heard about how Skype is looking to cross the chasm and partner with service providers. That creates all kinds of interesting scenarios, and Christopher pointed out how this is part of their bigger vision to be more open and partner-friendly in the post-eBay world. On that note, he didn’t have much to say about the Extras program other than they understand how important it is, and are overhauling it now. So, it’s not quite dead yet….

Getting out a message differentiating the Extras program as a partner marketing program, which is coming to an end, from the evolution of any forthcoming Skype developer program has been difficult challenge for Skype. I suspect Christopher was really referring to Skype understanding how important a well-articulated and effective Skype developer partner program is. Reference to the Skype Service Partner Program was made in yesterday’s post: Skype for SIP: Getting Legitimization, Endorsement and Traction.

Bottom line: Christopher’s keynote is one more sign that Skype is getting serious about its approach to the business market, building on the recent launch of Skype for Asterisk and Skype for SIP. A significant challenge will be, once Skype is embedded within business communications infrastructure as a voice calling option, to evolve such that this infrastructure can then take advantage of its presence, chat and video infrastructure.

But perhaps more important: For over six years consumers and many businesses have experienced Skype as a lowl cost or free voice, chat and, more recently, video conversation service – with minimal support from Skype itself. Skype is finally gaining acceptance, certainly now at the communications vendor level, as a viable and reliable alternative to legacy PSTN services. And Skype finally appears to be building the resources and programs required to properly support business communications operations.

This trend recalls the early days, 25 years ago, of the PC itself when adoption of the PC as an enterprise resource only came about because employees were bringing PC’s into their offices on an individual basis and demonstrating the resulting productivity and cost effectiveness to their management. Been there; done that!

Skype VON 2009 Keynote Presentation – Christopher S Dean

View more documents from SkypeConversations.

Thanks to Jon Arnold for providing the pictures, with permission.

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