May 2009

Cross-posted from the Skype for Business blog

Our user experience research team needs the help of UK businesses to shape the future of our business products and features.

In their continual drive to improve our products they’d like to visit your premises for half a day and conduct interviews with a selection of Skype users and decision makers, and observe how Skype is used in your business. Data collected will be strictly confidential and not shared or used for any purposes other than improving Skype for Business.

Your feedback has the potential to influence design changes, new features and product offerings. We’ll also offer compensation of €200 of Skype Credit (or equivalent in Pounds Sterling) for your time.

If you’re interested in participating please complete this form.

Gordon and Rita Galletly make a Skype video call to their friend Mitchell Block.

Today is Britain’s Silver Surfers’ Day, and to celebrate the occasion, I thought I’d bring you a heartwarming story from a few months ago. Our friends at Age Concern managed to set up a conversation between two UK-based senior citizens and one of their friends in the US at one of their regular IT events at their centre in Islington in north London.

It was the first time Gordon and Rita Galletly hadn’t seen their old friend Mitchell Block for 20 years, so the Skype video call was a special occasion, but the Galletlys seemed to be bitten by the Skype bug after the experience.

There are loads of events happening today to celebrate – take a look at the Digital Unite blog for more details – but to all of you older readers, now’s the time to introduce a friend to Skype

Gordon and Rita Galletly make a Skype video call to their friend Mitchell Block.

Keira Knightley in a TV interview – photo by moonhouse.

When Rupert Friend was asked how he and Keira Knightley keep in touch when they’re on location in far flung places, his response was an emphatic:

“We use Skype – old school!”

A Skype video call is the key to their often long-distance relationship, according to articles in mypark and OK.

Still, ‘old school’ isn’t bad for a five-year-old piece of software, eh?

Our buddies at 3 have put together a nifty Facebook app which lets you find out which of your Facebook friends are using Skype.

Simply add the app to your profile, tell it your Skype name, invite your friends to add it too, and it’ll tell you which of them are Skype users – it’s a great way to expand your Skype contact list.

You never know, there might be a few surprises in there – you could end up having a video call with a long-lost university friend, or catching up with a business contact by instant message. And with hundreds of thousands of people signing up to Skype every day, you’ll be able to spot them as soon as they join