Social Media: Distance Communication Tools

I recently read an article called Can Skype Beat the Hype? Written in 2005, two years after Skype had first been created. It was interesting to read this article and hear the predictions they had for the still new program. The entire article discusses whether or not Skype is just a fad or if it will really become a useful tool in social media. I liked looking back and reading this and realizing just how much Skype has grown. Back in 2005 I had no idea what Skype was, I had never even heard of it. I am pretty sure I created my first Skype account back in 2008 and even then, at 5 years old, it still seemed so new. Now, in 2011, it is a well known media tool that is used for many different purposes. Some use it simply to chat with people in different locations, some use it for interviews, the list goes on and on but the basic idea is just to bring people who could not meet in person, together.
I had no idea just how many people used Skype. When the program was only 2 years old they already had over 47 million users. That is a very quick growth for a new tool. “Skype now has a cult following, but the challenge is going to be marketing it mainstream.. It is a techie delight that makes PC-to-PC calls. Whether it can make the leap to the big leagues will depend on shedding its image as primarily a geek thing.” says Xavier Dreze, marketing professor at Wharton.

The second article I read was called Skype, the Web Phone Giant, Brings Cheap Calls to Cellular by Brad Stone. This article discussed the possibilities of calling mobile devices from your computer, over the internet, using Skype. To some this is a new concept so I will briefly explain it; using Skype you can enter any mobile phone number you can call that phone number using your internet access and talk for just cents to the minute. It was reported in 2009 that over 400 million people are now using Skype as a communication tool.
This article also discussed when Skype released its cell phone applications. You can now long on and access your Skype right from your smart phone using WiFi or your carriers internet.