Wouldn't it be nice if you could educate novice Skype users of the importance of text messaging a person before ringing her? Skype is not a telephone, it is much, much more.

We need not continue using these new tools in the ways history has shown us. We need not be interrupted, distracted and made slaves of a ringing device on which we have next to no control.

Photo credit: Carlos Paes

Skype, the real-time telephone replacement technology that is being used by over 2 million individuals every day, is rapidly increasing its reach while expanding its capabilities and features in a multitude of interesting ways.

Thanks to the Skype API a number of companies have started created complementary tools and facilities to augment Skype already powerful feature-set.

The latest addition to cross my exploration path, came thanks to wakeful eye of Stuart Henshall, one of the few competent people in the field of online communication and collaboration tools and the author of the excellent Skype Journal, an online blog I strongly recommend.

This new Skype plug-in allows quite a few interesting things including the ability to:

a) display your Skype status on any Web page,

b) provide pre-customized auto-responding messages to those who ring you or text chat you while you are busy in another Skype call

c) activate a call forwarding facility that can make your mobile or landline ring you when you can answer important Skype calls

d) co-browse web pages in synch with any Skype contact through a custom dedicated browser.

By downloading a Skype plugin called Jyve, anyone can easily activate all of the above features in a matter of minutes.

Here is the detail of the four features activated by the Jyve Skype plugin:

Public Web Presence
This feature allows you to generate a simple code snippet that can be embedded on any web page on your site and which displays publicly your Skype status to your web site visitors.
This can be particularly useful for virtual teams and other closed networks where members have definite advantages of seeing the presence status of their colleagues without needing to keep visible too many separate applications. Since the code created can be easily embedded in any web page, Skype presence can be easily integrated into Intranet pages as well as on any other web application interface in which HTML code can be included.

Call Forwarding
With the call forwarding facility provided by this plugin Skype picks up rapidly on some of the recently emerged competitors unique features (see JaJah and Gizmo Project) while adding some of its own. Call forwarding allows a Skype user to specify a mobile or land line telephone number to be dialed anytime a Skype call is received which cannot be directly attended. There is also a notify option that just rings your home phone (without forwarding the call) to notify you somebody is calling on Skype. It is also possible to forward the call to another Skype user if you wish and to select to forward only calls coming from specific users.

Auto-responder
Like the other ones above, the auto-responder feature is a very useful addition to the core Skype feature-set and it allows to personalize a set of auto-answering messages that can be sent out via Skype to people who try to call you or message you while you are in another call or in those situation where you would like not to be disturbed while providing more information than just "not available" sign.

Co-browsing
The Jyve plug-in integrates also a full mini-browser whcih can be used to navigate in synch with other selected Skype users, any set of online pages. This feature which is common in many web conferencing and online collaboration systems is generally referred to as Co-browsing, Web Touring or Web safari.

Finally, the Jyve Web Tools is a set of icons and customizable scripts that allow Skype calls and chat exchanges to be initiated from a Web page, as well as providing them with the ability to send you a voice mail, add your name to their contact list and more.

From the same team who developed the Jyve plugin, you can also get the useful Skype Card, a free online facility that will automatically generate for you code that once embedded into your site, will allow readers to see your full Skype business profile and to directly contact you via the interactive buttons embedded in it.

The Jyve Skype plugin (only for windows XP and 2000)is completely free and can be downloaded here.