Skype for Schools
I was talking to an admissions person at the school I work at. We were discussing student chat sessions using things like Chat University. It got me thinking why dont we do this with audio, like a confernce call? I have been using Skype for alot of my personal communication recently at home. I have a mic, the Skype client and a buddy (on my buddy list).
A little background for those of you who might not know about Skype:
It is like instant messanger but with audio. You have a buddy list and you click a person and start a chat. It literally has the same interface as an IM program. All you need to do it get a mic. Nothing special just a cheap one.
Anyways, so from here Skype has a thing called a Skypecast. You can have a free online confernce call or chat. You simply set it up on the site and then people can join in to the chat. Exactly like the old school chat sessions but with audio. I think it would be a bit more personal than simply a chat box. I am trying to run with this from here. There is new version of Skype coming out soon this will have stronger integration with Skypecast. It is currently in Beta.
Here are two articles with further info about the Beta and Skypecast integration
Skype 3.0 Beta – A Bloggers Paradise
First Look At Skype 3.0 Beta
You can also record the chats and make podcasts. And hey that is a buzzword so I’m sure you can sell someone on it 
on November 10, 2006 on 12:53 pm
Skypcasting is way cool! Participants in HigherEdBlogCon 2006 conducted a number of Skypecasts this past spring.
Skypecasts include moderator functions, booting and muting and even control of the mic.
Moderators can really command the “room.” Matt’s right. Skypecasts are ripe for exploitation in high education admissions, but in the business world at large too.
The only thing holding it back is the rarity, or perceived rarity, of computer mics or headsets.
on November 10, 2006 on 1:56 pm
A rarity of mics might be true but people also latch onto podcasts. This requires an iPod. Which not everyone has as well. However people have embraced this market. Or a least feal like they should. You really only need like a $5 mic so it might just be an added bonus for those who participate but so are the current web chats.
on November 12, 2006 on 2:33 pm
I haven’t seen it yet, but in the near future, your Skype username will be just as common as sharing your IM address. Better yet, for those with business cards, yours may have your Skype username with (or instead of) your phone. Cool!