I use Skype for Business. Kind of.

Perhaps it's Bay Area arrogance, but it still surprises me whenever I run into to someone who asks me - with a straight face - what Skype is. I don't use Skype because it's cheap; I use it because it's productive. It's my core IM service and, because I have clients who use it, increasingly I use it for video. SightSpeed probably delivers better quality in this regard but as these are peer-to-peer applications, I use what people ask me to.

This said, I don't use SkypeIn and I don't use any of the endless options for Skype Mobile. And hence my point for today. While I am an above average Skype user, I sense I take advantage of a lot fewer partner services then they would like. And there are plenty, as was brought to my attention by a response to a Jeff Pulver challenge last week. Have a look at all these Partners .

So get on Skype for Business. And have a second (or first) look at all that you can do with it. You'll still be one of the first, in the big picture. Just don't use it for conference calls.

Web 2.0 meets VoIP. Again.

Is it frothy in here or is it just me? Some days, it sure feels an awful lot like Y2K around here. Yoomba came across my screen last week and while I give it points for 'cool' factor, I'm not clear on the revenue model. Perhaps they're setting up to power social networks of some kind. I do like peer-to-peer stuff, but I like peer-to-anyone stuff even more.

On the other hand, hats off to Ooma, a unique and gutsy approach at grabbing permanent residential market share in VoIP. Probably shouldn't market to the SunRocket base though. I love that they're taking aim at shifting how people think about their phone service, not only at how they think about the price of it. Ooma requires a one time equipment cost which, unless they're prepared to absorb bigger acquisition costs, could prove challenging. Even so - as a home business owner - I would love to try it (multiple lines, transfers). Too bad so few people read my blog otherwise maybe I would have gotten a free trial...

When will Microsoft UC be here

No idea, really. Maybe Vegas does. But have a look at this take on how MSFT is building a funnel in advance of their launch - Microsoft to partners: Get cracking on voice. I've often wondered what it would be like to be a Microsoft Partner. And I still do a double take every time I see the word 'voice' in the same sentence as Microsoft.

While I believe that buying UC from Microsoft will fit nicely as an extension of Exchange and LCS (or vice versa), I don't see it in the SMB. That segment increasingly needs the whole shooting match from one provider, including the voice transport.

On a somewhat related note, I want to congratulate CallTower on being included in the year's CRN's Fast Growth 100. CallTower had the vision to include both LCS and Exchange in the hosted UC services, years before anybody else. Great SMB solution.

Travel weary from Toronto

Even now - 10 years removed - every time I go to Toronto I can't help but think of its nickname back when it was in vogue for us Montrealers to dislike it. "T0" (as in T-Zero). But to be fair, Toronto has indeed come a long way; perhaps helped by so many people from Montreal having moved there...

All this and the joys of travel (none) aside, my week in Toronto did leave me with a very lasting impression. I spent it at the headquarters of an incredible - yet relatively little known - company called WSI. In business since the late 90's, this franchise machine now has almost 2,000 'Internet Consultants' around the globe selling Internet Marketing services to small businesses. What started as a website business is now a channel with reach like almost none other, feeding the growing appetite of small business everywhere.

If we need any further evidence that the telephony world is no longer simply about answering phones, I was with WSI this week to help launch their new Voice marketing services, powered by another exciting and perhaps less know company (ifbyphone). Internet Marketers selling voice-enabled solutions - and thrilled to be doing so.

Just the same, I am happy to be home until the road calls again soon. And my thanks go out to the family that no-showed for my flight home and landed me in my very own row. Maybe there was one joy after all.

San Francisco Summer? Not really.

It's that time of year again when I get to watch the tourists freezing on the corner, with a look of shock on their faces. Saturday we didn't even break 60 here! It was so foggy, there were even puddles on the ground. And trust me, it did not rain.

Every summer around this time I swear I have had enough of living in cold summers and then, just in time, fall and winter roll around. I grew up in Montreal, so sunny and 60 on a January day is enough to keep me happy in the fog. We do live in weird weather here, though. As it was so cold on the weekend, we escaped to Wine Country for a few hours (I know that sounds snobby) and sure enough, it was 30 degrees warmer but 30 miles away. Long live Sonoma.

The All-Star game is in town this week, which will surely bring with it its share of under-dressed tourists...

Worth Reading

It seems common place to list site names you like on your blog. So I've started a list. For the most part, you need to like to telecom to find these sites interesting (except, maybe, for the one about dogs).

There are really an endless string of sites to choose from to keep up to date, and while I try to read many of them, the ones to the right are among those I like best. I choose them either for vision and opinions (UC Strategies), for layout and content (VoipLoop), or becuase they keep me up to date in very little time (SmallBizTechnology). Most of them offer a newsletter or alert of some sort, which I also recommend. In fact, I realize I did leave one out - SmallBizResource - which as a small business owner, I have found valuable here and there.

I am sure you all have your own lists of favorites - even if you don't blog - and I would love to hear about them. Until we blog again.

Welcome

Blogging. My time has come. After more than 15 years talking about telecom (us salespeople tend to talk a lot) I am joining the blogging world. It took months of great indecision but I'm here. I read so many blogs and newsletters these days - and form opinions - and I'm told this is my chance to voice them. Among other things.

I can't promise that all the content will be about telecom, or channels for that matter. I do live in San Francisco - I'm a fan of all that is baseball (including Bonds), good food, wine and all sorts of technology. I'm fortunate in my work to come into contact with all sorts of great companies that not enough people know about, and hope to shed some light on those for others.

A blogging consultant (yes, they have those too) told me that to do it right, I need to post every day. Not a chance. But I will try to post weekly. Thanks for reading.