Skype Mac 2.8 Beta - +Sharing - Mood

Skype's taken the wraps off their 2.8 beta for Mac last night at CES and it's the first time I've felt like progress has been made on the overall product in years. Dan York's was the first review I read and very complete. I've also scanned others from Phil and Jim. In the end I want more. However on this beta two things stand out for me. 1. Video: First someone in Skype finally asked a very good question. Why can't we use Video for screen sharing? With different second party programs it was possible but never so convenient. I've cancelled my Glance Account effective immediately. It was burning $50/month hole in my wallet. Screen sharing is now possible from my Mac to any other Skype User. Window's users aren't so lucky and it is easy to see why. It's a lack of hardware standards. It's easy to swap from video to screen shot and back. It couldn't be easier. Thank you Skype. You now solve 95% of all my screensharing needs. 2. Mood Messages: Finally mood messages are beginning to learn from Twitter. Still while like the above someone is starting to ask some better questions and working to move the boundaries forward this only suggests potential rather than being a home run. Limiting it to Mac makes it useless as my own example shows. As soon as I use the mood update like Twitter I realize that Alec won't see it. In fact there is no rich language like Twitter for @ replies. DM's are easy… just open a chat window. Julian's mood updates also demonstrate that I don't want to see all his music updates. So in about 30 seconds it becomes clear that mood messages and mini status updates are not the same thing. The opportunity to "broadcast updates" to my buddies that might grow new conversations is interesting. It works on Twitter. Dan York made appropriate comments too re follow and unfollow. Mood messages as they are  fail to really reward the user. In the end that's the key. I'm sure I will forget about them again now. The Skype Mac beta also provides a "Boingo" connection although given the pricing and my general lack of need for such connectivity I don't see it as a big thing. Of note Jim and Phil have had a slanging match over the impact of this change on Skype Developers (are there any?). Jim says screen sharing is just a feature and fully developed collaboration platforms continue to offer a lot more. Phil says…. beware developers. As a user I've already voted. It's better.. much better! So bring it on Skype. As a developer I long ago gave up on Skype. If you are a mega company there are deals you may be able to do with Skype otherwise give it a pass. See also: Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac: Skype Access and Screen Sharing - Skype Blogs The update continues to leave me confused about Skype. There's a sense that there is more clarity in the direction and yet nothing major that really sets the world alight. Screen sharing will help build more users in a world where there's an economic downturn. Yet I don't see a cohesive mobile strategy emerging. As a mac user —- using the same basic platform that's on the iPhone I would have been ecstatic to see the first iPhone client. Frankly that would have had more impact and be many times more importance to the industry and to exploring the future. Skype user base continues to provide all the opportunities to be the real innovator in Telephony. The real innovations are still happening outside. I'd suggest if not already in place. Skype put someone in charge of iPhone developments. I'd also find some people that really get blogging and twitter. Skype's own site continues to hide the blogs (go to "share") and the mood message thing suggests to me that the Twitter factor isn't really understood. I'm certain I could write a killer iPhone strategy for Skype. I'm also convinced now that Skype still needs it. That means there's still hope for many others… and in that I'd include some of the other VoIP plays.