After Google made its IM and voice application available, Skype announced it would let its products be integrated into software apps and web sites.
Luxembourg-based Skype reacted to the Google Talk debut by disclosing SkypeNet and SkypeWeb initiatives. Those proposals open the Skype platform to whoever may want to integrate its technology into other solutions or web presences.
Skype has 51 million users in just two years of operation, according to a press release. The company says that its move will create the largest open messaging platform in the world.
“(W)e think now is a perfect time to make these popular features available to anyone who wants to build community and communications into their website or applications,” said Niklas Zennstrm, Skype CEO and co-founder, in the statement.
Having Google move into one’s market space does seem to have made this a perfect time. Skype has been the center of takeover rumors involving Google and News Corp, and the arrival of Google Talk will probably push even more of those rumors into the news.
But Skype will fight that talk with its new initiatives, which make APIs for SkypeNet and SkypeWeb available to developers. Companies like eBay, Google, and Yahoo have conducted similar initiatives, seeking to build greater demand for their services through the efforts of third-party developers.
With developers building upon the Skype service, the company hopes to see compelling uses of its technology created. Will it be enough to out-talk Google Talk?
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
