Yuuguu desktop sharing becomes less dependent on Skype

In their latest update, as Yuuguu launches a browser-only flash client, they complete moving participant chat from Skype right into their screen sharing application. They can because they already have the people in a collaboration session.

This adds value in two ways.

First, it keeps the visual part of the conversation right in line of sight, without any application or contextual switching. Adjacency should improve user focus and overall satisfaction.

Second, it reduces dependence on Skype's software and on Skype as a company. (Diversification vs. eggs-in-one-basket.)

Second and a half: It opens up the potential for eventually building voice conferencing into their new flash app. Although Skype remains a voice channel, Yuuguu sells access to a voice conferencing bridge. Participants can can dial in from desk or mobile phones so call quality is not affected by desktop power or connectivity and so conference calls can scale to 30 people, more than Skype's native capacity. Should they care to, Ribbit APIs make it easy to add voice right into their flash application.

The downside of embedding their own chat: people are relying on Skype's multichats and public chatrooms for extended conversations. So a Skype chat could both precede/trigger and follow a Yuuguu session. In that case, increasingly common in workplace teams, using Yuuguu's chat feature will leave a hole in the Skype chat archive.

Wishlist: A perfect implementation would have the Skype chat move into the Yuuguu flash experience. So the yuuguu chat and Skype chat were exactly the same and nearly synchronous. This would let people in a group Skype chat keep focus in the yuuguu session without giving up the personal and collective memory that lives in the Skype experience. Sadly, this isn't technically or commercially feasible with today's Skype APIs. It may become feasible if Skype executes on its vision of helping companies put Skype into their applications.

See also:

• Three big milestones in Skype's fifth year and Rumor: BT buying Ribbit, takes on Skype, Google

• Yugma Skype Edition: Cross Platform Desktop Sharing, Yugma Skype Edition Version 3: Fluid Collaboration, Yugma Skype Becomes Skype Certified

• WebDialogs Unyte Re-emerges out of IBM SameTime Group... 

• Convenos Meeting Center: Your Conference Board Room on the Internet

Technorati tags: skype, yuuguu, conferencing, desktop sharing, screen sharing, platform, platforming