A little context for my series about competing with Skype (so far 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108).

I love Skype-The-Product.

The company ain't bad either, changing the future of communication these last four years.

What could ruin this? Who is Skype hurting? How might they respond?

Skype and others are fighting this war on many fronts.

• "Unified communications" companies fighting for the enterprise as telephony.
• Office 2.0, but redefining workplace productivity.
• Mobile telephony, bringing Skype to purses and pockets, while incumbents defend walled gardens and coopt Wi-Fi.
• Commerce conversations, where talk augments bargaining and marketplaces.
• Embedding live talk in web advertising, as content, as sales, and as consumer communities.
• Adding live talk to online community, enriching relationships.
• Delivery through embedded devices and ubiquitous computing.
• Social [software | media | networks | search] connecting people in new ways.
• Portals embracing live experiences and blending them across their properties.

Wow. One front would be enough, but Skype reaches all of these spaces, and more. Focus (finding it, keeping it, adjusting it) and resource placement becomes harder and more important.

Back to the series...

How are rivals confronting each Skype challenge and opportunity? What tactics and tools are they using? How can these affect Skype? Skype's users? Skype's business and technology ecosystems? Skype's brand and reputation?

I want to explore these questions.

Then, having raised each threat, how can you prepare to defend Skype's business, technology, community? Can Skype lead in a more crowded and ever changing field? Can Skype build on first-mover advantages?

The fate of industries hangs on Skype's responses.

I sometimes think of Skype Journal as war correspondence (without the actual blood, violence, or bodily risk). We cover the grunts and generals, weapons and technologies, skirmishes and theater-wide campaigns, life in wartime, and how the conflict profoundly affects civilians. When we're lucky, we make sense and uncover meaning from the struggle. This series addresses tactics and strategy in this War for the Future of Conversation.  

So, thanks for your support. Pass the ammunition. And keep those war stories coming.