Skype is a social network. Really, dammit! I have a profile. I have friends. We communicate. We do things. We update each other. It's extensible. Skype is a social network.

Google and friends introduced OpenSocial standard vaporware  specs and documentation this week. OpenSocial tells programmers who extend social networks with applications, how to write them so people in those networks can do new/more things in those networks.

It also promises programmers: write once, run everywhere. Everywhere being sites and services that are OpenSocial "containers."

Specs aren't public yet but the list of those buying in (at right) is impressive. MySpace are abandoning their own APIs in favor of OpenSocial. Orkut, Live Journal, TypePad, LinkedIn, Oracle, Salesforce say they will {pick one: adopt, employ, comply with, join, embrace, swallow, hug, love, adore} OpenSocial. Hype aside, it looks like a good thing.

Skype could easily be a container, letting plug-ins run in a client browser window. This wouldn't take away from Skype-specific apps. Skype as an OpenSocial container would:

• Create more conversational triggers
• Give users more reasons to keep the Skype client up and running
• Give friends of users more reasons to try/adopt Skype
• Enroll thousands of new developers to the Skype developer program

Skype could publish OpenSocial apps. Why not build Skype widgets into web based networks? Why shouldn't I be able to open my LinkedIn account and add Skype widgets to...

• Display my friends' moods/presence.
• People I chatted/talked with on this day a year ago.
• Public chats my friends and friends-of-friends find popular.
• Launch in-browser Skype chats. 

The upside is huge, the risk is tiny, and it's consistent with Skype's strategy of being where people want to talk.