Microsoft has unveiled a commercial
networking site where small businesses can promote their products and services
and interact with potential customers and partners primarily using Skype.
The new website, called Skype in the
Workspace (SITW), is free and already being used by about 500 small businesses
that began participating in it during its six-month beta period, Microsoft said
on Thursday.
Skype lets users communicate via IM,
group video conferencing and IP telephony, and Microsoft hopes that the SITW
site will show entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses how they can use
Skype to increase sales, find new customers, market their wares and connect
with experts for advice.
After joining the site with a Skype
or LinkedIn account, companies can post invitations on SITW to potential
customers and partners interested in learning more about their business via
Skype sessions. Users can also share their SITW actions on their Facebook,
LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
Microsoft bought Skype for US$8.5
billion in October of last year, and has said from the start that it has big
plans for it beyond maintaining it as a separate service.
Earlier this week, Microsoft stunned
many industry observers with its announcement that it will close Windows Live
Messenger next year -- except in mainland China -- and that its users need to
migrate over to Skype. Microsoft is also busy working to integrate Skype into
its enterprise productivity and collaboration products, including Office, Lync
and SharePoint.
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