Sunday, September 24, 2006

Why our students need Skype

Why does a student need Skype? For the same reason I do as an educator. Students need Skype so they can freely engage in collaboration and communication. If our university blocks Skype and other universities do not, we will be routed around. We will be at an competitive disadvantage at gaining market share in our market.

I use Skype every day in my work at San Jose State University. I have collaborated with fellow educators world wide using Skype. These conversations happen because I make public my Skype name.

If Skype is so evil, why is it allowed inside IBM and (I am told, Yahoo and other major corporations?) If it is such a terrible evil bandwidth hog why does my ISP route it?

Skype is the emerging standard in this segment. If there are four universities who block it because it is such a network killer why are hundreds of times that number allowing it? I am looking forward to hearing Ebay’s perspective on this issue on Tuesday.

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