Skype Prime: Consultants and Phone Sex

Skype is launching something that competes with "900" numbers, ostensibly to create a "global online marketplace": hey, don't we have one of those already? I bet it will fail in that area, just like Ether (see this and that) and related services, that have basically gone nowhere. Their pitch:
Skype Prime™ Beta — introducing the global expertise marketplace - Skype Blogs.

How does it work?

When you call someone who is a Skype Prime call provider, and you both have the new version of Skype, the provider can initiate what we call a “payment request”. That is, all calls start as free, but you can then switch to the paid calling, charging either by the minute or a one-off fixed fee. The call then proceeds as a paid Skype Prime call and your Skype Credit is deducted by the appropriate amount that then goes to the receiver’s account. The provider does not get the call fees directly as Skype Credit — rather, they go into a special holding “box”. The provider then receives the revenue via PayPal.

I bet it will rapidly become phone sex for fee. Which is a huge market, after all.

tags: phone+sex, skype+prime, ether, online+markets

Comments

[Bruno Figueiredo]

That's precisely what I thought the first time I saw the press release. It's going to be huge for phone sex. But it will also be a good opportunity for small companies that want to set up a call centre for cheap.

[David]

Video, not phone...you know what, its actually plausible...

[Aziz]

I work for Wengo (a french based start-up) and we already developed a similar concept (with a marketplace) where experts/consultants could provide & monetize their services Online. The V2 of the website will be live in two weeks with big big changes in, so stay tuned ;-)

For more details you can check: www.wengo.com

[Fred Welsh]

I denote Skype's plan for their exclusive feature, Skype Prime. As other commenters have noted, this feature will encourage sexual explicit calls in video form. Customers should consider other VoIP services, because I have a feeling Skype will be eventually be filled with sex-straved consumers.

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