VoIP Moves in on Social Networking

By Stefania Viscusi

TMCnet Assistant Editor

 

Social networking sites have continued to rise in popularity as the phenomenon of connecting and sharing pieces of one's life with family, friends and those with similar interests occurs. Most social networking sites gain their praise from the ability members have to create unique profiles, share videos and photos and create personal blogs for the public.

 

Now, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has made its way into one of the newest social networking sites, Speecho.com to allow not only all the favorable functions of other offerings, but also the ability to hold free voice conversations with other members regardless of their location.

 

The proprietary VoIP services offered by Speecho.com connect community members over the internet and make it possible to take their sharing and communications to another level.

 

With VoIP, voice travels over an IP network, so users are able to enjoy borderless communications at no extra cost.

 

With this latest Web 2.0 social networking site, free global voice telephony services make talking with someone on the other side of the world via an Internet connection possible and no longer limit communications to just chatting via IM or updating information on ones personal networking page.

 

The Speecho.com website is distinct from other sites with a unique set up of a 36-room house, the "Speecho Mansion" with rooms each dedicated to a specific topic and group. The foreign language room, giving people the ability to speak in their native dialects, the library, for sharing research and homework with classmates, or the gym, for sports enthusiast, are just a few examples.

 

The Click2Talk voice application members use to connect with others for voice communications opens not only dialog that is beneficial for members, but also presents advertisers with "highly targeted real estate," a news release noted.

 

The news release also pointed to a November 2006 report by Hitwise that found the average "session time per visit to social networking sites is about three times that of other websites."

 

Already realizing the immediate benefits of VoIP, Elliot Krasnow, one of the brainchildren of the site, commented in a statement, "I'm already receiving thank you messages from parents, who through Speecho, have found a way to drastically cut down on their kids' telephone bills."

 

Krasnow also commented on the value of VoIP for social networking, "It may not be something one thinks about, but every person belongs to a speech community, a group of people who share the same language."