Hack31.Enable Site Visitors to Skype You

Hack 31. Enable Site Visitors to Skype You

Want to make it easier for folks to Skype you? Put a Skype Me link on your web site or blog, and your visitors will chime in.

Chances are if you have a web site, you have more than enough HTML skills to pull off this simple hack. If visitors to your web site have Skype installed on their computers, they already have the Callto URI handler set upin other words, they can click a link on your page to call you using Skype. Here's an example of such a link, at the upper-left corner of the page in Figure 3-4.

Figure 3-4. A Skype Me link embedded in a web page

The nifty Skype Me graphic is provided by the good folks at Skype, so all you need to do to create this link is plug in a bit of HTML with your Skype username, like this:

 <a href="callto://Your_Skype_Name"> <img src="/books/3/439/1/html/2/http://goodies.skype.com/graphics/skypeme_btn_small_blue.gif" border="0"></a> 

You'll need to replace Your_Skype_Name with your own Skype namehopefully that was obvious to you. The image I've used in Figure 3-4 is blue (believe it or not). If blue isn't your color, you can visit http://www.skype.com/community/ for a host of other colors, sizes, and styles of ready-made Skype Me graphics. Once you stick one of these buttons on your home page, all Skype users need do is click it, and seconds later, you'll receive a Skype call.

If the user clicking your Skype link doesn't have Skype installed and is on a Windows machine, the Callto handler will try using NetMeeting instead! For this reason, you should add a Skype download link for them and suggest visitors install it before they try to Skype you using your link.