Skype Service Blackout
Thursday morning was not good to Skype. The service was intermittent at best and Skype themselves were not entirely sure about the cause. During this time they released the following statement:
UPDATED 14:02 GMT: Some of you may be having problems logging in to Skype. Our engineering team has determined that it’s a software issue. We expect this to be resolved within 12 to 24 hours. Meanwhile, you can simply leave your Skype client running and as soon as the issue is resolved, you will be logged in. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Additionally, downloads of Skype have been temporarily disabled. We will make downloads available again as quickly as possible.
I am no expert in P2P software, but leaving customers, some of them businesses with no voice services for 12 to 24 hours is very damaging to Skype's reputation.
World of Warcraft Now Accepts PayPal
This is a major account win for PayPal. Officially announced on the 14th of August, I am surprised there has not been more media coverage. After all, WoW has an astounding 8.5 million subscribers, making it the world's largest MMO (massive multiplayer online world), according to GigaOm. And its not just the absolute number of subscribers that make this so attractive to PayPal. In my opinion, it's as much to do with the subscriber demographics. A very large proportion of WoW subscribers will be underage and/or without credit card, thus making the PayPal funding alternative even more enticing.
In related news, AuctionBytes reports that Truition, a leading eCommerce technology provider, has integrated PayPal Express Checkout as a payment option for its Commerce Management System. Truition merchants can now easily offer thier consumers PayPal as a payment alternative.
