Did they even try?

Did Ebay even try to 'leverage the synergies'* between the two companies?

I'm not a heavy Ebay user, but I don't ever recall an (for example) link/icon on a tat page saying something like "Click here to speak to me now via skype". That is surely what they refer to 'entropic synergy leverage'** - I mean, if you are wanting to buy something a bit pricey, you want to speak to the dude first right? A little link to hook you up with the seller via skype, or take a voice mail if the seller isn't online? Isn't that what they were talking about.

Well, two points spring to mind:

1) They never (as far as I know) ever went down that road. Opportunity lost.

2) Skype could have added that feature on their own, and made an API available that *anyone* could use, just like cart icons on web pages (publicly available APIs that you are invited to code against). They didn't need to get bough for $2.6 billion to write an API! I would have developed it for them, for a mere fuckton of cash. Could have saved themselves loads that ebay lot, the silly beggers.

* To my hallowed fellow El Reg readers, I apologise

** Hey, I can spout this shit all day if you want me to!

But you should never pay full price

on something bought from eBay.

Skype needs to advertise.

Most people don't even know what Skype is. I use a standalone Skype phone and the service only cost three bucks a month plus a twenty four dollar Skype in number each year. Thats only $60/year! I know people paying $60/month for a traditional landline. The call quality of Skype is very good too. The standalone phones are expensive but that is a one time cost that quickly pays for itself. All Skype needs is some advertisement! Seems so simple. Why is Meg Whitman an such an airhead on this?

do yer maths

$2 billion equates to $125 per active Skype customer.

Given the average spend for each skype customer, this price does not compute.