This story by Dean Takahashi in Venture Beat provides vivid evidence of the changing models for call origination among social network participants. It shows that Second Life, one of the first “immersive” social networks, has generated 15 billion minutes of Web-based voice conversations in the 18 months since it was introduced. Monthly volume, these days, exceeds 1 billion minutes a month.

According to one report, this is about 12% of the traffic level on Skype these days, but given the much smaller user base, it speaks to the power of linking voice channels to all the increasingly addictive social networks. Imagine what voice services associated with Twitter might generate.

Voice services for Second Life rely on SLim, a platform operated by Vivox, a VoIP service provider cofounded by Jeff Pulver and funded by a roster of VC’s that includes Benchmark Capital, Canaan Partners and GrandBanks Capital. Positioned as the voice channel for online communities and multiplayer games, Vivox claims that its network supports over 10 million users in more than 180 countries.

The infectious growth of VoIP and new models for call origination and management is given further validity in corporate settings. Aleassa Schambers of Aspect Software reported via Twitter that thirteen weeks into a phased roll-out of Microcost’s Office Communications Servicer 2007 R2, employees had already generated in excess of 1.8 million inbound and outbound call minutes.

Categories: Articles

Tags: Recombinant Telephony, Unified Communications, VoIP, Second Life, Microsoft OCS