VoIP service provider, JaJah has introduced a protocol that enables Twitter users to originate phone calls over the Internet. As with JaJah’s core service, calls originate and terminate from traditional phones (not softphone’s or PCs) and no software (other than a Web browser) is required. The service, dubbed @call, lets a Twitter user use his Tweet to initiate a phone call to another Twitter user by including the @call assignation in the Tweet followed by “@username” of the other party. The preconditions are that both Twitterers must “follow” each other and both must have an active account with JaJah.

Believe me, it is nice to see voice conversations being integrated with social media (like the Vivox app on Facebook). However, I’m concerned about the overall user experience arising from the @call @username service. I’m going to defer to Phweet originator Stuart Henshall’s commentary the issues of potential latency in call set up, as well as the vulnerability to something akin to phone spam. But for now, I’m very glad to see that the largely screen-based world of social media is rediscovering the phone call.

Categories: Articles

Tags: Recombinant Telephony, VoIP, microblogging