Skype brings VoIP to MySpace

Skype and MySpace this week announced plans to bring free voice-over-IP calling to the social networking site.

The new service, dubbed MySpaceIM with Skype, brings together MySpace’s instant messaging client with Skype’s VoIP calling service. The result: MySpace users can make free calls to MySpace “friends” as well as other Skype users.

Social networks are increasingly pulling in VoIP capabilities. Skype was purchased by eBay—which subsequently wrote off a huge chunk of the acquisition price—to do just that: enable community-driven voice calling. While VoIP on eBay didn’t take off—most likely because users have selling, not talking on their minds—social networks are all about communications, making the addition of voice to the mix an obvious one.

The companies said the new capabilities would be available in November. Terms of the deal were not announced.

In addition to free Skype-to-Skype calling, Skype offers fee-based calling and voicemail services, thus making MySpace a very large new distribution channel for the VoIP provider.

To address privacy concerns, MySpace users will be able to set their profile to accept calls only from people on their friends’ lists.