Skype status on YubNub

YubNub is a little piece of social software that allows people to create and share web service commands. Install one of the many YubNub plugins (e.g. for Firefox or Quicksilver) or download the Dashboard widget, and you have a handy command line interface to the web.

Some of the most used commands are google search, wiki search, currency conversion, current time and Flickr photo search...

It all seemed very straightforward when I was playing with it again this weekend, so I decided to create a command: Skype status search.

SkypeWeb is a new (beta) feature of Skype that allows people to display their Skype status via a webpage, blog, email signature, or any other Internet-enabled application.

To query someone's status, simply type their Skype Name.

Example: skype foeromeo

You'll see a Skype button with their status: Skype Me!, I'm awaaaay, I'm online, Do not disturb...

N.b. The web status will only be returned for people who have chosen to share it via their privacy options in Skype. (SkypeWeb is still in beta so the option to enable web status is limited to testers right now.)

Command

Result

I'm not quite sure if/how this is useful yet. It might be nice to access from your mobile phone when you want to know if it's too early/late to call someone.

Update: Matt tried this out on his mobile and it looks pretty good once you get past the operator's child content controls. (It seems that Vodaphone classifies Skype as unmoderated chat.)

Update II: Someone's created another YubNub command for Skype. 'sky' uses the Skype call link to launch Skype and make a call. E.g. You type 'sky foeromeo' to call me in Skype.