Despite all their advertising, Vonage is a laggard and Skype is more synonymous with VoIP in the blogsphere, according to this very fine analysis. From December 2004 through May 2005 the Vonage mentions have stayed flat while Skype buzz is on the rise, much like VoIP itself. I feel that bloggers, more often than not early adopters have either tried or gotten tired of Vonage, and feel that Skype is better value for money. Taping Skype-calls for podcasts is another hot new trend. Perhaps that explains the increased mentions of Skype in blogs. The writers question the logic of Vonage spending a ton of money on advertising and whether is it having any impact. Well it is something I have often wondered about, especially now that cable companies have finally got their act together?
7 comments so far
12:47 PM PT
couldn’t agree more with the blogpulse analysis of buzziness - see http://localglobe.blogspot.com/2005/06/skype-tracks-voip-in-blog-buzz.html
10:06 AM PT
Skype and Vonage are two different animals.
Skype is a PC communicator: Voice, Text, File Transfers. It makes sense for the blabosphere to be enamored with it: pajama wearing, PC typing people *would* communicate this way.
Vonage is a telephone replacement. It is marketed (heavily, I’d agree) as a means to reduce the monthly nut you dish out to your phone company. It works a lot like an enhanced telephone service and is available and used without a PC.
10:53 AM PT
Vonage may not need a PC, but it needs a high-speed connection, which is usually pretty close to the PC. I have a Skype phone plugged into my USB hub. It works like a phone. It looks like a phone. It rings like a phone. I get voice mail. I can dial a landline phone (with my SkypeOut account) and people with a POTS phone can call me on a landline number (with my SkypeIn account). Pretty darned close to a telephone replacement for me. In fact, I’m dumping my landline account and going 100% Skype and cell phone.
2:07 PM PT
I personally use both Skype and Vonage for different and distinct purposes.
When I wanted a VoIP service that looked, smelled, and quacked like POTS, I chose Vonage. My family can use it, it works in every room in the house, and 911 *should* work.
When I’m travelling - especially internationally - I use Skype. It’s just me in one room with a high speed connection and a computer, so a USB headset makes sense.
Skype appeals to people who live next to or near their computer, understand the technology, and can live with one phone. Bloggers are these people.
Vonage is attempting to appeal to part of America, who can generally set up the VCR, has several phones in the house, turns off the computer when it’s not in use, and doesn’t have the time to fiddle with technology. Those people are not bloggers - at least not usually very good ones.
2:35 PM PT
What telephone number do you give out? Your cell phone number or your SkypeIn number? Is your SkypeIn number a new number - or could you port your landline number to it?
Don’t misjudge this: I think Skype is a fine application that works in a way that complements other activities of bloggers. And, for that reason, I think it gets hyped among bloggers more than Vonage (similar, in fact, to Apple). However, I think Vonage and Skype are different animals.
I think Vonage has done a very job at being synonymous with broadband telephony.
1:40 PM PT
Vonage Spending Not Working Apparently
A pointer in Om’s blog took me to karnellKNOWLEDGE. It’s a great rant on how Vonage strategy for customer aquisition just doesn’t stack up. Maybe Vonage should offer a free softphone? It looks at Skype mentions in the blogosphere and contrasts the i…
7:32 AM PT
I think Vonage has gone over the edge with respect to the effort put into their advertising vs. the effort placed in their services. I’ve been a Vonage customer for about a half year and have been satisified with the service. I also happen to be a hater of junk e-mail. I figure that any company that markets its services by randomly sending their junk over the internet is wasting a lot of people’s time and is a company of very low morals… The people that resort to sending junk e-mail belong in jail.
About a month ago, I started to receive junk e-mail from a company that calls itself Vonage in their return e-mail address, but ID’s itself as “Rewards Overdrive” at the bottom of their e-mail. It is trying to sell me Vonage service which I already have. I tried to unsubscribe but continue to receive these junk e-mails. (and seemingly more) I attempted to get Vonage to contact Rewards Overdrive to have my e-mail address removed, but I quickly found that Vonage is not equipped to handle any service calls that don’t fall into one of the standard catagories that you can select after making several automated selections on their automated support system. The Bottom Line is: 1) Don’t buy Vonage services thru “Rewards Overdrive” - They are a sleezy outfit. 2) Be cautious selecting Vonage services. They’ve obviously dropped into a lower catagory of company that resorts to low marketing tactics and is not equipped to handle questions / problems that don’t fall into common, precise catagories.
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