Desperate Times Make Strange Bedfellows!

Reuters is reporting tonight a breaking news story that Microsoft and Yahoo will allow users of their instant messaging services to contact each other.

This news reminds of when companies stopped charging their customers to send e-mail outside of their network.

Microsoft's MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger are both great tools and now I believe that it will signal the end of online companies belief that protecting their own turf is the most critical position even though the online business models that are generating the most profits and capturing the most market share are built upon sharing and the open source philosophy.

The amount of collaboration between former to-the-death competitors will only increase to include more companies and additional services by default.

I have been using the Trillian service which allows instant messaging services to be used from multiple service providers (MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, and AIM are bundled for use within Trillian) simultaneously.  Trillian will have to incorporate some new aspect or feature or benefit to maintain its unique selling benefit while the industry's innovations will further allow new ideas to bubble to the surface.

Developments such as this one can only benefit the consumer in the long run.

The only downside to such news will occur to the shareholders of eBay since it will further prove that eBay spent too much money to acquire Skype.  The costs all around are dropping while the amount of money spent for sheer creativity, inclusion, and opening of closed doors will have to be increased.