(English) Skype Online Status

The plugin Skype Online Status allows you to add one or multiple, highly customizable and accessible (!) Skype buttons to your blog. You can pick any of the available Skype button themes that will show your online status and place them in your pages and posts content (with a neat little Skype quicktag button in the WYSIWYG editor), in your sidebar via widgets (unlimited number) or anywhere in your theme template files.

The Skype Status admin page and Skype Widget options are adequately annotated but there is also a Quick Guide section with lots of information on all the possible ways to get you blog Skyped. If you still cannot get it working the way you want to, find a Skype link to the developer on the Notes & Live Support section.

Button themes are mostly based on the themes you can find on Skype’s button wizard page but more feature rich, like showing your online status in the alt text of the image, more accessible (!) and much more customizable, like setting your own Status texts in your blogs language. Even a button to invoke normal phone calls or multichats or conference calls is possible!

Which version?

Older versions have been developed for WordPress 2.0+, 2.1+ and 2.3+ but with versions 2.6.x the main development focus was on WordPress 2.6. From version 2.6.9, WordPress 2.7+ is supported but support for below WordPress 2.2 has been dropped.

This plugin also has been tested and working fine on WPMU 2.7+.

Translations

Since version 2.6.4.0, Skype Online Status is ready for internationalization. Anyone who wants to contribute can do so by making a transation. Read translation instructions (also included in the latest package) for more info.

• Italian * Author: Gianni Diurno
• Danish * Author: Georg S. Adamsen
• Dutch (unfinished) * Author: R.A. van Hagen
• German * Author: Fabian Schulz
• Russian * Author: Leonid Jack
• Belorussian * Author: M. Comfi
• Ukrainian * Author: Michael Svystun
• Spanish * Authors: Rodolfo Castro & Rocio Moreno

New translations and their Authors will be mentioned here.

Donations

Top donators making my continued work possible:

• G. Pelzer Life is a journey. Life Coaching
• Yamisi Daniel, USA What could you do with more time? inTouch Virtual Assistance
• Michelle Vandepas, USA Live Your life’s Purpose. Divine Purpose unleashed

Example

Go to the Skype Online Status plugin page to see a Skype button in action (right side) or go and test a button on Skype’s button page. The button templates used there — and more — are available in this plugin.

Installation Instructions

Quick installation: Install now !

… OR …

Search for “skype online status” and install with that slick Plugins > Add New back-end page.

… OR …

Follow these steps:

Note: When upgrading from version 2.5.x or previous: please deactivate plugin and remove the old directories and files before uploading!

1. Download archive and unpack.
2. Upload (and overwrite) the /skype-online-status/ folder and its content to the /plugins/ folder.
3. Activate plugin on the Plug-ins page
4. Configure (or update) your SkypeID and settings on the Options > Skype Status page
5. Activate the widget or put <?php if (function_exists(get_skype_status)) { get_skype_status(''); } ?> in your sidebar.php or any other template file or use the <!- ravanhagen (Offline)
» Get Skype, call free! -> quicktag button in your posts to display the Skype button inside your blog posts and pages.

Read more on usage in the Quick Guide section of the Options > Skype Status page, available after installation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why is my Skype button showing Offline even when I am online?
A. First, you have to change an option in your Skype client settings to make your online status publicly visible:

1. Open your Skype client on your computer and go to ‘Options > Privacy’ or ‘Advanced’ (depending on your client version).
2. Find the option ‘Allow my status to be shown on the web’ and place a checkmark beside it.
3. Close the Options window and change your Skype status to Offline and back Online again to update the Skype server.

If your online status is still incorrect, type in your webbrowser http://mystatus.skype.com/yourskypeid (replace that last part with your Skype ID) and check what is shown there. The plugin takes your status directly from the Skype server and should correspond with your status shown on the above URL (using your Skype ID obviously). If your status is not correct on that URL, it basically is out of your/my hands. You can wait for the Skype server to get ‘up to date’ or browse the Skype forums for fixes suggested by others…

Q. I have found a bug. Where do I report it?
A. For bug reports, go to WordPress Support » Skype Online Status and describe what is happening there. Please provide as much related info as you can but at least give me your plugin and WordPress version number.

Q. I have a feature request. Where do I ask?
A. For all ‘normal’ feature requests and suggestions go to WordPress Support » Skype Online Status but if you want custom development, please contact me directly from the Notes & Live Support section on the Skype Online Status options page or browse to my website 4Visions. I will gladly consider any proposal.

Q. I have trouble setting up a Skype button on my blog. Where do I get help?
A. Have you read the Quick Guide section of your WordPress Options > Skype Status page, available after installation already? For all remaining questions, post them on WordPress Support » Skype Online Status or go for Live Support via Skype Chat to the Support section on the Skype Online Status Options page after installation. I will be happy to respond

Q. I have installed the plugin, fiddled with the settings, added a widget/quicktag, there is no error message but I see no button!
A. This usually happens when the plugin cannot find a Skype ID to work with. You can set a different Skype ID for each widget but be sure to set a Skype ID on your Skype options page so the plugin as at least one to fall back on. If you still see no Skype button, reset all options using the Reset button or the Remove button to remove-uninstall-reinstall and start completely fresh.

Q. I have installed the plugin and it is working fine, but now there is a ad link below my Skype button. What’s with that?
A. By default, the plugin displays a link below each Skype button that allows visitors without Skype to download it. This link goes via the plugin creators Skype Affiliate account so with each new Skype install there will be some small revenue for maintenance and support of this plugin. If you object to that, you can either disable the link, change is to a direct link or replace it with your own affiliate link on the Skype Online Status options page.

Q. I would like to contribute. Is that possible?
A. Ofcource! What did you have in mind? Monetary funding is always appreciated but if you can help me out in development, that’s cool too Right now, translation (.mo) files are MORE then welcome! Read translation instructions (also included in the latest package) for more info.

Any small donation via PayPal to keep me developing is VERY welcome. Thanks!

Read more on usage in the Quick Guide section of your WordPress Options > Skype Status page, available after installation.

Changelog

Really? Ok then… Read the full (English) Skype Online Status changelog

Download

Latest version: Download (English) Skype Online Status 2.8.2 [zip]
Downloaded 36036 times.