That it could have been worse is about the best you can say when you read this announcement from Skype’s blog.  Advertising will be introduced for people who have no Skype credit and are making a 1 to 1 audio call.  The ads will be animated but are not allowed to expand nor are they allowed to produce audio; they will be personalized unless you opt out via this web page, but that will not stop random ads from appearing.  As The Register points out, calling these ‘Conversation Ads’ is an abuse of language at the least and a prime example of bafflegab.  In theory the best idea to avoid this altogether would be to purchase a bit of Skype credit and not use it, as the ads do not appear for those who have purchased credit.  It would seem that for now, video call users are also safe but that may change as Microsoft explores new revenue sources from Skype.

"In the kind of emetic doubletalk that can only be produced by highly-trained university professionals, Skype has justified its launch of in-call advertising by saying the move will let people “have meaningful conversations about brands in a highly engaging environment”."

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