Frequently Asked Questions

From Unofficial Skype Chat Directory

Please do not change the headings of existing entries.

What's a Blob or Hash?

A blob, also know as a hash, contains the data needed by Skype to join a public chat. The exact content of the blob is not published. However, it contains a random sample of the users in the given chat. You can observe this by the varying length of the blob. As with many other things, the longer the blob, the better. In order to join a public chat, at least one person who is named inside the blob must be online, in order for the chat to be joined. If none of the users in the blob are online, then the person attempting to join will have to wait until one of them comes online. For this reason, the blob, and hence the URL, on this site should be updated when the membership of the given chat changes much.

Language Selection

Currently, we have a small number of languages to choose from. If the primary language of your chat is not listed, please contact Directory Assistance to get it added. You are encouraged to write the chat subject and description in the primary language of the chat. The website is setup to accept data in UTF-8 format, which should support all languages.

What's a Launcher URL?

Skype.com provides a URL to join public chats. This website, via the launcher tool, provides an alternative method of joining a public chat by URL. The main problem with the Skype.com URL is that it is based on the blob, which varies over the life of the chat. If you embed that blob in the link, as required by the Skype.com launcher, you need to update the link, possibly in many places, every so often to keep them up to date. Using this site's launcher tool, you can update the URL/blob here as often as desired without changing links from elsewhere.