Voice communications technology company PeerMe, Inc. introduced a free application programming interface (API) that allows Web developers to integrate PeerMe's voice capability into sites and enable users to speak with each other in real time. All click-to-talk connections are supported by VoIP technology, so there are no long-distance charges to use the service. Users simply click on a telephone icon to connect with other users who are online. Instructions on implementing PeerMe Voice Tags can be downloaded at http://peermevoice.wikispaces.com.

"PeerMe is doing for voice what Google Maps did for location-based services," says CEO Tom Lasater, "We are giving developers a quick and easy way to create a voice mash-up and offer free click-to-talk functionality. This is exactly what Web 2.0 is supposed to be: giving other people the opportunity to integrate cool technologies into their sites. I can imagine that classified advertising sites such as Craig's List might want to integrate click-to-talk functionality with their listings. Ditto for photo sharing sites, real-estate sites, social-networking sites and bulletin boards. For example, a photo-sharing site could integrate PeerMe to allow users to talk to each other as they view online pictures. As a demonstration of the mash up potential, we've built a social networking site (www.peerme.in) which integrates our Voice Tags APIs to show developers just how easy it is to fully integrate the Voice Tags. We expect that the developer community will really open the world's eyes to how voice can be integrated into every nook and cranny of the Internet."

PeerMe's Voice Tags empowers any Web site -- large or small -- to offer users the ability to speak with each other at the press of a button. "There are many sites, such as language exchange sites, teaching sites, auction sites and collectibles sites, that offer the ability to connect users with other people. However, it used to be prohibitively expensive to offer this type of service, and therefore it was only available on major portals such as MSN and Yahoo! Now, using our Voice Tags API, any site in the world can offer this great service to users within minutes -- at absolutely no cost. Many social networking sites let people see each others' photographs and personal profiles, and maybe send messages," says Lasater. "Why shouldn't they be able to simply click a button and talk to each other?"