Discuss the Office documents you share -- Skype comes to OneDrive

OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage solution, is more than just a safe backup for your files. It's also home to the company's online version of Office. Users can access Word, Excel, and more all for free from right there on the website.

The company is also the proud owner of what is, arguably, the top communication app, in the form of Skype. The question when Microsoft purchased Skype was "How will it use this?" Gradually those answers have come around and now there is another instance of the technology being leveraged.

Skype is now being rolled into Office Online so when you share a document you'll be able to chat back and forth about it in real-time via a sidebar that will appear on the right side of your screen. It even includes the usual array of emoticons you can use in conversations.

Customers will begin finding a blue chat icon at the top right of the screen. Click on that and it opens up Skype beneath it. It will also retain your chats over time, so you can go back later to check on something you may otherwise have forgotten. "You might not be working in the same room with your co-editors, but that shouldn’t slow your progress. So, in case IMs aren’t enough for your communication needs, we’ve included the option to turn your conversation into a group call or even a video chat, using buttons at the top of the pane", says Nikhil Nathwani, program manager for the Office Core team.

This should be available to everyone now, but you'll only see it if you share a document. Everything remains free to use.