Thank you so much for all the input guys! That seems like a cool mod, I'll have to check it out. I still wish they would just add something in-game though, since I do have some friends that don't really like the whole modding idea.
There is two reasons I think this would be better than Skype or via server, 1. Too many servers have crowded chats and its annoying to see everyone else's input. 2. Skype is nice too, but I personally would find it much better to integrate something of the sort into Minecraft simply for overall convienience. Btw thanks for the feedback!