Talk to Anyone Anywhere over the Internet for FREE with Skype

Talk to Anyone Anywhere over the Internet for FREE with Skype

Here is a great way to save online while staying in touch with your family, friends, and business associates, with Skype.




Initially, when eBay! introduced Skype, as a method of making internet calls, chat, and video calls for free, I disregarded it.
In my previous life as an electrical engineer, I spent 6 years in the videoconferencing business. I left the industry just as internet videoconferencing was becoming common yet still bug-ridden.

All I can remember was the hours and hours I spent in labs testing calls, dropped calls, lost data, pixelated images, green screen of death, more testing, and the eventualy successful call! Yeah!

Hey, I met my husband while working at Picturetel so it wasn't all bad! Anyway, I digress. I disregarded Skype because I remembered all the difficulty I encountered in my audio, video and internet conferencing days of old.

Also, when eBay introduced Skype, I wasn't so sure I wanted my customers from my eBay store, A Modern Renaissance Furniture and Toys, to have instant access to me at all times of the day and night, especially since well, I do have 4 kids to take care of!

Well, one day, my dearest cousin in the whole world, Maria, called me from Greece, using Skype! (Internet to landline) She was so excited to now able to now call me every day for cents (well, tiny amounts of Euros) a day! International phone calls cost both of us at least $50 a call, so we didn't get a chance to talk very often.

Well, I was embarassed that I was the computer literate one, running online businesses and spending my entire career in high tech, and my cousin from our my Dad's little village in Greece was telling me to get Skype!!!

I did! It's free! We now talk via the internet whenever we want. We both purchased inexpensive Logictech webcam or video cameras, and we not only talk, we video call. My kids talk to their little cousin. I see my cousin's growing belly with her new baby on the way. I turned the camera out my window and showed her little boy, snow (lots of it!) and our snowman. I loved the excitement in his eyes!

My 6 yr old son put it best when he said, "It looks like we are really in Greece with little cousin Christo. I wish I could go through the computer and hug him!"

Now, if I have a stray thought or question for Maria, I hit the call button and she is there! It works pretty much every time. The only technical difficulties we have encountered is problems with setting up our video cameras, and they were minor.

Well, we got my Dad on Skype. Now I can see my parents whenever I want. They are only 20 minutes away, but through winter in New England, I still didn't get to see them often enough. Now I can "see" them anytime of day. My 6 yr old triplets will call Yiayia and Papou to show them their artwork, their first loose tooth, and new outfits.

Better yet, we conference together, My Dad from home, my cousin Maria in Greece. She call her Dad in the village on the landline puts him on speaker, and now my Dad can talk to his brother. On Christmas, we were able to be together, virtually, for the first time ever.

If only my Grandparents were alive. They would get such a thrill out of this! Heck, I do and I used to write the code to make videoconferencing work! It's just like The Jetsons!

Give it try! It is so easy to create an account. You don't need any equipment beyond your computer and its existing audio properties. If you can connect to the internet, you can Skype. Internet calls are free anywhere in the world. Internet to phone lines do cost a mininal amount per minute: 2.1 cents per minute to over 30 ountries. You can pre-purchase Skype credit to use for internet to phone calls. You can receive cell phone calls to your computer too.

For video calls, you need a webcam or video camera. Logictech is the leader in webcams. We have the following 3 cameras. We use the Logictech QuickCam Pro 9000 on our main computer, and the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks, on our notebook computer.



We also have the Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX by Logitech, and have given one of those to my Dad when we set him up on Skype.



We purchased all of out webcams on Amazon.com with free supersaver shipping.

Curious about how it all works? Here are some books you can try:




Once you install your camera, then you can go back into Skype, and edit the video settings to auto recognize your camera.

The only thing you can't do with Skype is 911 calls. Skype cannot replace your landline for emergencies. Otherwise, you can pretty much do what your phone does today and soooo much more!

Skype is an eBay company. Skype services are currently available in 28 languages. It is used in almost every country around the world! We can truly talk to anyone at anytime! How cool is that?

So how does Skype make money? Skype gets its revenue through its premium offerings such as internet to and from landline and mobile phones, voicemail, and call forwarding. Internet to internet calls are FREE!

Other features include document sharing, online chat features, and voicemail. Skype has a simple, user-friendly interface. Even a novice can quickly navigate their site, and start Skypeing!

The best part is the money you can save that you would be handing over to your phone company... you know, the monthly long distance fee, line fee, universal service charge (what is that????), , fees, fees, more fees, and oh, let's not forget taxes!

Getting started is simple:

1. Go to www.skype.com. Download the little wizard. It installs on your PC.
2. You select a cool username and password, and your are ready to go.
3. Skype helps you with a test call to make sure everything is ok with your microphone and speakers.
4. Now who to call? Find your friends through their email addresses, or call them up and get them online too! Add your friends to your address book.
5. Double-click on your friend's name from your Skype address book, and you are talking!

Have questions? Need help getting started? Just post a note and I will be happy to help you!




Talk to Anyone Anywhere over the Internet for FREE with Skype