Skype is a way to communicate with your friends and relatives in a new way.  It uses the Internet to allow us to talk to each other and if we wish, we can see each other.  There have been a number of similar ventures embedded in offerings like Yahoo, but nothing as clean and easy to use as Skype.  With Skype you can have a conference call too!   There are always between 7 and 12 million users on Skype at all times.

It's not invasive and is free to download.  If you talk to another Skype user you don't have to pay a thing.  If you place a call from your computer to a land or cell phone line you are charged about 2 cents a minute, which is not bad, but that's not what Skype is all about.  Here is what Skype sees for the future:

They foresee that the computer will be on all the time and we will have very high speed Internet access that covers our house in a wireless manner.  Bruce Telecom has excellent technology and I use it and Skype all the time to talk to people around the world.  I use it like a phone and if they are not there, then a record is left with them and my own Skype site, that shows that I called.  You can leave messages, but I never do.  It's a very clean and tidy system.

Calling other people on Skype is always free, be it a voice or video call. You can also have group chats, conference calls with up to nine people and forward calls to other Skype contacts.

You can play games on Skype with your friends too.  How would  you like to play chess with somebody across the world?

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What do you need to run Skype?

1. I have an $8.95 microphone that I place on my desk.  It's a pedestal model and has a long neck so it can be placed anywhere.  I got it at Cora Computer, which is a fun place to go and a local business.  Make sure you have a long enough cord.  If not buy about a 6 foot extender that you can get at Cora, The Source or Staples.  Make sure you pay attention to the connector that has to go into the back of your computer.  It plugs into the sound card.  (see the colours below)
2. I have a good set of earphones, but you don't need them, if you have speakers.  I find that I use it all the time and booming speakers may not be the best way to communicate and you have to watch feedback with them.
3. You can use a web cam too.  They are easy to set up and allow your callers to see you and you them.  It's a good way to look in on your grandchildren.

What's the setup like?  We'll it's very easy.  Just go to www.skype.com and download and install the latest Skype.  After it is installed you will be asked to make a sample call and Skype will talk to you and listen to you talk too.  This will check your connections with microphone and speakers (earphones).  It's hard to make a mistake.  This might help though.  You have to look at the back of your computer to find the jacks.  Laptops are another story, but work too:

Pink jack - microphone in (mono)

Blue jack - Line-in (stereo)

Green jack - Line out (speakers)

Good luck and Skype me sometime