It was a big occasion when Zoe lost her first tooth, one worthy of a Skype call to Grandma Vegas. I oohed and aahed as she preened and smiled. It was far more memorable than if she’d simply sent a picture.
Keeping connected to faraway family members is only one of the ways I use Skype. Nearly every day is a little brighter thanks to that bit of technology.
Yesterday I needed a small change on my Web site, so I Skyped Lisa Tarrant, my Web Wizard, who lives in Massachusetts. In the past, I’d have told her what I wanted and then checked my site when the call was finished. With Skype, I could see the changes as she made them.
I tune into teleclasses, consult with clients, and have regular conference calls with Alice Barry and Sandy Dempsey to plan the Joyfully Jobless Jamboree from my desktop.
Last week, Alice and I were trying to solve a Jamboree problem via e-mail and not getting very far. Alice suggested a call, we talked face to face and had the solution in no time.
On Saturday, I began my morning with a long overdue chat with my friend Georgia who recently moved to Sweden. Seeing her sitting at her kitchen table at her new home made the conversation more special.
Have something new I want to show my sister Margaret in California? Show and Tell is just a Skype call away.
Then there was the recent evening that Sandy Dempsey sent me an e-mail with a link to a video she had just spent three hours creating about the adventures of Flat Barbara. I could see she was still online, so I promptly Skyped her to congratulate her on the project.
(If you’ve watched the video, you know that Flat Barbara enjoys Skype too.)
Although my sister Nancy, who lives in Rome, had urged me to use Skype for several years, I was not paying attention. I remained unmoved when Maureen Thomson reported that she’d used Skype to keep her business in Colorado running smoothly while she was enjoying a home exchange in Spain.
Without any investigation (a bad way to make decisions), I assumed it would be difficult or would involve buying equipment. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
What finally motivated me to check it out for myself was a Webinar that Oprah did with Eckhart Tolle. The two of them sat on a bare stage discussing ideas in his book A New Earth while readers called in to ask questions or make comments via Skype.
There was a discussion group at a bookstore in Los Angeles, a woman from Connecticut, a couple from Amsterdam. It was obvious that the visual component added a dimension to the communication that isn’t present with voice-only.
I was sold. What I didn’t know, however, was that I was also about to save $500 a year since calls to other Skype users are free, no matter where they are in the world.
For the nominal fee of $29.50/year I added unlimited calling throughout the US and Canada to non-Skype users (i.e. landlines and cellphones). There was no longer any need for long distance service with my landline so I cancelled it.
Last year, Soul Acrobats founder Alvin Tam wrote about getting rid of his expensive voicemail—his costly cellphone—and replacing it with Skype. He discovered, as do many users, that not only was he saving money, he was motivated to call his family in Canada more frequently.
Yes, there are times when I hear a call come in and on my way to answer wonder if my hair is combed or if I’m properly dressed. Much of the time, however, calls are arranged in advance so I’m ready and waiting.
If you’ve been resisting using Skype for personal and business communication, I urge you to take a look. Not only is it a wonderful way to add a personal touch, if you’re planning to run a global World Headquarters, it is essential mobility support.
And if that’s not enough, let me remind you again—it’s free.
Agreed! Skype is awesome. Being able to see the other person makes it more like a visit and less like a phone call. (I don’t much like phones to begin with. ) My sweetie and I were in different countries for about 6 weeks and kept in touch this way – definitely way better than an ordinary phone call.
I opted for a phone number and voice mail through skype, so I don’t even have a land line. The only problem is that I can’t get a Canadian phone number (CRTC won’t allow it) – so it confuses people when I give them my “home” phone number with a California area code.
I use Skype daily and agree with all it’s wonderful technology. My 87 year-old mother, who lives 2500 miles away thinks it’s the best thing since sliced bread! She can now see me sitting at my kitchen table and it makes her less lonely for her kids.
Everyone should also try oovoo. It does all that Skype does but allows you to talk to two people at the same time. Very cool!
Barbara – very thought-provoking. I’m somewhat familiar with what Skype does, but had never looked into it as a fit for me and my wife. My dad and I got to talking about it yesterday, and I’m going to look into this.
What really hooked me? The video. My dad lives in Virginia; we live in Oregon — talk about a good way to “see” each other more often!
Video changes everything. Landlines will seem strangely old-fashioned once you get a taste of chatting on Skype.