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Setting Up Skype
If you have friends or colleagues in other locations, internet telephony will save you money on long distance phone calls. Here's how:
- If you call from computer to computer, your cost is zero.
- If you call from computer to telephone, your cost is minimal ($1.00-$2.00 per hour to overseas locations).
How To Sign Up
There are 3 services that we use:
All work well but we've found Skype to have the best sound quality. So these instructions pertain to signing up with Skype. You can take a look at the other services if you prefer and follow their instructions.
Signing Up With Skype
- Go to your local Tandy, Radio Shack or Kmart and purchase a lightweight headset.
As an option, you can also use a microphone and your computer's speakers.
The headset will cost around $20. You don't need an expensive one. The brand we use is Verbatim.
Verbatim Headset with Volume Control
- Once you have a headset, got to www.skype.com and download the free software.
- Install the program on your computer.
- Open up Skype and set up your account.
Keep details in your profile to a minimum. You can use your first name and an initial, and add your country. This should be enough personal information. You can add a small photo if you like.
- Contact friends who are on Skype and get their Skype address.
- Search for them by opening skype and clicking on the "Search" icon.
You can them send them an invitation to connect to you. When they accept they'll appear on your Contacts list.
If you receive an invitation from someone you don't know, you can block them from contacting you again.
Skype also has a typed chat function which you can play with once you get more comfortable with the program.
Troubleshooting
If you experience an echo problem during a Skype call, try turning down the volume on your computer and/or the computer of the person you're talking to.
On some connections you may experience a slight time lag (1-2 seconds), but this happens rarely.
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