Skype 101

Skype is the most popular technology for making long-distance telephone calls over the internet. The internet relies on telephone lines, so using a computer equipped with a microphone and speaker instead of a telephone handset is not particularly technical for users.
Or beneficial -- by itself, the only benefit to simple internet telephony is tolls. Skype is free -- but only once you've paid for a computer and broadband internet access. Sound quality is often worse than traditional telephony and it is not as convenient as picking up a phone and ringing overseas.
But there's much more to Skype than telephony, especially conference calls, video calls and the current nirvana -- conference video calls.
My wife and I have been using video Skype to stay in touch with family overseas for about two years. Using a webcam (web camera), it's great to see my parents in Canada and mother-in-law in England -- if only to judge how they are getting on as they get on.
And, of course, they get to see their grandchildren as they grow up. My father-in-law has read nursery rhymes and other children's stories to his grandchildren using Skype video calls from overseas, which is magical.
Skyping requires some technical ability at both ends. My parents -- either side of 80 and happy Apple Mac users -- prevailed on a friend's son to get Skype working for them. My father-in-law built a home computer back in the 1970s, so doesn't need any assistance.
There also has to be interest. My brothers and sister have shown no interest in Skyping, despite apparent ability, while my wife's family engages in regular conference calls between New Zealand, California, Canada and Britain.
There's little point in running through a Skype download and set-up in this article. The instructions and troubleshooting at www.skype.com are straightforward.
But there are things worth noting. First, the Skype website is jammed with ways to send the company money. Ignore these -- we've never paid Skype anything and don't think the extra services that cost money are worthwhile.
You'll also find Skype software packages for sale in stores and online. Buy these only if you insist on paying for what is free. You'll also see Skype-optimised webcams, headsets and microphones for sale. Don't pay premiums for these items.
You'll need: an up-to-date computer, which will have the grunt to handle sound and video. You also need a microphone, speaker and webcam for video calls. Most recently bought laptops have built-in webcams and microphones and speakers. Our laptop isn't recent, so we rely on an external webcam and headset with microphone and earphones. Desktop computers may have built-in equipment as well.
Once you've got Skype running, you may get friendly requests from strangers. Our Skype is registered in my wife's name and sometimes strangers, especially Indian men, want to chat with her. She declines.
Skype is not the only company offering video and telephony over the net. Yahoo, Microsoft and others also offer the services. For the time being, however, calls are proprietary. So, you make a Skype-to-Skype call, or Yahoo-to-Yahoo call. I don't know when you'll be allowed to make a Skype-to-Yahoo call.
Fortunately Skype comes in discrete chunks that make scaling up in sophistication pretty easy. First, master simple telephony, then move to video calls and then to video conferencing, which is not yet available from Skype, but will be down the track.