Skype Me!

What me? I said "skype me". That's the new way of IMing between two or more people.

What's IM? Aw, that's so, like 2004ish already :) OK, for all those non-technogeeks and those above the age of twelve, let's take a step back.

IM, or Instant Messaging and it's close cousin "text-messaging" is the modern day equivalent of the ole' teletype. Ok, well not quite, but Instant Messaging is a versatile program that allows two or more people who are online to "chat" or send text messages to each other in real time.

So why not just use email to shoot messages to each other? There are several reasons why: 1) it's much faster than email, it's virtually instantaneous, 2) you know that the other person is online right now, 3) you can have several people "chatting" at the same time, and 4) did I mention that it's much faster than email?

There are many times when it's more convenient than calling on the phone or emailing someone when you need an answer - since it's less formal than email or a call, the other person can take their time answering the question, or quickly type out a response. It's easy to multitask on your computer and have an IM conversation with someone.

So what is this "Skype" thing? Skype is essentially an internet telephone with free long distance. Skype is like an Instant Messaging program on steroids. You can use it to "chat" with other people, or you can use it to actually talk to other people.

Using a simple microphone, either built into your laptop or a cheap one that you plug into your computer, you can talk to your friends or anyone in the world who has an internet connection for FREE.

That's right. You can call just anyone who has a high speed internet connection (I don't know if it'll work with dialup, though I doubt it) and talk to your heart's content. You can even conference in several people and have a grand 'ole time talking to everyone. For FREE. For frugal people like me, that's the kicker.

For the most part, the quality of the connection is usually pretty darn good. On overseas calls, it's no worse than the typical connection I get with a regular phone. And if the other person doesn't have a computer with a high speed connection, or doesn't even have a computer, you can make phone calls to regular telephone numbers for a small (something like around 2 cent/min) fee.

Now here's the fine print. You can only talk to someone if they're online and signed into Skype. Not online? Can't talk for free. You're gonna have to wait 'til they're online. Or pay a few cents per minute and call/skype their regular old phone. Also, since this is a free internet dot-com service, don't expect any customer service - it's practically non-existant.

BUT - it's FREE, it's clear, and it's fun. There are even people who put up a sign that says "skype me, I'm available for talking". They welcome random phone calls from anyone, anywhere around the world. And I'm sure they have some pretty interesting conversations...