Monday, August 30, 2010
Week 6 - Skype experiences
Using Skype has been fantastic. I started using it about 4 months ago to reconnect with an old friend and have found it invaluable when I spoke to Malcolm Lewis the other day about my mini conference topic. It was great to have that visual connection of being able to see him, it adds a positive dimension to the conversation that you just don't get with audio only. I have found the video will drop out sometimes if I am on for over 20minutes (with an international caller) however Skype did behave itself for Malcolm and I. What is great is that it is free to call someone else on Skype. My husband and I spent $4500 (in 1990) on a phone bill in 10 weeks when I was in the USA working only 6 months after we met - (love is blind and very expensive) imagine how much we would have saved being able to use Skype - the mind boggles at what could potentialy be available to our children in the next 20 years - time travel!!!!
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I forgot to mention a couple of things in relation to the questions posed by Sarah. As for the skills and resources - I found Skype easy to use, as well as set up group calls. It was self explanatory and easy to navigate. One problem may be locating people who have a common name - when you try to find them, lots of options come up and sometimes it can be that you have to try a few contacts before you get the right one.
ReplyDeleteI definately see myself using Skype as an online facilitation tool. I'm sure Malcolm and I will be in touch again and it opens up the world of networking, meetings and online forums by reducing the effect of geographical distancing
Jillian, yes the ecomonical impact of using Skype over traditional land lines is of huge benefit. I rarely use the land line now, especially for international phone calls. Even for those like my elderly parents who don't have a computer I can still call them using Skype by setting up an account and putting credit on there. The cost to phone them on their land line using my skype connection is minimal compared to land line charges and there is no difference to the call quality.
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