Social Event My Mum lives in Darwin and her 60th Birthday is in a few weeks. Being a particularly auspicious occasion, I wanted to do something special for her, but I live in Perth and the rest of our family live in New Zealand. How could I bring everyone together in a way that is affordable and will not break the bank? I realised a low cost way to come together from different places in the world would be some sort of conference call, but I wanted more........What about a video link? I began looking through some social networking web sites. Eventually I discovered Skype. I had heard of Skype before, but was not sure of what it was. After some research, I discovered I could have a three-way video link between my Mum, my aunts and uncles and myself at a rate that would be less than a stanard ISD call! I could organise a time with my aunties and uncles to get together in the one place and log onto Skype on my Mum's birthday. I could then arrange with my Mum a skype call at the same time and surprise her with a three-way video link from New Zealand! What a fantastic idea! She would love it! |
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 Image Provided by technobuzz What is Skype? Skype is a hybrid VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system which allows users to communicate and connect with peers by voice, video and/or instant messaging. Created by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, Skype was released in August 2003 and was sold to Microsoft in September 2011 for an estimated US$8.5 billion. Skype is a free communication technology, however, if you require applications that extend beyond the basics, you can pay-as-you-go or subscribe to a premium package at competitive a rate. Finding Friends Starting an account with Skype is easy, but not much fun if you have no one to talk to. You can authorise Skpye to access your Facebook, hotmail and/or gmail account and send an email to your friends letting them know you are now on Skype. You can also instant message friends and organise a time you can chat on Skype. The social networking possibilities are endless!
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How to Connect with Skype Signing up to Skype was very easy, straight forward and sequential. Being unfamiliar with the social network, I opted to click on the free option to get started:
Once installation is verified, you will be given the option to check the sound and video and your profile will appear on the webcam. You will be asked if you would like to take a profile photo now or later. If you opt for now, check you are satisfied with the contrast, brightness, etc of the picture before continuing - remember we want to look you best. Once this last step is complete, you may start using Skpye. Group Video Chat For the group video chat, you will require the Skype Premium subscription. Skype Premium allows you unlimited calls to a country of your choice at an incredibly discounted rate. You can apply for a Day Pass or a Monthly subscription, so you are not locked into a contract that exceeds your requirements; especially if you will only require a one-off or occasional group chat for a birthday surprise! Resources
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