Skype is something many people talk about, but not everyone understands.
Skype is simply a chat application or program for your computer or phone. You can make free video calls with it, audio calls (like a telephone), or just instant message (like in the old days of AOL Instant Messenger, or AIM). If you are interested in using Skype, the first thing you will need to do is sign up for a free account.
Go to http://www.skype.com and look for the Join Skype button at the top right corner of the page.
Next you will have an opportunity to fill in some required information for your new account.
And finally, you can choose a Skype Name. This will be the name other people can reach you at when they use Skype.
At the bottom of the screen you can choose to receive email messages from Skype or not (this is up to you, your account will work the same regardless of your choice). You will also see a Captcha-style box with two words. This is a security feature to prevent automated virus-like programs on the internet from signing up for hundreds or thousands of accounts automatically for spamming purposes. Do your best to type in the wavy letters and the non-wavy letters as they appear, and click I agree – Continue. If you mis-type the letters, you will be given another set of letters to type. Usually one is an actual word and another is a nonsense word. Just type what you see. In this case, if you look at the image to the left, it would be “distone bride” (without the quotation marks).
When this has completed, you should receive an email message that may include a link for you to click. You must click this link to confirm that you received the email. This will activate your account.
The last thing you will need to do is to find other people to Skype with ! You can ask your local and far-away friends to sign up for Skype.
You can test your Skype account by clicking on Skype Test Call (this appears in every new user’s list of contacts. Then click on the green telephone button to make a test call over the internet and to make sure that your sound is working correctly. Some people prefer to use a headset instead of their computer speakers and microphone. This can help to eliminate echoing and can make it easier for people to hear and understand you over Skype.
By default, when you place or receive a new call with another Skype user, your webcam will not be turned on. If you would like to turn on your webcam so that your caller can see you, you can click the blue Video button pictured here. Note that you will not be able to see the other person unless they also click their Video button, to turn on their webcam as well.
Now you know the basics of using Skype. This should get you started messaging, calling and video-chatting with friends anywhere over the internet, for free !
