Have you heard of Skype but were afraid to ask about it…? Don’t panic – it’s been a mainstay of voice communications for computer-folks for a long while, but there’s still lots of you (us!) out there who need to be introduced to the concept… one step at a time.

What is Skype?

Skype is free software that lets you talk to other people via your computer – using a microphone and headphones instead of a regular telephone.

Step One – install Skype

Grab the latest version from the web site: skype.com – it’ll only offer you the version you need (that is: Mac or PC) so you’ll be good to go in a few minutes.

Install the program, and it’ll put an icon either on your Desktop, in your Taskbar, or on your Dock – either way, open up the Skype.

Step Two – register yourself

The first thing it’ll do is either ask you for your Skype username and password, or for you to sign up as a new user.

If you haven’t already, sign up: your username is your public ‘tag’ that people see you by – so make it a decent one – one that you’ll be happy promoting.

Step Three – add contacts

Now begin adding your contacts to the contacts list: There’s a PLUS sign at the bottom, where you can ‘find’ people by their location, by their email, or by their Skype username.

The ‘by username’ option is the most direct – although you might have to use your normal channels of communication to get your contacts’ Skype usernames.

Step Four – the contact list

Once you have added a friend from your end, THEY will be asked by Skype to verify that YOU are allowed to contact them.  (It’s a safety net so that you can’t spam the entire world, and no-one can spam you) Once they approve you, you’ll both see each other in your contact lists.

The Skype contact list will show you the statuses of your buddies: active, away or busy.

• Active is when they’re using their computer.
• Away is when there’s been no activity after a preset time – usually 10mins or so – as if their screensaver was one or they’d gone for a coffee.
• Busy is that they’re there, but not taking calls. There are other options, too – feel free to explore them and set your own custom ‘out to lunch’ message.

Step Five – getting in touch

Now – how to use it: there’s essentially two ways: text, or voice/video.

Text is easy: click on a contact and choose to chat to them by text. It’s a good way to keep a conversation going that doesn’t require your full attention. It’s also a good way to see if colleagues can assist you with queries, without having to call or stop them from working. In that way, text chatting is convenient and subtle – as opposed to the ‘drop-everything-and-answer-the-phone’ nature of the telephone.

Voice calls are exactly the same as a phone call: click the contact and choose voice (or voice and video!).

If the person you are calling is on Skype, the call is free. Free free. The video option isn’t too bad (getting better!), but if it affects the audio quality then go back to simply voice only.

How to avoid the echo-chamber

My final piece of advice is to grab a pair of headphones: in-ear (iPod) headphones will do nicely, or upgrade to a pilot’s earphones/microphone combo for more comfort.

When you’re talking on Skype without headphones, the speakers and the microphone are very close together, so the person at the OTHER END will hear themselves speak in an echo chamber…  hence, it’s more convenient, and far more polite, to plug in a set of headphones when chatting by voice.

For the record, the NCP National Office is on Skype all day, every day: their Skype name is ncpnationaloffice

Andrew Ballard
NCP’s Technology/Design Consultant
More free advice at: rebusiness.com.au