My parents are in Spain right now, and it reminded me of one of the great Internet freebies out there.

One of my favorite ways to keep in touch with the grandparents (or, as I call them, Mom and Dad) is to use a program called Skype.  Skype is an Internet phone solution that lets you make phone calls, text chat, or video chat from your computer.

So, last Christmas when the grandparents couldn’t make it to our house from Florida, we decided to have a video chat Christmas morning so we could share some of the fun and my kids could talk to Grandma and Grandpa.  And it was a lot of fun.  Here’s what we did:

• We both downloaded the Skype software.  It’s completely free, and very easy to do.  You just have to set up an account, which really just asks for your name, a username, and your email address.
• Since we both have Macs, we used the built-in video camera for a video chat.  But, I’ve got an inexpensive ($20) camera for my laptop that does web video I could have used if I needed it.  Skype allows you to invite your friends to a video chat instead of just a normal Internet phone call.
• We connected and spent about 25 or 30 minutes video chatting, talking about what we’ve been up to, thanking Grandma and Grandpa for their wonderful gifts, and just being goofy.  It was the next best thing to having them here.

TOTAL COST… $0.  Everything was free since we were connecting Skype user to Skype user.

Here are some cool uses for Skype:

• Set up your parents and siblings with Skype and you can have free calling, texting, file transfers, and video chat.
• If you have any older kids in college, it’s a great way to keep in touch.
• If there are friends or relatives who live overseas, a free Skype call costs a lot less than an International toll call.
• When you do a video chat, you can use some added software to record the video and save it for posterity (or just for fun).
• Invite a few friends to who can’t make it to a special event (anniversary, birthday, family reunion) to a voice or video chat.

The quality of Skype calls is surprisingly good, and if you have broadband Internet access (cable or DSL or FiOS), you will have a very good video experience as well.  If you have family or friends who can’t be there for a special occasion, or just want to keep in touch without breaking the bank, check out Skype!

Thanks,
Chuck

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