Dear Skype

 Dear Skype,

        If it were not for you I would probably be single and homesick right about now. For this I owe you my most sincere gratitude. Thank you.

     

          Your Friend,

          

              Jordan Blackburn

       All joking aside, Skype really has been invaluable in my efforts to maintain many of my nearest and dearest relationships. Skype calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional land-line telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system. Additionally, the program has also become popular for its additional features which include instant messaging, file transfer, and video conferencing. Whether it is a video chat with my family while studying abroad, voice calls to my friends back home in Oklahoma, or quick text messages with my boyfriend in England, Skype has enabled me to easily keep in contact with the people I care about despite the distance that separates us.  As far back as my middle school days of AOL Instant Messenger and costly text messaging on my Nokia 3310, technology has played a central role in my communication and social efforts.  Though Skype was introduced to the nation in December of 2005, I didn't become an avid user of the program until January of 2009 when I spent six months in Ireland and it became a necessity. Had I known beforehand how easy the process of downloading Skype was and how simple it is to use, I might have been a believer long before my over-seas adventure. For those of you foreign to the Skype downloading process I have provided you with the needed information below:

1.         Go to www.skype.com
2.         Under the “Get Skype” tab select your chosen method (ex: Windows)
3.      .  Select  download “Download Skype”
4.         Follow the four easy steps provided on the website.
5.         Create a screen name and password
6.       Once you have logged into Skype simply go to “Contacts” and begin searching for and adding all of your family and friends to your Skype Directory!

Personally, I use a HP Pavilion dm4 laptop which comes with a built-in camera and microphone, but if your computer does not come with these features you can always purchase peripheral devices at Wal-Mart or practically any run-of-the-mill electronic store.  That being said, the quality of built-in cameras (such as my HP MediaSmart webcam) are typically superior in both graphic and sound quality and tend to come with other added bonuses, for example, my software came with a program called “Effects Room” which allows you to add visual graphics to your video chats and photos! (see photo above)

 In May of 2010, Skype released an updated client application for the Apple iPhone which allowed Skype calls to be made over a 3G network. I use this program on a daily basis because it is not only convenient, but also cost efficient. By loading my Skype account in $10 increments I am able to make my long distance calls for a fraction of the cost I would otherwise be charged for by my network provider (AT&T). 

Because I live so far away from the majority of my loved ones, Skype has literally become an essential part of my life. As silly as it might seem, I really do owe Skype (or at least its Swedish creator, Niklaz Zennstrom) some genuine appreciation, because, if I was still stuck with a lagging AOL chat room and a $300 monthly cell phone bill, it wouldn’t just be my personal relationships that would suffer, but likely my entire relationship to the wonderful world of technology!