Skype - Getting set up for free video calls with your computer or mobile device
Also see: Books on Skype and Video Chat for Seniors from Amazon.
Interest seems to be growing a lot recently in Skype, the free video call software. Most people are interested in Skype because they have a family member or a few friends using it. That's the best way to start with Skype - with one or just a few contacts.
When I help people get started with Skype, I recommend starting with by downloading a fresh installation file rather than one that's been pre-installed. On a PC, simply go to Skype.com and the installation app is listed to download. On a tablet or smart phone, Google Play Store is the place to go.
Installation is fairly fast. You go through the typical "permission" screens and then once it's done the Skype program should launch and pop-up a very brief tutorial highlighting the main features and icons.
Actually using the program starts with using the search box to find a person you expect to video chat with using Skype.
Depending on their ID information, you may find them using their name, Skype ID, phone number or email address. Once you find them, click to contact them with a video call.
If they're using their computer or device and have Skype activated, they should respond right away and you can start chatting face to face.
If they're not at their computer or don't have Skype open, they'll get a notification that you tried to contact them - and they can try to reply in turn. Once you find them on Skype and initiate a first contact, video chatting is just a matter of knowing when they're available.
I've put Skype on a few of my working computers and on my mobile phone so if I'm on a job and somebody needs some initial practice to try out Skype we can do that right away.
YouTube has some good short tutorials on Skype, by the way. These can help a bit in getting familiar with the program - here's a link to one of their short videos on a page that has further links along the right hand column as well - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMAeAeyh7zM
(Note - If you're using Windows 10, there may be a Skype link on your computer already, but sometimes it's just a setup file to link Microsoft and Skype accounts together. I prefer to keep my Microsoft acccount separate from any other applications, so in these cases I opt for uninstalling and pre-installed files and starting fresh with a new download.)
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