# Tell me about Skype **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348 "2010-03-13T14:47:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TheBori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@TheBori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBori)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/21 "2010-03-14T00:15:05Z")
I use it to video call home when I travel for business. Much better than handing the phone from one kid to the other…“Fine”…“uh huh”… they just walk in front of the capera, wave, say “Hi”, walk out… it’s like being home. Skype to Skype is free, so it’s great for that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/22 "2010-03-14T00:18:09Z")
> [@Pasta](#): > > If you right click the name, there should be a “Send IM” option. If you send an IM to someone who isn’t logged on, they will get it when they next log on. ‘Send SMS’ is greyed out.’ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Shroud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@The\_Shroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Shroud)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/23 "2010-03-14T00:37:37Z")
Not sure if you’re on a Mac or Windows; on my Mac it’s “Start Chat.” I also have it set to start a chat (rather than initiate a phone call) when double-clicking a contact. That’s in Preferences. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/24 "2010-03-14T00:41:38Z")
Aha. I’m on a Mac. I used Start Chat, which I had been to before. This time I found the text box way at the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/25 "2010-03-14T02:34:25Z")
It’s probably worth pointing out that the recipient will only receive the message when you are both online at the same time. It will remain queued up until there is a direct connection, it doesn’t work like an e-mail. It’s great for calls, and I use it for IMing all the time. The screen sharing function has also come in handy when I’ve done some overseas troubleshooting with friend’s computers. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/26 "2010-03-14T02:37:32Z")
That is worth pointing out. I’m online when I’m at home, and I’ll leave the computer on if I’m reading or go out to the store or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/27 "2010-03-14T09:28:00Z")
It’s the reason my mother (who’s so tightfisted the air screams when she closes her hand around it) learned to use computers. I’m on Skype with her right now. Very little footprint, as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/28 "2010-03-14T18:05:51Z")
Everyone in the company I work for uses Skype - we provide business accounts to everyone, so they can make free calls to the U.S. The call quality bounces back and forth - mostly it’s good, but there are annoying times when calls constantly disconnect, there is noise and/or echo, or one side can’t hear the other. In using Skype almost a year, I can recall only one instance of Skype servers causing a system-wide problem, and it was fixed in a few hours. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/29 "2010-03-15T00:03:02Z")
It is working well, a nice little minimized IM app. Thanks again, all! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/30 "2010-03-15T01:29:52Z")
We used it a lot when our daughter was studying in Germany. We did video calls, but they overtaxed her rather old laptop, so we moved to voice only. We used the IM feature only when the audio wasn’t working for some reason. My wife kept it on, with the volume on her speakers turned up, so we could hear it when she called us. Never a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/31 "2010-03-15T01:53:46Z")
I just got my first Skype message. Spam. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/32 "2010-03-15T02:58:14Z")
Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/33 "2010-03-15T09:39:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I just got my first Skype message. > > Spam. Block it and report inappropriate content, job done. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/34 "2010-03-15T13:11:08Z")
Did that before I posted here. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/35 "2010-03-15T13:38:53Z")
I use it to talk to my folks We use video calls and it is pretty good. The image is perfect but it works and they get to see their grandson several times a week despite living a continent away. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348/36 "2010-03-16T08:50:42Z")
Been using Skype on the Mac and PC for probably four years now. I primarily use it as a local phone number so my family back in NH can call me toll-free in case of emergencies or whatever, and as a business communication tool for my clients to find me quickly and easily. The rate to the US is dirt-cheap, so $25-30 lasts me several months of calls to my grandmother every other week. There have been technical difficulties, but I’m not versed enough to know whether it’s the program or the computer or the connection. I keep it running pretty much all the time I’ve got the computer on, and never noticed any problems with slowdown. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-skype/532348.md?page=1)