Posted on Monday, March 28, 2005 8:07 AM
Regardless of your business, regardless of your marketing plans or budget, you need to call people sometimes. Maybe all the time. Small Business Computing has an interesting, but I think lacking, article on VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)--
VoIP Meets Wi-Fi. It's lacking because, for a reason completely lost to me, they don't even mention
Skype. Skype is the free computer to computer (aka peer to peer or P2P) VoIP solution that is taking over and revolutionizing how people are communicating with each other.
Here are the basic (and free) features of Skype: computer to computer voice, IM chat, and file transfers. Now you might think the voice calling computer to computer will be filled with lags, static, and "what? what did you say again?". Nope it's not. My experience has been that Skype calls are better than landlines, especially to Europe and other parts of the world. Yes, really, better than landline.
Now if you want to pay for a few services you can call regular phones (SkypeOut), get voicemail (SkypeVM), or get a "regular" phone number for people to call you (SkypeIn). I've tried SkypeOut and SkypeVM and they are well worth their small cost (10 Euros for about 588 mins for SkypeOut and 15 Euros for a year of SkypeVM).
All you need for Skype is a Mac, PC, or Linux machine that has a relatively up to date OS, sound card, microphone and speakers. Personally I recommend using a headset with a microphone. It makes the sound you hear clearer and the microphone lets others hear you better too. I have a Logitech Internet Chat headset. Very comfortable--which is important because once you start Skyping you might be wearing it a lot--great sound, and a very good microphone.
So start Skyping today! If you're interested in Skyping with someone to try your set up out, my Skype ID is tris.hussey.