Skype
Using Skype Steve McNamara Skype is a proprietary voice over internet protocol service and software application owned by Microsoft. The service allows users to communicate with others by voice, video and instant messaging. Skype has also become popular for its additional features, including file transfer and video conferencing. Skype had 663 million registered users at September 2011. Registered users of Skype are identified by a unique Skype name and may be listed in the Skype directory. Skype allows these registered users to communicate with instant messaging and voice chat over the internet.Voice chat allows telephone calls between pairs of users and conference calling. Phone calls may be placed to recipients on the traditional telephone networks. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free of charge, while calls to landline telephones and mobile phones are charged via a debitbased user account system.
Price indications To give an example of how this works, say you were calling a client in London, Skype connects from your computer to the nearest Skype hub address in London and then you are only charged for the local call from that hub to the London number you are calling – a great saving. Skype currently shows the cost of 60 minutes of calls to UK landlines to be a total of just 89 cents. If your client also had Skype then of course you could speak to them for as long as you wish for no charge Skype’s text chat client allows group chats, storing chat history and editing of previous messages. Skype also enables you to use the usual features familiar to instant messaging users – user profiles, online status indicators and so on.
conferences currently support up to 25 people at a time, including the host. At Property InDepth, we commonly use both of these features, and with a nationwide focus on faster broadband we see these features becoming ever more important when keeping in touch with our team.
Links with iPhone Skype also has an app for the iPhone so you can also use your iPhone to call, video call and instant message your colleagues. Our valuers also use this to call our customer centre free of charge. With video calls over Skype, our valuers can also Skype each other and discuss things such as unique building materials, with both callers able to see the material in question. For a small fee you can also add features such as screen sharing. Skype has also partnered with Comcast to bring its video chat service to Comcast subscribers via their high definition television, an area we expect to see becoming ever more popular. With the benefits Skype offers our business I would strongly suggest you consider including this as part of your valuers ‘toolbox’. For more information click on www. skype.com Steve McNamara is from Property InDepth
Conference calls Video conferencing between two users was introduced in 2006 for the Windows and Mac clients. Skype for Linux, released in 2008, also features support for video conferencing. The latest Version 5 for Windows, released in May 2010, offers free video conferencing with up to five people. This includes high quality video with features such as full screen and screenin-screen modes similar to those of mid-range video conferencing systems. On a purely audio basis, Skype audio Vol 2, Issue 1, March 2012 Property Quarterly 21