Nerd/Boffin Technical corner. Page 94

Skype is free, although I believe you can buy credit to call landlines if you wish to do so.

You need to download an app or program, whichever suits you best whether you're on a computer or tablet.

You will have to download the program, sign up and log in, as will the person you are wishing to talk to. You exchange your Skype email or username.

You will need a camera and microphone, sometimes they are as one, sometimes the are separate pieces of hardware.

After you have logged in to Skype, you will see a list of your contacts. Simply click on the contact and choose whether to video call them, voice only call them or simply text chat, where only a keyboard is required.

It is FREE. You will not be charged unless you choose to be charged. You can chat away as long as you want BUT the quality may degrade after a while, at least that has been my experience.

Skype was recently bought by Microsoft, and I haven't really used it since, so some of my information my be incorrect but hopefully it hasn't changed so much so that my words will be completely useless!

Thank you Lee - anyone else have any recommendations or experience of this?

Skypes really easy, even the most basic pad or web book will have the equipment you need.

The software is indeed free and can be downloaded in a couple of minutes.

Can get a bit annoying if you don't have a fast connection.

Quote: sootyj @ 2nd June 2015, 10:48 AM BST

Skypes really easy, even the most basic pad or web book will have the equipment you need.

The software is indeed free and can be downloaded in a couple of minutes.

Can get a bit annoying if you don't have a fast connection.

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Thank you sootyj - I have 100mb on Virgin Media broadband so I should be OK?

Considering the recommended amount is 1.5mpbs, I think you'll be just fine

Thanks Lee - certainly looks like it

Yes, Skype is the main video calling program, there are others.

Nowadays Skype belongs to Microsoft it is free.

http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-computer/

You need to create an account and of course the people you want to call also need to install Skype and create an account. THe account will have a nickname called a Skypename, which will be the main method you use to call a given person.

Skype calls to skype devices (computers, tablets, smartphones) are free, but Skype can also call landlines (voice only of course). To call landlines you first need to top-up your account from a real money source., but it is not expensive. If you call a llandline in another country, it goes by Internet to that country then 'pops out' onto landlines there, so you only get charged the local country rate for the call.

If 2 Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.) are involved, I'd recommend using their built in FaceTime feature. It's easy to use and you don't have to bother with installing software, cameras and creating accounts.

I haven't used Skype in years, but I remember having spam problems: unknown callers trying to connect with me for whatever nefarious reasons.

Don't forget to wear your tin foil hat if you use Facetime

It may be a good idea to jot some notes on what to ask-but don't follow a script, that looks bad.

Google Hangouts is similar to FaceTime if you don't have Apple devices, or a single Apple device between you. That also works for multiple people in a single call.

A well-known podcast and Damn The Torpedoes! are very much written using this exact technology!

Dan

Four questions oh knowledgable ones:

1. How do I save a video from Skype?

2. How do I take a screen shot? I used to have a screen shot key on my last pc which I pressed then pasted into word. I currently have a surface pro tablet which I use with an external keyboard and there's no screenshot key.

3. Is it possible to add a counter thingy to my website so I can see how many people have visited it?

4. This is a difficult question to word, hopefully someone will get what I mean; is there a way to make my website more popular, ie, to come up higher in a search engine?

I've Googled some of these things but I have very limited tech ability and haven't been able to understand or succeed so far. I need a step by step idiot's guide.

1. I bet you would need some screen capture software, but which one in particular? I have no idea sorry! I suppose an easy method would be for you and your caller to use something different to Skype which allows you to record conversations.

2. You need the print screen key or "prt sc" as it reads on my keyboard. (A quick Google suggests you press the FN and Space bar for the Surface Pro). You could also use the snipping tool included with Windows.

3. It's very easy to add a visitor counter but it depends on what software you're using as to how to go about it.

4. That's not an easy question! You have to pay or know how to play Google. If I were to search your name, I'm sure your website would come up pretty high in the results. Other than that, it could depend on how unique your content was. Websites used to fill their pages with invisible keywords (visible to Google, invisible to the visitor) but I think Google has changed the way it searches now - no longer really keyword-matching based.

There's a new factor to consider these days too - most content is not served through personal websites, rather hosted on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, reddit, etc. Get yourself spotted on those and then link back to your website.

Hope that helps!

Quote: Loopey @ 30th August 2015, 8:44 AM BST

Four questions oh knowledgable ones:

1. How do I save a video from Skype?

2. How do I take a screen shot? I used to have a screen shot key on my last pc which I pressed then pasted into word. I currently have a surface pro tablet which I use with an external keyboard and there's no screenshot key.

3. Is it possible to add a counter thingy to my website so I can see how many people have visited it?

4. This is a difficult question to word, hopefully someone will get what I mean; is there a way to make my website more popular, ie, to come up higher in a search engine?

I've Googled some of these things but I have very limited tech ability and haven't been able to understand or succeed so far. I need a step by step idiot's guide.

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I have emailed your questions to my son who is fairly up on these matters and will let you know what/if he comes up with.

Quote: Lee @ 30th August 2015, 9:03 AM BST

2. You need the print screen key or "prt sc" as it reads on my keyboard. (A quick Google suggests you press the FN and Space bar for the Surface Pro). You could also use the snipping tool included with Windows.

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Quick response to that point, I just tried it and it worked. Thank you very much. I don't know why I couldn't find that suggestion when I searched, I guess I don't even know how to search properly!

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 30th August 2015, 9:51 AM BST

I have emailed your questions to my son who is fairly up on these matters and will let you know what/if he comes up with.

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Thank you. I have the answer to the second q now so that's sorted.

I wonder if what I really need to do is start again. I have a lot of old stuff on various sites which I don't maintain and I don't think it does me any favours. I did start new fb 'professional' page but that isn't really working out.
My website is a complicated nightmare which I've been trying to sort out for a very long time. I thought if I could check how many people visited it would help me to decide whether to ditch it. It was made by a student who was experimenting with setting up his own website building business. It was doing a favour for us both at the time. He moved abroad years ago and I am no longer in contact with him. The problem with ditching it would be (I think) I would lose the email address associated with it.

As I can be absent from the net for months at a time and have limited technical ability I'm not sure what to do about any of it!