Skype Download & Installation for Video Chat,Conference Call

Despite the presence of some quality text and voice, chatting service around, Skype is growing in popularity because of its high quality voice and video chat. Though Skype also offers text chat like Yahoo and MSN, but people loves it mostly for its strong multimedia facilities like video calls and clear voice quality. This hub will show you how you can download Skype and configure it for voice and video chat.

Skype Download

Before learning how to install and configure Skype of voice call and video chat, you must have Skype installed on your computer. If you have not already done so, go at Skype download site.

Skype also works with Mac OS and Linux. Before downloading just be sure about your operations system and download it accordingly. Social networking site MySpace can be integrated with Skype, if you are interested to include your MySpace friend in Your Skype, and then download the MySpace version of Skype, on the left side of the download page.

Skype Installation

When you open the download page click on the “Download Now” button, a new page will open, that requires your “sing in” information. If you already don’t have any account with Skype then create one by filling the basic information about you, otherwise sign in with your current login ID and click on “I agree-continue” to start downloading the installation file on your laptop. Once download finished, click on the in stallion file, select the language and tick the “Yes” to agree with the Skype TOS and then click on “Install” to start the installation.

Skype Login

After finishing installation, click on the Skype icon on your desktop to start Skype. Log on to your account with the Skype name and password that you created with your account when you downloaded it.

What can be done with Skype?

Services like instant messaging, video calls, voice calls are very free, that you can use any time of a day from anywhere. To call cell phones, land phones or to send SMS from your Skype you can use their pay as you go charges. There is also an option to unlimited calls to certain countries such as Australia, USA, UK, and China etc., based on monthly subscription.

Adding Contacts to Skype Account

To add a friend, click on the “New Contact” in “New” button of you Skype. Now if you know the Skype name of your friend, then write it and click on Find. When the name appears, select it and click on the “Add Contact” button.

 How to Start to Skype Call

Before starting a call, make sure that both you and the called person are online and the microphones & speakers are working properly. To make a call to a particular person select his name from your contact menu and then on the left side of Skype you will see a green color  button “ Call”, click on it-that’s all. If everything is OK, then you should hear his voice. Sometimes due to excessive voice call demands on Skype servers, you need to make several voice call attempts to establish a call. At any point of your voice call, you can turn it into a video call by clicking on the “My Video” button; it is possible only if your web cam is already connected.

Skype Video Call

To start a video call in Skype, at first check that your web cam is connected with your computer and if it is working. If the video cam is OK, then log on to your Skype account, and find the contact that you want to start video call with. Make sure that if your contact is already online, if he/she is online then you will see a green tick mark just beside his icon, otherwise there will be a gray cross mark. If your contact is found online, then after selecting him just click on the “Video Call” on the main window of Skype.

Skype Conference Call

This is also known as group video call. For making, a video conference call with Skype makes sure both you and all your friends have Skype 5.0 for Windows installed in their computer. The maximum number of allowed users in a Skype group call is nine, but the recommended number is 5.since group call requires more bandwidth the higher the number of users in a group call the lower will be the video and voice quality. To start the conference call, at first make a contacts group that will be part of your call. For making a group, go at the “Contact” menu and then click on “Create New Group”. Now draw the contacts from the contact list to the empty group box and click on “save group in contacts” to name and save it. Select the group name and click on “Group Call” to start your video conference call. This group call facility is free for only 28 days, after the trial period if you are interested to continue the service then you must buy the video conference service from Skype.

Note-for high quality video call you must have a dual core processor and an Internet connect of at least 512 Kbps

Privacy Settings on Skype

Skype has an extensive database of millions of users that anyone can search and call. If your privacy setting is set for receiving anyone’s call, then anyone can call you when you go online. To restrict unknown people from calling you, go to the “Options” from “Tools “menu and then select privacy and click on “people in my contact list only” from the “Allow calls from..”  Another important privacy selection is “automatically video receiving and screen sharing from...” always keep it selected to “people in my contact list only “. Click on the “save” button.

Security of Skype

When you log in to your Skype account all the data transmitted ,between your computer and the  Skype server , in encrypted format through SSL, ensuring that only the Skype will be able to decrypt and read your information.  Skype also provides protection against identity theft by assigning each user a digital certificate-this means that no other person on Internet can impersonate you or vice versa.To put it in plain language, digital signature  guarantees that to whom you are talking to  is surly that person

Skype continuously updates their software, to check if there is any new version, go to help menu and click on “check for updates”