After you download the Skype software, read the End User License Agreement before installing it. Skype installs in your computer after you agree to their terms and conditions.
Once you install the software, you should set-up your Skype account. You need the following:
· Skype Name. You can use your real name, the better choice if you want others to identify you. You can also use an alias. The Skype Name should be at least six characters in length and not used by any other person.
· Skype Password. Choose a password that is easy for you to remember.
· Personal Profile. After you select a Skype Name and password, you will be asked to fill in a personal profile form. Entering information in the personal profile is optional. If you choose to make the profile available to other Skype users, they will be able to search for you using this information. You should know how much you want the world to know about you.
Your personal profile information is not stored by Skype, but is shared out to other Skype users in the network. See their privacy policy for more information. If you decide not to fill in your personal profile or if you want to change something, you can always access your User Profile from the File menu in the Skype software.
Now, your account has been set up and you can start using Skype to make a phone call.
Making a Call
Get the Skype software running. You may choose the option of loading Skype when you boot your computer. Skype will always be on when you work on your computer, and anyone can call you. Another option is to create a shortcut to the program so that you can run Skype only when you want to make and receive calls.
Log in with your Skype Name and password. When the Skype window appears, showing your status, calls made and received, and contact list, you are ready to make a call.
Initially, your contact list will be empty. Search the network by typing the name of your friends. Skype will give you the names of account holders with the matching names and include the shared personal information. You can add to your contact list just by clicking the names.
When you want to add a contact to your contact list, that person is notified, and he or she can decide whether to allow their name to be added to your list. You will be notified when someone wants to include you in his or her contact list.
Skype will inform you through the window that appears on your computer screen whether the contact is online or not. If she is online, you can double click, or right click and select “call” and her computer makes a ringing sound. If she clicks “answer”, a two-way conversation begins.
Either party can end the call by clicking the “hang-up” icon shown on the toolbar.
Unless you have a SkypeOut account, you can only call other people with Skype accounts.