It is wonderful to be able to gather together with your relatives, and celebrate the holiday season. However, not everyone is fortunate enough have all of their family members living in the same, nearby, location. You can still get together through your computers, if you use Skype.
I’ve heard it said that the majority of Americans stay near the location where they were born. Families tend to live somewhat nearby each other, (if not in the same town or city), and there are plenty of good reasons for people to want to be near their relatives. For one thing, it makes it rather easy to have the whole family gather together in one location to celebrate Christmas.
For those of us who live far, far, away from our families, there is still hope. If all of your relatives have computers in their homes, then you can use Skype to connect with each other this holiday season.
Skype is a program that you can download and use for free. It is compatible with both PC computers and Mac computers. You can use Skype to call your relatives through your computer, or smartphone. You won’t have to worry about long distance charges, even if your family lives in a different country than you do.
To use Skype, you will need to have some sort of microphone connected to your computer. Laptop computers come with a microphone built in. You can also pick up an inexpensive USB headset from any office supply store. If your computer has a camera, and your relative’s computer does too, then you will be able to see each other as you talk. In other words, the grandkids will be able to both hear, and see, grandma when you connect through Skype.
Another advantage to using Skype is that you can transfer documents, photos, and small audio files through it. For genealogists, this means you now have an easy way to share family photos with relatives who live far away.
You can send an mp3 of the interview you did with a particular relative to another family member through Skype. Or, you can send text files, (such as genealogy notes), through Skype. It is quicker than email, and really easy to do. Just make sure the files are small, and that you both stay connected to Skype until the entire file downloads to your, or your relative’s, computer.
Image by Eduardo Loxley on Flickr