"How to" Guideline series is coordinated by Helen Mongan-Rallis of the Education Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions to improve these guidelines please e-mail hrallis@d.umn.edu.

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Guidelines for Skype

Created by Helen Mongan-Rallis. Last updated: August 24, 2007

Skype is a free, cross platform Internet based audio and video conferencing application (peer-to-peer Internet telephone). Skype can be used to make free "phone calls" from one computer to another, anywhere in the world. In addition, it can be used in place of a telephone to call regular phone numbers instead of another computer, but this service (called "Skype out") does come with a fee (which is still cheaper than many long distance phone charges). To learn more about what it is, you can read about it on Wikipedia. Here are the basic steps to follow to create and account and get started:

To download Skype and set up an account

  1. Go to skype.com
  2. Click on the download button. This takes you to a screen that provides more information about Skype, along with a button to download the application --> click on the download button --> this takes you to the download screen that is compatible with your computer --> click on the "download now" button and follow the directions for installing it on your computer.

Setting up Skype

Once you have downloaded Skype, launch it and set up your account. These steps below are the key ones. For more detail on each step, I have provided a link to the relevant section within the Skype help documents. These consist of screen shots showing you each step, and then at the top of the page, arrow and "next step" command to take you to the next screen shot that will walk you through all you need to learn. I recommend using those guides for details. What I provide here is merely an overview.

  1. First you need to set the name that you will use for yourself on Skype. I prefer to use my real name as it makes it easier for my friends to find me online.
  2. Set password (at least 4 characters)
  3. Sign in and get started
  4. Set up your Skype profile (enter as much or as little information as you like). This profile helps your friends find you online.
  5. Add contacts to your account (these are the people who will be in your Skype address book and who you will call using Skype). If you don't know the Skype name of people who you would like to call, you can search for them (in the Skype "search" box). If they have used their real name, then you will find them. Otherwise you will need to email them (or contact them in some other way) to find out their Skype name

Making Calls

Once you have added people to your contact list, you can now call them:

  1. Make sure that you have an internal or external microphone on your computer, and that it is working
  2. It is a good idea to use headphones rather than your computer's speakers to listen to the person with whom you are talking. Reason: if you use speakers, it creates an echo effect for the person on the other end, making it harder for them to hear you.
  3. In your contact list, click on the name of the person you want to call, and then click on the green telephone button.
  4. If you have a web cam (see information on video conferencing), once you have connected via audio, you can then click on the little icon of the video camera in the calling window, and this will launch the camera, enabling the person at the other end to see you as well as hear you. Note: the person at the other end does not have to have a web cam to see you. Thus you can have just one of you using a web cam while the other just uses audio, you can both use web cams, or both use just audio.
  5. To end the call, click on the red button.

Skype and use at the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota Safe Computing website on Skype discourages the use of Skype on the university network. Users of the university network should read through the guidelines about university policy on Skype.

Important: according to the guidelines, to safely use Skype while conforming to University Policy, users should:

  1. launch the application only when you need to use it. If you are expecting an incoming call, coordinate it through other means. (e.g. email, instant messages, etc.)
  2. Keep your calls to a reasonable length.
  3. When the call is finished, turn the application OFF. Closing the Skype application window is not enough. On the Windows OS, the background application must be turned off as well (see UM Skype page for details on how to do this)

 

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