The Smart Way to Reach Your Customers™

Email marketing is an easy and affordable way to grow your business

Get in touch

Phone: 01573 44 03 55

Fax: 0844 44 37 0 27

Email: ask@web-workshop.net

dotBiz

Your Quick Guide To VoIP

Have you noticed how computers and the internet love sets of initials like ADSL, USB, CD ROM, etc? One of the latest ones that you may have come across is VoIP, and it has got a lot of people very excited.

VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, which is self-explanatory, isn't it? Well, not exactly. Put simply, VoIP is making telephone calls over the internet.for free. That's got your attention, hasn't it? It is predicted to be the next revolution in telecommunications.

With broadband becoming cheaper and more widely available, and the software you need to make the calls getting more user-friendly, a growing number of people are finding VoIP a great way to keep in touch with clients, family and friends.

So, how does it work? Well, let's take a look at one of the biggest players in VoIP - Skype, which was recently bought over by eBay for £1.4bn. To use Skype, you need a computer (Mac or PC), an internet connection (ideally broadband), and a microphone headset hooked up to your computer - although the external speakers and microphone that come with most modern computers will do fine.

If you've ever used an instant messaging program like Windows Messenger, Skype will look quite familiar. You're presented with a list of contacts, which are either other Skype users or phone numbers. When you want to call someone you simply select the name or phone number and click on the green button.

A few seconds later you'll hear the telephone "ring", the person at the other end answers, then you have a normal chat just as if you were on the phone, and the sound quality is excellent. You can even set up conference calls, and instant messaging is no problem, too.

It's free to call a fellow Skype user, no matter how long you speak for. To "skype out", which is calling a normal landline number using Skype, you do have to pay, but it is still usually a lot cheaper than using a conventional telephone.

It all seems too good to be true, so are there any drawbacks? Well, you need a computer, preferably with a broadband connection, and you have to be at the computer to use it. If you've switched your computer off or you go off-line nobody can Skype you, and if you're away from your machine you might not hear it "ringing" to tell you that there's an incoming call. There is a solution though, as you can now get cordless telephones that will plug into your USB port and allow you make calls through Skype, wherever you are around the house or office.

There are other VoIP providers, but I've only had the space to tell you about one here. We all like to save a bob or two, and VoIP is one way to cut down on those bills, so take a look to see just how easy it is.

Click here for a list of useful links

Don't miss another issue! Subscribe to dotBiz now.

I promise that I won't sell or pass on your details to anyone else!

Just click here to subscribe to dotBiz - it's FREE and you can unsubscribe at any time

Send This Page To a Friend

Subscribe now!