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Skype in the spotlight again
Skype has always been one of the most popular and stable video calling tools. It is a tool that many people around the world have been using for a long time. Recently, the need for web conferencing and online conferencing has increased as more and more companies are adopting telework, and Skype is attracting attention again.
This article will give you some basic information about Skype and its useful features. It will also introduce some goodies that you can use with Skype to make your web conferencing life more comfortable. This article will help you understand the basics of Skype and make the most of your web conferencing experience.
What Is Skype？
Skype is an online calling service provided by Microsoft. By installing Skype with each other, you can make free calls and chat with each other.Skype was created in 2003 by KaZaA co-creators Nicholas Sennström and Janus Frith, and was developed in the Estonian capital, Tallinn. The company also offers Skype for Business for business use, so if you’re looking to implement it as a company, you may want to consider Skype for Business.
ついに出たSkype（スカイプ）の新機能！登録不要で手軽にテレビ会議ができる「Meet Now」の全貌をたった2分で解説
What you can do with Skype
With Skype, millions of people enjoy taking advantage of the services offered online. So what can you do on Skype?
voice call
For starters, you can make voice calls – you can talk one-on-one or in a group, and it gives you a clear voice that’s easy to hear. You can also call people who don’t have Skype installed, and with Skype Credit you can make affordable international calls to friends’ mobile and landline phones that aren’t connected to the internet.
Video calling
It’s not just for voice calls, you can make video calls too. You can connect with up to 50 people, so you can use Skype for large scale online meetings. You can also record your Skype calls to capture special moments, make notes on important decisions and read what’s being said with real-time subtitles. This is a feature that can be quite useful in an online meeting where many people are participating.
Messages.
With Skype, you can also send and receive messages using chat. You can also have conversations while talking, so you can take advantage of sending and receiving texts as needed while talking.
Skype’s features and benefits
Next, let’s take a look at some of the features of Skype and the benefits of using it.
You don’t need an ID to use it.
You don’t have to be a registered user to use Skype, you just need to create a conference link and share it with others to join a web conference. You don’t need to sign up, just access the link and join the meeting, so you don’t need an ID to use it.
You don’t have to download it to use it.
The fact that there is no ID required and no download required is what makes Skype unique, and if you don’t have Skype installed, the link will automatically open the web version of Skype. The tools available for online meetings often require all participants to download the app. It’s easy to join a meeting without having to download the app.
Available from a variety of devices
Another great feature and advantage of Skype is that it’s available on a variety of devices. You can use Skype on just about any device, from smartphones to desktops and tablets. It works on a wide range of devices, so you can access it anytime, anywhere.
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Then we’ll show you how to use Skype!
How to use Skype
This is a step-by-step guide to using Skype, starting with registration.
①Sign Up
Go to the Skype home page and at the top right of the screen you will see the word Sign in. Click there and you’ll see a few things, and if it’s your first time, click Sign up.
To sign up for Skype, you’ll need a Microsoft account. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to create one first. To register, you can either provide a phone number or an email address. Enter it and click the Next button.
Once you have entered your phone number or email address, set a password and enter your name. You will receive a confirmation security coat at the phone number or email address you entered, so enter it and complete your identity verification. When asked for security information, answer “No problem”.
2. Check the audio and video.
Once you’ve verified your identity, you’ll be able to sign in to Skype as soon as your Microsoft account is created.
3. Add your contact information.
If you’ve just signed in, you should not have added any friends yet. Click New Contacts on the left side of the screen to add friends and contacts you have been working with.
If you know your Skype name, phone number, email address or name, you can add it.
4.Chatting and calling.
Once you’ve added the contacts of people you know, you can chat and call them.
Press the conference button and you’ll see the notes on creation. Press Continue to set up the meeting and share the link with the people you want to invite to join.
Press “New Chat” and you can create a group chat, moderate group, chat, or private chat as needed. Moderate groups are a good style for online presentations, lectures, etc., and allow you to have fine-grained control over the functioning of your members. You can also change users’ roles and ban chats, so make the most of it for any situation.
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Next, let’s take a look at some of Skype’s unique features.
Useful features of Skype
Skype has more to offer than just chatting and calling.
screen sharing
The screen sharing feature allows you to display the screen you’re looking at to the person you’re calling. It lets you share what you’re looking at and what you’re reading, so you can be more aware of what you’re talking about online.
Call recording
Call recording is another useful feature. As the name implies, it’s a great tool to record your calls, which can be useful for important meetings and interviews that need to be reviewed later.
Real-time subtitles.
Real-time subtitling is a feature that turns spoken words into subtitles. If you can’t participate in a situation where you can’t produce audio, you can try using the subtitle feature.
Private conversations
Take advantage of the Private Conversation feature for highly sensitive situations, such as important meetings. End-to-end encryption can be used to keep sensitive conversations private.
Skype prices
Skype is free to use over Skype, wherever you are in the world, and you only pay for calls to landlines and international calls that aren’t made over Skype.
If you want to make regular international calls to people in other countries, then a monthly subscription is the way to go.
Useful things to do when using Skype
Lastly, we’ll pick up some useful items to use when you’re on Skype.
Earphones and speakers
The first thing to consider is earphones and speakers. If your business uses Skype for online meetings frequently, you should use earphones and speakers to connect and output sound for your meetings.
If you are often on Skype alone, use earphones. If you are in a conference room and you are meeting with clients in a distant location via Skype, choose speakers so that everyone in the room can hear you better.
Microphones
Microphone requirements vary depending on whether you are using it alone or in a crowded conference room. When used alone, a omni-directional microphone that does not pick up the voices of others is recommended. On the other hand, if you’re in a meeting with several people, an omni-directional or omnidirectional microphone is a good choice.
Webcam.
When you are in an online meeting, you are more likely to turn on your camera to have a conversation. Some people use the camera that comes with their computer or smartphone, but we also recommend using a webcam that can be connected to your computer. Some gestures and facial expressions can be conveyed by watching them, so we recommend incorporating them.
Virtual Background
There may be times when you want to set up a virtual background for your Skype calls. Unfortunately, Skype on its own does not offer virtual backgrounds. You can set up a virtual background for your Skype calls with a tool called Snap Camera. All you need to do is install it, do a few simple settings and you’re good to go.
noise canceling
If you find yourself in a noisy situation where noise is an issue for you during a Skype call, we recommend the Krisp noise-cancelling app, which allows you to make a comfortable Skype call with no noise around you or the other person on the other end of the line. Although it’s not part of Skype, you can install it and it’s a very simple to use noise cancelling app. We have more details in the following article.
It’s free and it’s high quality! Skype for work and play
Free voice and video calls to people from all over the world, which is only getting more important and noteworthy as telework becomes more widespread. It’s easy to sign up and many people use it, so you can use it for online gatherings among friends.
Skype is also frequently used for online meetings, and as evidenced by the fact that Skype for Business is available for businesses, it has a great affinity with business. Why not give Skype a try and use it for both business and personal use? When you start, please try to use the goods we’ve mentioned above to help you get started.