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I started college in late August of 2008. Entering into this new environment was a challenge in itself, not to mention that I had to learn how to cope with being involved in a long distance relationship. Don’t get me wrong, college is wonderful, but being away from my loved ones is difficult. Anyway, before college my boyfriend and I always used the phone because if we wanted to see each other all we had to do was get in a car. Once we got to college the hardest thing to accept was that we wouldn’t be able to see each other. A few days in and my boyfriend had discovered Skype.
To clear up any confusion, Skype is a program that allows you to video chat online. It is definitely one of my most used computer programs and what’s even better is that it’s free. Skype allows you to communicate with anyone who has internet. You don’t even need a web cam to use Skype; you can use it like a regular telephone. You can also call landlines. There are so many different uses for Skype.
I believe that facial expressions can tell you a lot about what a person is saying. When you use Skype you have that advantage because you are having a face-to-face conversation. It is much more personable than AIM or simply talking on the phone. Technology is making it easier and easier for us to move away from face-to-face interaction. For example, so many people rely on texting as a way of communicating. I personally hate texting. Yes, I do it because it has become so socially acceptable but I’d much rather you just call me. Texting takes so long and it’s simply a waste because everything that is said in a text could just as easily be said ten times faster in a phone call. That’s why Skype is so great! It is new technology that actually encourages face-to-face conversations.
Another benefit of Skype is that it doesn’t cost anything. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have exceeded my monthly minutes on my cell phone. Skype really helps me to prevent that from happening.
The only drawback of Skype is that it is only as portable as your laptop. But, hey, that’s not too bad. My boyfriend and I are still happily together and I have to say that Skype made our year much easier.