Your Silver Cross

It’s a small world apparently. But not that small if you’ve got family on the other side of it. As more and more families are separated by countries or even continents, grandparents and other proud relatives can feel like they’re missing out.

Close the gap with Skype
Skype is a piece of software that turns your computer into a free video conferencing machine – so the second time your youngster walks, the whole family can watch! Below is a brief guide on how you can keep families in touch, wherever they are in the world.

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What is it?
Instead of a telephone line, Skype uses the internet to send your voice to whoever you’re calling. And, if you both have webcams, you’ll be able to make video calls. It’s not quite the same as actually being there, but it does mean that instead of telling you about school, they can actually show you their art project or act out their part in the school play. As yet, there’s no facility for grandparents to feed kids too many sweets and let them stay up passed their bedtime – but they’re probably working on it.

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What does it cost?
If you’ve both got Skype on your computer, voice and video calls are free. You can also use Skype to make voice calls to landlines abroad for just a few pence a minute.

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What do I need?
You – and whoever you want to call – will need a broadband connection and a computer with speakers. If you want to make video calls, you’ll also need a webcam. Many newer computers come with these as standard, but, if not, a webcam can be bought for as little as fifteen or twenty quid.

After that, you just need to visit the Skype website and download the software. It’s pretty simple to do and there’s a good set of instructions on the site.

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How much did Silver Cross get paid for this?
Sadly, nothing! It’s not an ad or a commercial tie-up. In fact, we’ve never even spoken to them. The reason we’ve mentioned Skype is that so many people have told us they’ve found it really helped their families feel a part of their kids’ lives – even when they were living far apart.

The other thing about this not being a formal partnership is that we can’t give you any technical help with Skype. If you have any problems, however, the Skype help pages are pretty good.