Ring-ring… Ring-ring…
Published by on October 5th, 2005
Skype is no different to any other form of telephony. OK so it uses some very different forms of technology - at least in part - but it is nothing more than a means of one person someplace calling up and speaking to another person someplace else.
But there seems to be a big difference in the way it is used…
Telephone: Dial your friend. Half a dozen rings later there is no answer so assume they are not in and begin mentally preparing your voice message*. A few more rings and it’s clear they have not activated (or have not purchased) voicemail, so ring off. But if your call is important, one or two more rings and you’ve covered the possibility of your friend being on the toilet, so it is safe to assume they are not in.
Skype: Dial your friend and if they do not answer within half a dozen rings, continue letting it ring for a good minute or so just to be sure. No need to wait for voicemail as they don’t have the correct icon. Just let it ring and ring and ring because it’s Skype and if they are online they therefore MUST be sat at the computer begging for you to call and giggle at them for how clever it is to use a computer to talk to someone else.
Telephone: There is no way of telling whether your friend is available, out, indisposed or just doesn’t want to talk right now. But take the risk, if they don’t answer, no biggie.
Skype: You know your friend is connected to the internet, so that’s all you need. Oh don’t worry that their Skype status tells you they are away (and therefore haven’t touched the computer in several minutes), that they are Not Available (not touched the computer for many more minutes) or that they do not want to be disturbed at all. Just call them, it’s Skype after all!
Telephone: You have no friends. It’s tough to get one in another country as you have little access to foreign telephone directories.
Skype: You already have something in common with over 3.5 million other Skype users - all potential new friends! Don’t bother wasting time introducing yourself on text chat first, just go right ahead and request authorisation and immediately call them for a voice chat. Say Pah! to their status of Not Available. Spit in the face of the lack of SkypeMe invitation: they are on Skype, they are connected to the internet, you want to be their friend.
Today’s mantra: Think before you Skype.
*This is not strictly true. More accurately: prepare your voicemail, listen to the outgoing message, forget your voicemail, put the phone down, feel stupid, write your message on a nearby envelope, rehearse your message at least three times (in front of a mirror doesn’t help), make a mental note not to forget to leave your name and phone number, redial, leave it ring, listen to the outgoing message, attempt not to be distracted by the far more interesting crane fly struggling for its life in a nearby spiders web, hear the beep, realise after 5 seconds that the beep meant you were supposed to start talking, blurt out a hurried message, hang up, realise all you said was how great the movie was last night but didn’t manage to get in the most critical part of the message information, redial, leave it to ring, watch the spider remove the cranefly’s head, listen to the message telling you the voicemail inbox is full, cry because it is snowing, you are in your pyjamas and no-one else has a duplicate set of your house keys.
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