Skype and Gatnet

Skype & Gatnet

Putting Skype to work for Gatnet

It seems to be assumed that just because field access connections to the net are often slow (dial up) and expensive, the only practical communications option for field workers is traditional email. Based on our experience with our colleagues in outlying locations in Africa, South-East Asia and Latin America, we know that this is not the case. With this in view we have designed a web site that loads quickly and uses the major browsers (and a bit of JavaScript but that should not be a problem). And a group blog which also loads quickly and permits both fast access and rapid comment when useful.

Another handy option which we have used with our world wide colleagues over the last eighteen months is Skype -- a free IP communications tool offering free or almost free phone calls anywhere in the world. Since it is easy to install and enormously cost-effective (and secure), we have found that even our most technology wary colleagues are able to get the swing of this and more over to it comfortable without having to undergo some kind of gut-wrenching mid-life culture change.

Getting ready to work with Skype

Click here to get full background information on Skype, as well as step by step guidelines for the very easy download and install routine. The whole thing should take you ten minutes. And if you wish to test your system, just pop the name ericbritton into the address box and you will be directly in touch with us here. Quality: very high. Cost: zero.

System Requirements
In order to use Skype software, your computer must meet the following minimum system requirements.

Minimum System Requirements:

PC running Windows 2000 or XP
400 MHz processor
128 MB RAM
15 MB free disk space on your hard drive
Sound Card, speakers and microphone
Internet Connection (either dial-up: minimum 33.6 Kbps modem, or any broadband: cable, DSL, etc.)
However, in order to take advantage of all of the advanced features of Skype and to experience the best sound quality possible, we highly recommend the following configuration.

Recommended System Requirements:

PC running Windows 2000 or XP
1 GHz processor
256 MB RAM
30 MB free space on your hard drive
Full duplex sound card (most sound cards made after 1998), headset
Cable, DSL or equivalent broadband connection to Internet

What about using Skype with a dial-up modem?

You can use Skype when you are connected with a 33.6 Kbps modem or faster. (However, if you are simultaneously using your modem for other types of Internet traffic, such as web surfing, file sharing or email you may experience disruptions in the voice communication.)

Useful Support Tools

Skype offers a set of supporting work tools in addition to voice conferencing that it is good to know about and that we can put to good advantage. Among these:

Chat - This can be very useful in allowing you to exchange text notes as you speak. Web site addresses, email and simple written references that can be more quickly and accurately done than by voice. Also in the event that there is a problem with the line and the voice connection takes a hit or is not clear (it an happen), the chat facility permits you to continue your exchange until the line conditions improve. We also find it useful if we and the others to whom we are Skyping wish to look at the same website or file; you simply exchange the reference, click and you can both consult in tandem.
File Transfer: Handy when you wish to exchange a document or image as you speak that you may wish to examine together. Secure and encrypted. In general faster than email.
Sharing contacts: Skype makes it an accurate one click process to share selected contact information with colleagues.
Low cost international calls: You can use Skype to call people who are on Skype (that's free other than any eventual use charges by your provider) or not (that costs money but in general is a fraction of the cost of a normal phone call and usually the quality is at least comparable).
User Help: http://www.skype.com/help/guides/index.html is a good place to start.

Conferencing with Skype

Conference Calls: It is possible for up to 5 people to conference call with Skype! Starting a conference call is simple and there are several ways to do it. If you want to dial several people all at once and start a conference call with them, you first need to select participants from your Contact List by holding "ctrl" and clicking them. Once they have been selected, click the conference toolbar button. This will show you the conference tab and you will see the names of the participants you have called. If and when these participants answer your call, they will be added to the conference. Or, if you are already in an active call and would like to add an additional participant, you can select the person you want to add from your contact list and click the conferencing toolbar button . Because Skype conferences are Peer-to-Peer, it's important that the conference host (the person who starts the conference) has a good Internet connection and computer. If you are planning to conference with many participants you should choose the person with the best internet connection to be the initiator (host) of the conference.

Chat Conferences: These can be done as either pure chat or in parallel with voice conferences. Skype presently accommodates up to 48 participants in chat conferences.

Planning your Skype conference: We recommend that you pre-circulate a short agenda with the main items to be covered, and a list of the participants. We also recommend that you post both a starting and closing time, and that you keep the conference if possible to 45 minutes or less.

Agenda Change/Announcements: These can be made via a special signal on Chat to help keep everyone on track.

Videoconferencing: Not recommended for Gatnet on two grounds. First, requires too high speed connections. Second, we find that the existing project is not as stable as we would like. (We actually use http://www.sightspeed.com for this for now.)

Skype etiquette

Before actually clicking on to start your call to a colleague if you see from your Skype interface that they are available, the etiquette is that you send a quick chat note asking if and when they might be free. Since all this is directly integrated into the immediate working environment of your colleagues, there is every reason to extend this courtesy.