Keeping in Touch with Skype

Skype

Skype has been around for about ten years and the word has entered the language - we now talk about Skyping people. The software is free to download from www.skype.com and easy to install. To make full use of it you will need a webcam and a microphone, although if you have a laptop these are pretty standard these days.
Setting up your account is as easy as you would expect- user name, email address, password - these are all the normal things that you are asked for when setting up stuff. Then you're ready to Skype- but who? You can import contacts from your email service, even Facebook. You can search for people you know. And just as you now collect people's email addresses, you can ask them for their Skype ID and add them manually to your contacts.
Free - yes, calling Skype to Skype is free. You can talk to anyone anywhere in the world for free if you are both logged into Skype. Great for families scattered across the globe. You can also use Skype to call a phone but there is a charge for this. You can buy Skype credit much as you might for your mobile phone. The rates are generally very reasonable you are charged a local rate appropriate for the country you are calling rather than an international one.
Skype can also be used for Instant Messaging. You can send text messages to your friends when they are logged into Skype and carry on a real time conversation. If they are not at their computer at the time, they will see your message the next time they look at Skype.
Conference calling, sending files, sharing screens - this is a powerful piece of software that makes excellent use of your internet connection. If you haven't tried it- check it out. You're sure to find it a great way for keeping in touch. And there's nothing that can make you feel closer to people than being able to see and talk to them and Skype is great for this.

Skydive!

A few months ago Alan won a parachute jump with Skydive The Beach in a Facebook competition.

Today he did it; a tandem freefall from 14,000 feet.

See the pictures here:

Alan Skydives The Beach

The Moral: It's amazing what you can win if you get involved with social media.

On The Wireless

We got a text today asking Catherine 'Is that you on the radio?'


Well, yes, it was.


This morning we went along to ABC Illawarra's open day, and got a tour of the studios in Victoria Street. They asked for two volunteers to appear on air, and Catherine seized the opportunity. So, whilst the Breakfast Show host Peter Riley told us about how the studios operated, Catherine and another visitor met, and were briefly interviewed live on air by, Nick Rheinberger.


Afterwards we learned about ABC Open, a project to collect ordinary people's stories through various forms of media. 


Finally the CWA provided us with coffee and biscuits.


I was surprised at how small the whole set-up was, but it works very well, and is run by a dedicated and friendly team to provide an excellent local service.


We took photos.

Outside The Studios
Alan Leaning To The Left

Peter Riley
Our Alarm Clock

Catherine And Liz Being Interviewed

Posing With Nick Rheinberger

More Books!

Wollongong has never been good for bookshops - we're not sure why, although Australia's book pricing agreements can't help - so it's nice to see some good news with regard to books in this city:

Perey's Books To Sell Recent Releases

Anyone who hasn't popped into Perey's Books is missing a treat, and with expanded opening hours (and possibly coffee and cakes) it will only get better.

Wi-Fi In Wollongong

This is good news:

Free Wi-Fi For Crown Street Mall

One obvious downside, though, is that it makes it easier to treat stores as 'showrooms' - looking at items in stores, then using the 'net to see if the same item can be found more cheaply elsewhere (or even ordered online at lower cost).

However wider access to the internet is generally a good thing, and the council are to be applauded for this initiative.

MAY NEWSLETTER

Our May Newsletter is now available on our website at www.abcomputertraining.com.
It includes tips on how to keep your computer clean, shiny and working.

ILLAWARRA WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARDS

ILLAWARRA WOMEN IN BUSINESS had their awards last Friday, 26th March. It was a packed house of some hundred and fifty people and there were four awards ranging from the Best Home Based Business to Young Business Woman of the Year.
A great networking event with business cards and literature being handed out by one and all. Some inspirational speakers and a good time was had by all. AB Computer Training were there as first-timers but I've no doubt that it will be an event we will be eagerly following, if not participating in, in future years.

Parking In Wollongong

According to the Illawarra Mercury, it appears that the new parking meters in Wollongong's CBD are getting off to a slow start:

Shopper Shun Meters

In terms of clients we have little to do with central Wollongong, so this would not seem to be an issue for us at first glance. However, like any business, we do have odd jobs we need to do at banks and various stores there, so we do make short trips into the centre. Certainly knowing that timed spaces are not now occupied by people using them all day is going to be a plus; but really it's only the two hour spaces that are any use to us; for a one hour trip the car-park for Crown St. Mall offers better value. To be honest there's still a lot to be said for parking a little further down Kenny or Keira St if you can find a space; five minutes walk gets you into the centre, and the on-street is untimed and free. Certainly worth considering if you want an extended trip to the centre.

What is interesting is the comments that some of the pay stations are already not working. This is only the first week of operation. Are they untested, or just prone to breakdown?

Hawks Tickets Now On Sale

Tickets are now on sale for the Wollongong ahm Hawks game three semi-final match against Townsville on Saturday night at WIN Entertainment Centre.

More details HERE

Central Parking

I'm not sure how this is going to affect things for us, but Wollongong Council does seem to be making themselves unpopular.

Mind you, the idea of a city centre that doesn't charge for parking, even off-street, is pretty much unheard of in the UK. Parking in Australia's pretty easy generally speaking.

Hawks!

Good luck to the Wollongong Hawks in their semi-final agianst Townsville tonight.

Full details here.

Get A Taste Of Technology

Starting on Friday 19th March is Wollongong Seniors Week.

As part of this event, advertised as 'Inspiring, Not Retiring', will be a number of sessions introducing seniors to the myseteries of technologies such as mobile phones, game consoles (the Wii, of course) and social networking.

So, once you're on Twitter or Facebook, why not look us up?