Section 6.7. Decision Checklist for New Users

6.7. Decision Checklist for New Users

First, you have to decide if you want to use a computer-centric broadband phone service. The dynamics vary considerably from normal telephone use and from the phone-centric providers discussed in the previous chapter.

Computer-centric broadband phone services primarily benefit groups calling each other over the service. Many Skype users are invited by earlier Skype users, a process Skype makes easy by adding invitations to their web site. SIP-based broadband phone providers rely on business users to define their membership group.

The first few decision checkpoint items in the previous chapter don't apply here at all. Go through the following table. If you answer such questions as "I need to keep my traditional telephone line" and "I need to keep my same phone number," affirmatively, it means you need to stick with phone-centric providers.

This won't take long, I promise.

Criteria very important	Somewhat important	Not important
The majority of the people I want to talk to are on the same service.
My contacts in foreign countries also have Internet access.
File transfer will be helpful.
I like to use IM as well as phone calls.
I need to conference more than two other people.

The first question does the heavy lifting: if most of your contacts are on one service, you join that service. Since it's free, signing up for a computer-centric service that turns out to be more pain than pleasure doesn't cost a thing. You can even delete the software from your computer and reclaim the bits of your hard disk it used.

The second question will help you decide if you want a phone-centric service or a computer-centric one. If all your foreign contacts have Internet access, then you can talk for free regardless of which computer-centric service you share. If your contacts don't have Internet access, but only a traditional telephone, you still may benefit from Skype or a competitor.

Do you call them most of the time? If so, you can use SkypeOut or the equivalent and pay just the few cents per minute long distance charge but nothing else. You get inexpensive long distance without any monthly fees. You get inexpensive long distance with Vonage and competitors, but there's always a monthly fee as well.

If your foreign friends and family call you as often as you call them, the Skype option won't work today. Go ahead and sign up for a phone-centric service from the previous chapter or one of the SIP phone options. Or wait until Skype officially launches SkypeIn, because their hinted pricing will be quite competitive.

All other things being equalexcept that you need to conference call with more than two other peoplesign up for Skype. The same goes for file transfer; Skype's the only action in town right now.