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1) You can get Skype Voicemail for ~18$ a year (that is about ~1.50$ per month)
2) You can call almost any phone number on
planet for 2 cents a minute, half of what Vonage charges! (Skype to Skype calls are free)
3) You can get an incoming phone number for around ~50$ a year (that is only 4$ per month and they throw in voicemail for free! Remember, unlike Vonage which gives you a phone number when you agree to pay 15$-25$ a month, Skype starts you off for free but will only give you a phone number when you start paying them 4$ a month. I started off using Skype for free since I was only making Skype to Skype calls at first)
4) You get a bunch of features included for free (conference calling with up to 50 people, Caller ID, Call Waiting ...)
5) There are tons of "add-ons" (also know as "plug-ins") for Skype, many of them are free. You can get a Skype Answering machine, you can have Skype integrated into Microsoft Outlook or you can even start Podcasting with Skype.
6) There are lots of Skype communities. You can meet people for fun and conversation, you can meet people to learn new languages, and you can even meet people for "Skype-Sex".
7) Last, but not least, Skype has instant messaging and file sharing.
Once you get going with Skype you will find that it starts to grow on you. I haven't replaced my regular phone with Skype, but it has become my second phone line and I use it frequently. At work I use Skype all time. Since I'm already sitting at my computer it is much more convenient to talk with my team members using Skype than picking up phone and giving them a call.
However, Skype does not have 911 service, nor would I expect it to have 911 service until 2007. Skype does not have good customer service. To be fair, they are growing really fast. They are getting 150,000 new users everyday, can you imagine trying to have great customer service when you are getting 150,000 new users signing up every single day?
Nonetheless, if you are like me you will find that Skype is easiest choice to make. I wasn't ready to cancel my home phone and I wasn't ready to commit to paying a company a monthly fee, I simply wanted to stop paying for long distance. After that I got hooked!
If you are interested in Skype, then download Skype for free at www.skype.com
Once you have Skype, you can find a Skype phone, add-on or community at SummitCircle.com. There you will find all Skype add-ons (or plug-ins) that you want, you will find links to dozens of different Skype phones along with reviews and comments by users and you will find links to all different Skype community sites on web.
Louis Philip is the owner of
