When Oprah says jump, we seem to jump. She picks a book, we read it; she pushes a new tech device, we get it too. Now I don't tend to be an Oprah follower. I didn't get a Kindle just because she mentioned it, but I like it's potential. And now she is pushing Skype and I have to agree. "Thursday’s episode of the show (taped earlier this month) is entirely dedicated to Skype, eBay’s soon-to-be-spun-off Internet communications service."
We specifically got Skype because my wife's parents wanted to see their grandkids and living on opposite ends of the coast, a weekend visit isn't so easy. Skype enables a face to face visit without the airport wait. Not only did it connect us to one set of grandparents, we quickly learned that the other set as well as one of my nephews had started using Skype as well. And my kids love the chance to see their family!
Here is the best news; the only cost was the video camera. Everything else is free. How does Skype make any money, I have no idea. I don't see ads and I haven't been inundated with email spam from them. If they are measured by registered users, Skype is doing quite well and this endorsement from Oprah will only increase their base. How they financially survive is anyone's guess.
