Both of my parents have Skype on their computers. We tend to have to have a refresher if it’s been a while since I talked to them through the free service, whether we’re using the instant messenger service or the video chat tool. In general, though, my parents understand Skype. What surprises me is that I’m the only person they both use the service to communicate with.

I’ve had job interviews over Skype, conducted interviews of my own for articles — it’s a tool I turn to pretty regularly. It might just be a fact of my life: considering my whole office fits in my laptop bag, I tend to rely on computer applications more than another person might. But I do think it may be worth getting my family a little more used to the idea.

This isn’t just a random thought: recently, my grandfather has been spending a fair amount of time on the phone to Chile. He has a friend there that he wants to be able to speak to on a regular basis, but he isn’t so fond of the international fees for phone calls. Various family members have suggested switching phone companies, buying phone cards and all sorts of things. I suggested Skype.

The general response seemed to be that my grandfather wasn’t tech savvy enough to use Skype, and neither is his friend. But finding a relative to set up laptops at each end seems like a pretty practical solution — and it’s free.

I’d love to see my family get more comfortable with using Skype. Even now, they only use it to speak to me when I’m out of the country. I think they’d find it to be a pretty useful tool even within the country.