I am sure by now that most of you have heard of the term “skype”.  Sometimes it is used as a verb, “to skype”, and sometimes it is used as a noun.  But what exactly is it?  Skype is an Internet-based voice-over-IP service than can replace your local telephone company for your small business.

The basic Skype service is free and allows you to make voice and video calls with excellent call quality to any other Skype user, anywhere in the world.  Think of it as an interactive email or instant message.  Skype allows you to conduct conference calls with three or more Skype users for free as well.  There are more features available for those who are willing to pay a nominal fee.      

For a small fee each month ($2.95 USD as of this writing) you can get a Skype-In telephone number.  This will allow regular telephone users to dial a number and reach you via Skype.  Not only can you accept incoming calls from regular telephone numbers, Read the rest of this entry

Ben Parr has an awesome post over on Mashable about What the Web of Tomorrow Will Look Like: 4 Big Trends to Watch. One of the things that makes it so totally awesome is that he agrees with me! Here are a couple of the highlights:

The Web Will Be Ubiquitous – Always connected, always on, fully integrated with the appliances that we use to manage our life. Finally!
(see more under Mobile Becomes King in my 6 Guaranteed Game Changing Predictions for 2010)

The PC Will Lose Its Dominance Over the Web – Read the rest of this entry

One of the interesting changes underway now in the online world is the shift away from anonymity toward personification.

I’ve been online now since 1995 and one of the attractions to the Internet has always been the cloak of anonymity created by the screen and keyboard. You could say anything to anybody, claim to be anybody you want or look any way you want. Even live a life online that was totally separate and apart from the reality of your daily world. But the advent of web cams and social networking is gradually changing all that.

At the risk of dating myself here, it reminds me a lot of the movie Tron where a hacker is literally abducted into the world of a computer to live out (or die in) his virtual life. As social sites like MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo, and LinkedIn grow exponentially in popularity we are being forced to step out from behind the curtain and reveal more and more of ourselves. Don’t see the big deal? Many colleges and potential employers do because they are checking out their applicants online persona comparing it to the application. That “little fib” about your PhD on MySpace may have just cost you a job!

More than that though, all you have to do is look at how popular these sites are to see how desperately some people want to be known, not famous, just known. It’s almost sad.

Ok, so how does one go about managing this mess? Well, it’s not simple, maybe impossible, but here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Expect Someone To Connect the Dots

If you think you’ll be able to hide behind a different email address, think again. It may work against the casual observer, but if someone is really interested in finding out who is who, they WILL DO IT.

There Is No Expectation of Privacy On the Internet

Don’t write it, text it, email it, chat it, blog it, video it or otherwise commit anything to electronic “writing” that you don’t want someone to find out. It’s just too easy! Time after time (and hot video after hot video) we see a “private” message or video posted to the Internet for all to see. Before you snap that picture or click send…is this something you want other people to see? Think stolen camera or laptop!

Keep a Junk Mail Email Address

Email is free and plentiful in the Internet. Setup a free email address that you use to sign-up for website logins, newsletters, stuff like that. DO NOT use that address for your banking, credit cards, bill pay, etc. If you need to, setup another one for those chores and give it to no one. It’s not perfect, but it will GREATLY reduce spam and GREATLY reduce the likelihood of having your online identity stolen.

Common Sense Still Applies, Even In the Internet

Like my grandpa always said, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Why would Mr. Jambaba contact you randomly to receive his $1 million in cash? How reasonable does it sound that you won a contest you didn’t enter? THINK before you share!

Far From Complete

These are just a few of the many things I’ve learned over the past 18 years of connected living. There are many many more. Use common sense and treat every stranger online like you would if they walked up and knocked on your front door…at least that’s a good start! Do you have any good ideas? Share them with us in a comment below!

I wanted to take this opportunity to point out a new web presence I think you will all be interested in. GukuSabi is a new blog about stuff, kinda like Seinfeld, its a blog about nothin, but you’ll love it!