Skype Dates... Like the phone (but better)

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time on skype.

When I told one of my (older, non-millennial) co-workers that I had a “skype date” – he looked confused (and maybe even a little concerned for my well being?)

I didn’t tell him that it was a dinner skype date.

My good friend Urban Dictionary defines it as “an event in which people contact each other using an internet phone calling program such as Skype.”

ex: “I’ll catch up with you later. I have a skype date with Adam. This is the best time to call him because of the time change.”

But what’s funny about Skype is that it’s become the necessary evil of long distance relationships fueled by collaborative technologies (not that I’d know from experience or anything…).

While I was studying abroad in Italy, I noticed that many relationships survived on Skype alone – you would always see the girls with the long distance relationships run to the quietest corner to whisper to their boyfriends across the ocean over the interwebs.  There was no privacy (and not much bandwidth either) – so watching them run to the corner made me laugh (but I was also a little jealous of the dedication to the cause)

But the term “skype date” is popping up — not just online, take the  Skype community forum features a thread on “Skype Love and Dating,” but also in movies — Megan Fox in Transformers 2 was blown off by Shia for a scheduled video chat date and was not happy about the outcome.

Why Skype, You Say?

1) It’s Free (non committal. good for people who have different carriers or travel frequently.)

2) You can see the other person (if you have a mac, a netbook, or basically a recently purchased computer)

3) It gives you that home-away-from-home warm fuzzy feeling that you’re talking to a real person behind all of those bits and bytes.

If you’re going to take the plunge and have a Skype Date, my Advice:

1) DO NOT WEAR A CORNY GEEKY HEADSET. for real here, would you wear your headgear out on a first date? No? Then don’t wear a weird headset. Try an iPhone headset with earbuds or at least something sexy.and YES gadgets can be sexy!

2) Look nice from the shoulders up. OK, so you’re not wearing pants. WHO CARES! But at least do your hair.

3) Keep it fun. Maybe suggest that the next skype date is formal and you expect him to wear a tie. Who doesn’t like a guy in a suit!?

4) Research how it all  works. You would look up driving directions if you were going out to dinner, right? Well, do the same with skype. Make sure your camera works. Check that your headset works. Nothing’s more frustrating than seeing you but not hearing the words coming out of your mouth (unless both parties know sign language.)

So, are millennials crazy for doing this? Yes and No. It’s great to keep in touch with those in different time zones (and where it would cost a small fortune to call) and it’s always fun to make funny faces at people over skype, or use the communications channel to decide what to wear. Just don’t rely on it as your only source of “seeing” someone for a long period of time.

Lay down the law, ladies. They should come and see you. In person. Or you’re taking away the video privileges of skype ;)

Instant Video from your Phone to the 'Net

Over the past few days, I’ve recruited a few millennials to the “dark side” (aka to join Twitter) after explaining what the “point” of it really is.

I’m a little proud of this accomplishment, but it led me to write about the “next thing” that will become mainstream… now that random banks in Nebraska, a cat, and even a talking book have appeared on Twitter… I’d say it’s time to delve into something new.

Most of us have access to a video camera and microphone (especially if you have a mac… and many netbooks now have cameras embedded in them too)… so you might be thinking Skype (obvi).. but what about a video chat conference that integrates chat in a web interface, while also maintaining anonymity? Answer: TinyChat. (ps I fell in love with this web app during a mashable live chat during the facebook username golive).

IMO, tinychat could have some awesome uses – BUT moderation will be key, as even the mashable chat had a few spammers.

If chats aren’t your thing (and you don’t have a flipcam, but you do have one of these camera phones), you can set up a (free) livestream from your phone to the ‘net with Qik. Mrs.Kutcher is a fan… and so is carnival cruise lines? You can also integrate Qik with your twitter and facebook accounts.

For a more intense session of live streaming, you can use LiveStream (which also integrates with Qik believe it or not), which allows you, the camera holder, to both a virtual television studio and embeddable video player, offering users the opportunity to produce and broadcast Web video in the manner of a television network. Users can stream live video or broadcast pre-recorded video in their channels, utilizing multiple cameras and on-screen graphics. (via wikipedia)

There seem to be a variety of options for on-demand live video broadcasting, and I’ve only highlighted a few here…