Many laptops and some desktops come pre-equipped with one, but if not, you can buy one at places like Best Buy and Wal-Mart. The most important ingredient is a webcam. If you are interested in joining the 15 percent of Internet-using seniors who are video chatting, setup of Skype is simple. “While computer use by seniors has roughly doubled over the last decade,” Aaron Smith, a senior research specialist with Pew Internet, said, “we haven’t seen any big increases in the last few years - it has been relatively stable over that time.” Within the same age group, a separate Pew study showed that computer use in general has doubled in the past 10 years and Internet usage tripled - although things have seemed to level out a bit. The study also showed that 15 percent of seniors, age 65 and up, who use the Internet have participated in video calls, chats or teleconferences. According to a Pew Research Center study, there has been a rise in the number of Americans who use the Internet for video calling - from 20 percent in April 2009 to 23 percent in the summer of 2010. The Hoppers seem to have embraced a technology that is slowly starting to catch on. Jeff was able to watch us open presents and feel like he was a part of things even though he was across the globe,” Dennis said. Their oldest daughter, Jamie, whose son is the reason for embracing this new technology, lives in Sherman. The basics of Skype are free of charge, like instant messaging and video chatting, but there are pricing plans available for calling landline phones and other mobile phones, as well as for group video calling.Įven after the trip, Skype has helped the Hoppers keep in touch with their son, Jeff, who is in Afghanistan, and daughter Jill, who lives in Iowa. Skype is a software application that allows its users to chat and make voice calls over the Internet as well as face-to-face video chats with a webcam. Throughout the trip to Alaska and back, the Hoppers tried to pick RV campsites that had Internet access available, and whenever possible they would use Skype to video chat with family back home - most importantly their grandson, Colton. “We wanted to stay in touch with our grandson and make sure he didn’t miss us.” “That’s why we went out and bought a laptop,” Dennis, 62, said. It’s called Skype, and it lets you use a computer that is equipped with a webcam to talk via video over the Internet. If you are planning to take a monthlong RV trip to Alaska but you’re afraid you’ll miss an important first step in your only grandchild’s life - don’t worry.
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