VoIP Shortens the Distance Between Family Members This Holiday

With recession fears, job losses and the mortgage crisis, it comes as no surprise that consumers are not feeling the push to spend tons of money this holiday season. According to a new study conducted by YouGov for Skype, besides cutting back on shopping, consumers will celebrate the holidays with their families at home, instead of traveling.

 

In fact, nearly 60 percent of those surveyed said they will be spending more time at home this holiday rather than trekking to visit friends and families. In addition, just 19 percent of respondents are planning to travel domestically.

 

Even though people are spending less time with their extended families, with the advent of Internet-based technologies such as voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), it is easier to keep in touch with family and friends over the holidays. Affordable and easy-to-use, VoIP offers consumers a new way to share special holiday moments with each other.

 

Based on data gathered for Skype (News - Alert), U.S. adults will depend on e-mail (72 percent), instant messaging (19 percent), social networking sites (14 percent) and online voice calls (10 percent), as well as traditional forms of communication such as landline phone calls (52 percent) and holiday cards (43 percent) to spread holiday cheer to family and friends this year.   

 

“With so many people cutting back on traveling this year, technologies like Skype, which lets you make free video and voice phone calls over the Internet, is an easy and budget-friendly way to feel close to loved ones when you’re unable to meet face-to-face,” says Daniel Begun, consumer communications expert for Skype. “Skype is a great gift for you and your friends and family this holiday.”

 

The study also found that 35 percent of respondents wished they could spend the holiday season with their immediate family. For this, Daniel recommends staying in touch using Logitech’s QuickCam Pro 9000 webcam. With the innovative technology of webcams and video calling, standard phone calls become intimate face-to-face conversations, helping to shorten the distance between family and friends this season.

Founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, Skype makes communicating with people around the world easy and fun. With Skype, users can say hello or share a laugh with anyone, anywhere. In addition, calls between Skype users are free.

 

Currently available in 28 languages, Skype is used in almost every country around the world. Skype generates revenue through its offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landline and mobile phones, as well as voicemail and call forwarding. Based in Luxemburg, Skype has relationships with a growing network of hardware and software providers and is an eBay (News - Alert) company.