So, yesterday I learned an important lesson about Skype. While waiting for my friend Vijay to sign in, I set my profile to “Skype me” with the little smiley face. Like a moron, I thought only the people I have listed as my contacts would be able to see that little smiley face. I was wrong. A few minutes after I signed on, someone I thought to be my sister contacted me. Wrong again.

As it turns out, the “Skype me” setting signals to all those in the Skype universe that you are ready to talk. In a flash I have become part of a worldwide movement. Next thing you know, I would be Skyped by 17 year-old girls from Iran telling me what it is really like to be on the US hit list.

Alas, my stranger Skype conversation was nothing of the sort. I was contacted by a Turkish guy named Ozan who has no clue what is going on in the world as the news “doesn’t interest” him. OK… He is studying to be a professor in international finance and wants to practice his English.

This time we just messaged, we didn’t actually talk as that’s what I had Vijay for.

In all seriousness, I really do love this kind of thing. If I have a couple hours to kill and someone living across the world wants to have a conversation with me, so be it. When am I ever going to have the chance to chat with a Turkish guy who is actually in Turkey … wait, I guess I’ll have a number of chances now that he knows how to contact me on Skype.
- posted by Debbie @ 10:27 AM