Skype is an application that made global communicators very happy. It has been enjoyed by millions of people and companies all over the world, making phone conversations over the Internet faster, cheaper and for some, totally free. Skype is a VoIP or voice over Internet protocol. Skype was launched in 2003 and since then has made leaps and bounds in terms of users. It is headquartered in Luxembourg and has offices in Europe, in the United State and also in Asia. If you have downloaded and installed Skype on your computer and you have friends and family overseas who have also installed Skype, you will be able to make voice and video calls to them for free. The application also allows you to send instant messages and SMS.
Safety when using the Internet for communication purposes is crucial for everyone. There are numerous people who prey on the unwary because the Internet can hide their identities and true purpose. Hackers are also a major headache. Skype users are free to choose their level of privacy. There will be some people who would like to maintain contact only with people they personally know and have business with. Skype is also a social network environment and you have the option to meet and interact with members of the vast Skype community that spans the globe. As a Skype user, you can prevent yourself from harassment and unwanted calls by blocking some unwanted callers and contacts.
- One of the safest ways for you to do to ensure your privacy is to limit the amount of information that you will put in your profile as a Skype user. Some parts of your profile can be seen by the public to make it easy for your friends and would-be friends to find you. Choose only the information that you would like known by the public and leave the rest of the fields blank.
- Once you are online and using Skype your status can be seen by other people using Skype. You have the option to change this button to Do Not Disturb so that other people will be warned that they should not contact you or chat with you. If you are using Skype at work and at home and you want to keep away from work during your rest days and vice versa, here are the things that you need to do.
- Log on to your Skype account. When you have opened the Skype page, go to the Tools Menu and scroll down until you reach the Options tab, click it and then the Privacy option.
- In the dialog box change your preferences. In the “allow calls from” choose either the option to allow calls only from your contacts or those that you have shared your personal details with.
- In the “allow chats from” do the same thing and in the “allow SkypeIn calls from” select either “known numbers” or “contacts.” This will limit your calls only to those who are in your contact list and prevent others you are unknown to you from calling or chatting with you.
- If you have a long list of contacts and you do not want to entertain calls from some people that you have included in your list of contacts, log on to your Skype account. Locate your list of contacts and right-click on the contact name. You will now see a list of options on the menu. Choose the Block this Contact option and click Block from the dialog box that appears. If you do not want to erase the number from your list of contacts, the name will still be retained. It will have a circle with a red X mark inside it beside the name. This indicates that the contact has been blocked and he or she will not be able to contact you.
If you have not changed your security preferences and you are using your Skype when suddenly chat messages started to pop up on your computer screen from people that you do not know, and you want to block them, here’s what you have to do.
- Find the originator of the chat. You will usually find it on the right panel where the list of people sending chat messages will be found.
- Click on the name and some buttons will be shown under the name. Click on the menu button and from the options that will be shown from the drop down, choose the Block this User option. A dialog box will pop up asking if you are sure that you want to block the user. Click the Block button.
That’s all you need to do to block an unwanted chatter and a contact from your Skype list. Observe safety whenever you are online and set your Skype preferences as soon as you have installed the software and before you use Skype.
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