This is a reminder that we will have the next genealogy voice chat, or "Skypecast," on Thursday evening at 10:00 PM Eastern U.S. time, 7:00 PM Pacific. That is 02:00 AM UTC (Greenwich Mean Time). That works out to be on Friday in some parts of the world.
To calculate the start time in your section of the world you can use one of the many time zone calculators available free of charge on the Web. You may find this one easy to use as the start time is already been configured. Just select your country and time zone to find the start time for you: http://tinyurl.com/fqbuh
This voice chat will be held on Skype. You will need a headset or a microphone and speakers that plug into your computer or any other telephone equipment that is compatible with Skype. Previous experiments have shown that loudspeakers do not work very well as they pick up the other persons' voices and create echoes.
You can find the SkypeCast at https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/skypecast/search.html?search=eogn&doSearch=Search
For details, read the earlier article at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/08/announcing_gene.html
There are three updates since the first article was written:
- Some early testing has shown that some satellite Internet connections cannot handle computerized voice connections, called VoIP (voice over Internet protocol). The delay of sending the signals up to the satellite and then back down to a distant ground station is much too long for standard digital voice signals. Skype and most other standard VoIP phone systems cannot handle the delays. There are specialized phone systems made especially for use on satellite systems but they are rare and are not compatible with Skype. Using Skype on standard cable modems and DSL systems should work perfectly, however.
- We will have a simultaneous "backup" keyboard-to-keyboard chat session in this newsletter's chat room at http://www.eogn.com/chat. That will serve as the "troubleshooting room" if your normal voice connection is not working. If you have a fast computer, you can have simultaneous keyboard and voice chat sessions going simultaneously!
- With multiple people in the room, sometimes it is difficult to tell who is talking! When you begin to talk, please identify yourself first. Please say, "This is Barbara in Melbourne" or whatever is appropriate for you.
See you Thursday at 10:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Pacific. That's also high noon on Friday in Melbourne, Australia. Check http://tinyurl.com/fqbuh to see what time it will be held in your time zone.
