–Google Voice and Google Chat: Mobile military families appreciate having one constant phone number that rings to cell phones and landlines. But there are many other providers who offer free or inexpensive video chat paired with other calling services. Skype currently dominates the world of VoIP (voice-over-Internet protocol) video chats. The family provided a cheat-sheet to help her log on, and family members help if an error message pops up. Galle-Bishop’s 80-year-old grandmother uses Skype on a home computer. It’s super-easy, even for less-than-tech-savvy family members. She finds the iPad webcam especially helpful, carrying on a video conversation while cruising around the house caring for her young children. The remote relatives can share the little things, she said, like when she changes her hair color or when a family member loses weight. Galle-Bishop’s family members send presents for birthdays, and then the children open them in front of the webcam. “They have a part of my life, even if I am far away.” “It’s a great way to stay in touch and for them to see the little ones,” Galle Bishop said during a skyped interview. Galle-Bishop, who is German, met her husband, John, while she was a nanny in Pennsylvania and he studied at the Naval Academy. Navy wife Yvonne Galle-Bishop credits Skype, especially its webcam feature, for keeping her children close with their grandparents and extended family in Germany. It’s so dominant that it’s become a verb just like “google”-as in “I am going to skype him tonight.” Through voice and webcam communication, it allows families to participate in celebrations and daily life despite the distance. With the help of Skype and other new technologies, military families are staying connected with friends and extended family members thousands of miles away.
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