Thing 6

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/homepage
The website I picked to explore was Skype. This is a free site where you can sign up on your computer to video chat friends and family. Disclaimer: you do need to have a web cam for this! I loved this site. I signed up and tested it with some friends who already had a skype. I could chat face to face with them in real time. It was such a unique way to communicate instead of the overused texting and phone calls. You can also instant message while you are skyping your friends. If you can't talk for some reason, like you are in the library, you can just type what you want to say, and it will instantly send it to them. The only thing I disliked about this site was sometimes it would freeze up. It didn't happen often, but I guess you have to have a very strong internet connection.
Skype could be used in school and library setting by an online teacher with his or her students. Having a conversation with someone face to face is easier then emails back and forth. It is also more personal and makes the student feel better about what they are learning.