Filling Out Your Skype Profile (Part 1)

Every new Skype member has an opportunity to enter information into a personal profile screen. You don’t have to fill in any information; profiles are completely optional. The Skype Profile window clearly states that whatever details are included are “details that only my contacts will see”. So, don’t feel obligated to fill in the blanks!
There are some good reasons, however, to populate those empty profile
fields. The benefits of adding information are to

• Help others find you in a Skype search if they don’t have your Skype Name
• Give clients easy access to telephone contact numbers that you make public
• Show new friends your photo
• Post an image of your business logo
• Provide contacts with a link to your Web site
• Show your local time so that others know when to contact you Your Skype Name is not part of your profile.

A Skype Name is not optional. You need it to log on to Skype and to enable other skypers to contact you. Your profile details give more information about who you are and what you do. You can let the world know whether you are a businessperson, an artist, an author, a fiddler, or just a seasoned skyper looking for a few friends to hang out with online. As more and more people use Skype for business, special interest groups, educational venues, and social gatherings, their location, language, and other personal information may form the basis for a common interest or mutual benefit. Personalizing Skype is more than self-expression; in some cases, it is a courtesy to others reaching out to you. To open your Skype Profile screen, choose File➪Edit My Profile from the Skype menu. You have the option to fill in the following fields:

• Full Name: The first bit of information you can publish to the world in your personal profile window is your full name. Many of us shy away from offering our real names to the virtual world; others find it liberating to invent an identity; and some prefer to be completely anonymous. However, there are advantages to adding your real name to your profile:
  
• Adding your full name makes it easy for others to find you on Skype.
• If you use Skype for business, your full name is a vital piece of information for clients to access.
• In a conference call or chat, any member of the group can look up your profile to find your name. If many people are conferencing or chatting for the first time, forgetting a name is easy, and it’s handy to have it available.

• Gender: Potential dates certainly want to know this fact. If your first name is slightly ambiguous, filling out your gender might just turn out to be the happiest bit of information you share with the world. Gender is another option that can help you (or others) narrow a search in the Skype directory. If gender is not included in a person’s profile, it is not searchable.
• Birth Date: Most people are reluctant to reveal this detail. There are, however, some reasons to include your age, such as if
  

• You are open to meeting people your own age.
• You are an advocate for a specific age group, such as teens, the elderly, or baby boomers.