Group calls are especially taxing on your internet speed, so a high-speed connection is recommended. If you have a slow internet connection and access to your router, use an ethernet cable to plug your computer directly into the router's ethernet slot for consistent internet.   This will open the pertinent conversation, to which you can add people as you please. You can also click the "plus" sign in the toolbar above the "Contacts" and "Recent" section. This will create a new group. This is located in the upper right-hand corner of your current conversation. Clicking it brings up a menu that allows you to add members to the group. You can also search for specific people by typing in their names. If you are currently in a conversation with someone, adding them to a larger group will bring the rest of the list's contacts to your current conversation. Skype can support up to 25 people (including you) in a voice conversation. Only 10 people can actively appear in a video call. Skype will begin dialing all of your group members. You have successfully completed a conference call on Skype!

Summary: Make sure your internet is connected. Open Skype. Sign into Skype using your Skype username and password. Click on a recent conversation or a contact's name. Click the icon of the person with a plus sign next to them. Click members of your contact list to add them to the group. Add as many contacts as you like. Click the "call" or "video call" button to initiate the conference call. When your call is over, click the red phone button to hang up.


Loneliness can take on a few different forms and may manifest differently in each person. For some people it's an inkling that comes and goes intermittently, for others it's a nonstop part of their reality. You may have more social loneliness, or more emotional loneliness.   Social loneliness. This type of loneliness includes feelings like aimlessness, boredom, and social exclusion. It can happen when you don't have a solid social network (or if you've been separated from one, such as moving to a new place).  Emotional loneliness. This type of loneliness includes feelings like anxiety, depression, insecurity, and desolation. It can happen if you don't have the strong emotional connections with people that you'd like to. A central and mandatory step towards combating loneliness is knowing that, while it may be painful, it is just a feeling. It is not necessarily fact and, therefore, it is not permanent. Proverbially speaking: "this, too, shall pass." It has nothing to do with you as a social creature and everything to do with those little neurons in your head firing in an unfortunate, yet changeable, way. You can easily attack your thoughts about loneliness and feel better. Ultimately, you decide what to make of your situation. Take this as an opportunity to better understand yourself and make improvements. Evolutionary understanding of loneliness suggests that the pain it causes can fuel you to take action and become someone you'd never otherwise be able to become. Loneliness for an extrovert and loneliness for an introvert are two very different things. Loneliness and being alone aren't the same thing. Think about what the opposite of loneliness would look like for you, and remember that it looks different for each person.  Introverted people may desire having a close relationship with one or two people. They may not need to see these friends everyday. Instead, they may enjoy spending time in solitude for the most part and only require the stimulation of others every now and then. However, if their social and emotional needs are not met, introverts can still feel lonely.  Extroverted people may need to be around a group of people to feel like their social meter is getting adequately filled. They may feel down when they are not interacting with others who provide stimulation. If their connections are not socially and emotionally fulfilling, though, an extrovert can feel lonely even surrounded by people.  Where do you fall on the spectrum? Understanding how your personality impacts your feelings of loneliness can guide you in making decisions about how to overcome these feelings. A recent survey revealed that one in every four individuals surveyed described themselves as having no one to talk to about personal matters. When family members were removed from the pool of confidants, that number increased to half the population of respondents. This means that, if you're feeling lonely like you have no one to turn to, between 25 and 50 percent of Americans feel similarly to you. Scientists are now referring to loneliness a public health concern. Recent studies have shown that people who feel isolated, either by physical distance or subjectively, may die earlier than those who do not.

Summary: Identify your type of loneliness. Realize that loneliness is a feeling. Consider your personality. Recognize that you are not alone in feeling lonely.


Sooner or later, all children will find themselves in a world where they need to obey the rules or suffer harsh consequences. By making your children obey the rules at home, you're actually doing them a favor in the long run. Don't ever punish your children unless they're disrespectful, but when they are, don't hesitate to show them that they've done something wrong. Your rules should be reasonable, simple, and consistent. Be clear with your children about what the rules in your house early on. Don't get upset if your children break a rule that they weren't even aware of. When your child is disrespectful to you, you have two choices: you can lash out in the same way, or you can fight to stay calm. The former option teaches your child that it is acceptable to be rude when someone starts frustrating you. The latter, which is the better choice, teaches that it's important to stay respectful even in the face of people who won't do the same for you. If you can manage to stay respectful, your children will thank you when they eventually have to deal with an annoying boss or an unpleasant teacher. This is vital. Consistent enforcement of your rules shows your children that it's not possible to weasel out of their responsibilities. On the other hand, if you fail to teach your children respect when you're tired or when it's inconvenient, they'll quickly learn that they can get away with bad behavior sometimes. Children are smarter than they're often given credit for. If there's a way for them to get out of learning a valuable lesson, they'll often find it. It's also important to make sure your partner is on the same page as you here. Having one caretaker who is "hard" and another who is "soft" will just teach your children to go to the soft one when they've misbehaved. Whenever you can, have the punishment for disrespect be the natural consequences of your child's actions. In other words, if their disrespect causes something bad to happen to them, let this happen (as long as it is not a serious, physical danger, obviously). The earlier children learn that being disrespectful only creates problems for themselves, the better. For example, if your child is repeatedly rude to her friend when they are playing together, a good natural consequence might be to send the friend home, have your child hand-write an apology letter, and hand-deliver it.
Summary: Be strict, but fair. Meet disrespect with respect. Be consistent. Make your punishments fit the crime.