VOIP

When I first heard about the VOIP via yahoo messenger, I was enthusiastic. No more high-costing phone bills because of NDD charges. But we still use the telephone for NDD calls.
Using the telephone does not make us pay for extra electricity. Before, for a modest home like ours, we opt not to open the computer when we’ll only be using it for a short time. But now, we rely on our internet connection for academic and entertainment purposes. But we still don’t rely very much on the value-added service of Voice Over Internet Protocol.

I spoke with friends via the VOIP only for a couple of times. But I chat with them more. I ponder on why I don’t maximize my usage of the VOIP when I was so enthusiastic when I heard about it in the first place.

A reason I can think of is because of the quality. As far as I understood the Discussion Paper on VOIP by the NTC, the voice becomes jumbled all the way until it reaches its destination. And then it is reconfigured. The voice in VOIP is robotic and warbled. And it sounds like one is listening from a small hole. There are echoes. It can be better. I wonder about people who meet mates online and talk via VOIP. And then they see each other in person. They have to get used to the voice coming from the mouth of the person in front of them. They have to coincide that with the voice they dream about whenever they just finished talking with that person via VOIP.

Maybe another reason is that the internet is very private. This is in the sense that when one sits in front of a computer, the person sitting interacts only with himself while commanding the computer. It’s a guilt-free pleasure for sadists – the commanding part. Any existing site you wish to go to quench your thirst for knowledge, you easily can go to. Versus talking live, chatting is more private. Plus with live talking, one needs composure. That’s immaterial when icons and smileys can suffice for less effort.

But in its totality, VOIP is a great value-added service.