Yahoo offers several services for making phone calls using the Internet. If you have the free Yahoo Messenger application, you can talk to other users using a microphone and speakers. You can also make or receive traditional phone calls with the optional Phone In and Phone Out features. These advanced services are not free, but often cost significantly less than normal long distance phone calls. Once you have installed the Messenger application and created a Yahoo user account, you can call anybody who also has Yahoo Messenger. If the other user is online, a quick click of the “Call” button will connect you. Yahoo allows you to leave a voice mail if the user is not online, or does not answer. In order to call a phone using Yahoo, you must fund your account. You can choose to add either $10 or $25 to your account from the “Y! Voice” menu on Messenger (see Resources). A fee for forwarded calls is charged from your Phone Out balance at the standard rate. For instance, if a ten minute call is forwarded from Messenger to your cellphone, your pre-paid balance is charged for those minutes. Unlike a traditional number, you can create your Phone In number for any area code in the United States. For example, if you have family in Los Angeles but you live in New York, you can set up Phone In with a California area code. Your contacts can then call a number that is local for them, and talk to you through Messenger. You can setup this feature through the “Y! Voice” button on Messenger. Writer Bio
