Lets be honest, if youre still using a pink Princess rotary phone, the explosion in communication technology has really passed you by and youve got a major learning curve to overcome. But if your only association with the Princess phone is viewing it in faded pictures from your on-line family photo album, VoIP could have a place in your life.

For those new to this acronym, VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol which means nothing more than sending your call through your Internet connection instead of through telephone lines. What takes place behind the scenes is complicated, but for you the changes are pretty simple: Yank the phone cord from the jack in the wall and plug it into a port on your computer, install some software, and start saving money. Thats right SAVE money.

The biggest selling point for VoIP is its lower cost. You save money because your provider is sending your calls over the Internet using software that sends your call along the least congested and least expensive route. They pass these savings along to you. For many, the cost of VoIP for both local and long distance can be less than the cost for local service alone. In addition, you save money directly because calls sent over the Internet are not subject to communication taxes. To see what you can save, check your last telephone bill.

Because your outgoing and incoming calls are now digital, computers can capture, manipulate, and store information about the call. This enables VoIP communication companies to offer more features -- such as voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, and speed dialing at no additional cost.

For more information about how VoIP can save you money and make your life easier, contact your local carriers.