Skype Stories: How One Man Stays in Touch With Uganda

July 2, 2013— -- intro: Skype is far more than a tool for keeping in touch or conducting business around the world while in the comfort of your pajama bottoms. In some cases, it can also forge or strengthen connections among people who are away from and unable to visit their loved ones.

Denis, for instance, left Uganda by night in the midst of war, taking with him only five dollars. He didn't bring postcards or snapshots or letters from his family, just memories.

But. He does have Skype, and so do they. It's what helps keep their bond strong even while they are miles apart. It helps Denis' son remember his dad's voice and face as he grows up, and it helps keep Denis caught up on what his family is up to, lest he miss out on their routines, fears, hopes, accomplishments, inside jokes, and the myriad little day-to-day moments and small adventures that make up our lives.

"When I get back home someday, if I do," explains Denis, "I won't be a stranger."

Denis and his family are featured in Skype's new "Stay Together" campaign, which showcases several stories from people who have made or strengthened connections over Skype.

We decided to see what other stories we could find. Here are some of 'em:

quicklist: 1title: Pollytext: Three writers collaborated on Polly, an odd, lovely short film, based on their group Skype video calls. (Skype also happens to make a special cameo in the film.)

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quicklist: 2title: Web Therapy (and Web Therapy)text: The Daily Dot has a wonderful piece on how the internet, apps, and the like are impacting therapy and the way we seek mental health advice. Their jumping off point is the excellent web series Web Therapy, which follows Dr. Fiona Wallace (Lisa Kudrow) as she conducts truly bizarre and wildly unhelpful therapy sessions over Skype.

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quicklist: 3title: Connecting to French Bulldogstext: Remember this? Basketball stars Roy Hibbert and Jeremy Lin participated in a #timeforskype scavenger hunt, via Skype, for an episode of Jimmy Kimmel's show. If you haven't seen it, we won't spoil it for you by letting you know who won, but we do know that when a French bulldog is involved, everyone wins. Look at that dog. Lookin' like a tiny frog pig.

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