Have you tried screen sharing yet? The feature has been around for Skype users on the Mac for a while now, and it was recently added to Skype for Windows. It's a really great way to collaborate.

Once you turn screen sharing on (by clicking on Share -> Share Your Screen in the conversation window while you're on a call), the person you're speaking to sees your screen. He or she can then comment as you edit a document, see a presentation you're giving, or can instruct you on how to troubleshoot a computer issue. I haven't done this with my parents yet, but I can imagine it would be much easier than trying to troubleshoot with them describing what they're seeing on screen.

This week mobile devices blog jkOnTheRun wrote a nice post about using Skype to collaborate across the US and across the Atlantic. James Kendrick said:

We accomplished in 30 minutes what would have taken us hours going back and forth via email. This collaboration made it seem as if we were in the same room working together, which in a way we were.

He goes on to say:

I have tried many different tools for collaborating remotely, and I must say that Skype's implementation of desktop sharing is the best by far. It has been consistent in quality, and I've experienced no issues yet. Throw in the bonus of it being free, and Skype has created a winner.

Thanks James! You can check out his whole post here. And if you haven't tried screen sharing yet, what are you waiting for? Give it a try!