Easy Webcam Setup

When I was a kid, my grandfather lived in Idaho. I saw him about once a year when he came down in his RV or when Idaho made it into our summer family trip. What if I could have seen him more often, like each time we talked on the phone? Today, cheap webcams and high speed Internet are making that a reality for millions of people around the world.

The first step is to buy a webcam. For under $40 you can get one and install it when you've got 15-30 minutes. Most webcams come with software to record video, send video-email, or monitor the security of your home office. You can also create video blogs to post on YouTube. If you choose to pay more you may get a built in mic or a motorized aiming and zooming apparatus. As another add-on, some cameras come with software that tries to track the movement of your face or objects on the screen. I've not had great luck with those.

The next step is to download software to run the video conversation. I've used both Yahoo Messenger 8 and MSN Messenger 7. The best luck for me, came with MSN Messenger 7.0 for its speed and the way it shows a mini version of me when I'm viewing my counterpart full screen.

Once you've got MSN Messenger 7 installed, you sign in and add your friend or relative to your buddy list using their email address or user ID. When you see they are online, you can fire up the old land line or cellphone to give the other person a call. It saves the hassle of setting up a microphone on the computer and since it's separate from the computer, your conversation doesn't have to end if you crash the computer talking while trying to reach a new high score in Tetris. To initiate the video conversation, I double click my buddy and hit the Webcam icon at the top of the resulting window. This invites the other party to the conversation so all they have to do is accept and live video should start flowing.

Whether you laugh, gossip, prognosticate, visit or just hang out. I've been surprised after webcamming just how memorable the meeting was. It is a lot closer to seeing someone face-to-face than I anticipated. Plus if you've got a wireless laptop, you can easily show someone around or go to visit different people in the house. So, find a tech-savvy friend or relative to connect to for the first time. It may take a few tries to get it right but when it works, it's all the fun of teleportation without the risk of getting lost in transit.

Links to get you started:

• Download MSN Messenger 7 - my choice to start with
  
• Download Yahoo Messenger 8 - click Get Started on the page that opens up
  
• Camfrog - Video chatrooms - if you feel like meeting some new friends