Webcam Conferencing: the New Wave in Inexpensive Online Meetings

Filed Under Business |

by Tyler Vaughn

Tired of flying to meetings because email and phone calls weren’t enough? Some of those meetings still need you there, but many can be replaced by webcam conferencing. Time to give webcam conferencing a try.

Some webcams are still pretty spendy (well over $200) but you can find a lot of good-quality webcams priced from $28-$80. I like the Logitech models and have found them to be easy to use for a good price.

Whatever you decide on, it should be a USB webcam. You’ll plug it into your PC, run a quick installation, and you’re ready to go! (See link in this article’s resource box for webcam brands/prices.)

Personal Use:

For family use the easiest starting point is with instant messaging software (AOL Instant Messenger, Windows Live, Yahoo). It’s free, easy to use, and chances are you have friends who already use it. Get a couple of your friends to practice with you and you’ll be ready to roll.

Professional Useage:

Using your webcam for business? Chances are you don’t plan to go down the “video-enabled instant message” route. You’re more likely to integrat with your web conference software’s video streaming features.

Using video in web conferencing isn’t hard, but does require a little practice. You’ll want to understand the software features before you host your first ‘real’ webcam conference. Hold a practice meeting or two with a friend.

Quick Thoughts:

First of all, remember to speak more slowly. Your videoconferencing software (i.e. the webcam video streaming) needs to be able to keep up with you. The Internet’s gotten pretty fast, but not as fast as we speak. Speaking about a half beat slower than normal is a good recommendation for anyone giving a presentation - and it applies even more over the Internet

In case you didn’t notice in the earlier paragraphs, I recommend you practice a little. Give yourself 15 minutes to learn the features of your particular webcam. Some will even enhance the image (want less wrinkles?) if you like. Regardless, you’ll want to understand what you’ve bought.

All done? Great. You’re part of the webcam conferencing world. Have fun!

About the Author:

Tyler experienced web conferences while employed as a traveling consultant. Learn more about getting webcam conference free trials at his website. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service