The Internet is all about communications. Besides e-mail, the most active forms of communications are the various chat and Internet messaging services. Most of these are text-based systems, meaning that you (and your buddies) just type messages to each other using your keyboard. The "big four" of these services are ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Microsoft Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. These services also offer some form of voice communications using your PC microphone and speaker. But there is more, if you want to invest a little time and money, and if you have a high speed Internet connection. The "more" is to actually conduct a voice and video chat with your friends and relatives online.
First, what do you need? Primarily, you need a high bandwidth Internet connection. A dial-up connection, especially in this area, won't do - its just too slow. But with the common availability of Road Runner here, getting a high bandwidth connection is not a problem. Secondly, you need a video camera to attach to your computer. These attach via the USB connection in your computer, so of course your need a USB enabled computer - however, almost computers sold within the past few years have this capability. The type of camera I am talking about here is a video camera meant for teleconferencing, not a still camera or a camcorder. If you wish, you can get adapters to plug in your existing camcorder, but I don't recommend this solution as it ties up your camcorder. Using your camcorder may provide a better image, however.
Third, you need a microphone, speakers, and sound card for your PC. Almost all PCs sold these days have them, or they can easily be gotten.
Finally, you need teleconferencing software. A popular title is Microsoft NetMeeting. This program has come a long way in recent months and now actually works quite well. Another popular competitor is ICUII (ICU Too). An early program in this area was CUSeeMe. However, the company that sold the software went commercial and I am not sure of the state of this program now. For the remainder of this column, I will focus on NetMeeting, being the cheapest (free!) and probably the best.
Now that you have installed the hardware and software, start up the program. If your camera is working OK, you should be able to click on the "Start Video" button below the video window and see yourself. Double click on your volume control icon in the system tray and ensure that the microphone is not muted. You will probably want to also click on View / My Video (new window) in NetMeeting. This brings up a separate window to view your outgoing video in - the original window will them be used to view the person you are chatting with.
The final issue is finding someone to talk with. There are two choices: chatting with people you know, or using a service just to local a random chat partner. I strongly and sincerely suggest that you NOT use random chat - this opens the door to situations you or your children might not want to deal with. To establish a video call with a friend or relative, first use one of the instant messaging systems to start the contact. Then exchange IP addresses - you can find out your IP address by clicking Help / About in NetMeeting. Once you have your friend's IP address, initiate a call by clicking on the "Place Call" button and entering the IP address.
I realize that this is a very quick overview but it should be enough to wet your whistle. If you want more information, please see http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting or http://www.icuii.com.
(Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail him at bsc@bobseidel.com).