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Dear Readers,
I normally write articles for HomeCheck™,
and our sister sites, as a dethatched third person. This month, I
want to share a little more of a personal story - the experience I had
using online videoconferencing.
 This past June, I took a trip to Poland and the Czech Republic.
Having been to Europe before, I knew I had options of using an
international cell phone, hunting down Internet cafés
or even calling home from an old fashioned payphone. The many
options have their ups and downs and various levels of expense. I
was traveling on the cheap and was relying on using payphones. But
this time I ran into a different problem than I have encountered before:
I arrived in Gdansk, Poland on a late Sunday afternoon. When I
found my first payphone, I noticed that they did not accept credit cards
or coins and, for the life of me, I could not figure out how to make a
collect call. Instead, you needed a phone card or account number
purchased from where else - the post office. No phone on a Sunday
night for me! How was I going to let my family know I arrived
safely?
This trip was unique. It was my first time
traveling with a laptop. I never wanted to before because, as I
said, I go cheap and backpack - a large laptop is cumbersome and makes
one traveling alone a more tempting target for a pick-pocket. But
this time I traveled with the small
Asus
Eee PC. This little guy comes with your standard desktop
programs, wireless connectivity, Bluetooth, camera, and
microphone/speaker - a whole package deal. I had purposely brought
it along to test out our videoconferencing connections internationally.
However, I had no idea the laptop buried in my backpack, wrapped in a
t-shirt, would become my connection home.
Many touristy cities in Europe are well connected to the computer age. Gdansk was no exception as the city has many "free wireless zones"
available to tourists. As I munched down some fresh fish and chips
on a boat in the harbor, I was able to wirelessly check e-mail and send a
message home that I hadn't been able to do via a simple phone call.
So I was sold on the first day on the PC - but how
would the videoconferencing hold up?
My next stop was Krakow. Although I didn't stay
in a youth hostel here, my accommodations were still basic and I wasn't
sure how their wireless connection would perform with a videoconference.
First we tried our private service through
enlighten technologies incorporated™.
It worked incredibly well. We next tried our web based videoconferencing - the same we are letting everyone sample for free now
(more on this below). The connection was great - there was a
slight delay in my voice going back to the states. But the audio
was clear and the delay was not disruptive. It really is true that
videoconferencing is not just for businesses anymore! The
technology is there and reliable to connect families over great
distances.
After a week in Krakow, I moved on to Prague.
Again, my accommodations were mid-range offering a wireless Internet
connection. Again both systems worked beautifully. But it
was the second system that continued to surprise me as it didn't have
the same extras as our business system. It was not only easy but
fun to use.
So are you interested in trying it out? Why not?
The second videoconferencing system I mentioned is accessed through a
room set up for you online. Simply go to the website (CLICK
HERE) and the chat will automatically load. First loaded, it
is a standard chat room where you can type back and forth with friends.
After you are in, you can then play with some
of the tools. To launch a videoconference, you should select the
round camera button in the upper right corner.
After selecting this icon, it will ask for
permission to connect with your camera and audio. It will then
automatically load a small screen where you can see yourself and select
who may see your video. You can also access any other user's video
by clicking on the same camera icon next to their name. If you do
not have a camera or microphone, you cannot obviously publish your video,
but you can still watch and listen to others speaking. You will
just have to be a fast typist!
That's it - all you need to try out videoconferencing.
The only extra thing one may have to consider to use this technology is
that you should schedule a time to conference. So tell your
friends, family or a co-worker to meet you here at X o-clock and give it
a try!
Take care,
Heather Pundt
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