The Chatting: OK, now you should be ready to chat! Let’s walk through the steps using Skype and AOL Instant Messenger as examples. The process is similar for most other IM software. Make sure your Webcam is connected to your computer. (Most software should be smart enough to detect your Webcam, but if you want to double check in AIM, click the Edit menu at the top of the page, then choose Settings. Under Enchanced IM, you will see settings for your microphone, speakers and Webcam. Choose the device you plugged in — something like Default Device, if you have a built-in camera, or USB Video Device, if you have an external Webcam).

In AOL Instant Messenger, open up a new chat window with a contact and then click the Video button at the bottom of the window. This will send a video chat request to your friend, and once they accept, you’re chatting away!

iChat on the Mac makes it even easier: if your friend has a video camera connected, a little video camera image will appear next to his or her name. Double click that camera image to invite your friend to chat.

As for Skype, click Tools, then Options, then Video Settings. Skype is nice because it shows you a preview of your Webcam image, so you know that it’s working! You can either prearrange times for your video chats or, if you see that your friends or family are online, just launch a chat anytime! All you need to do is click the green telephone button to call. The directions are very similar in Yahoo or Windows Live. And that’s really all there is to it!

If your family isn’t video chatting yet, Webcams make great holiday gifts. And even if your video chat targets aren’t tech savvy, you can take advantage of holiday visits to install Skype or other software (and even set it to automatically log in). It’s an unbelievably easy, cheap (or even free) way to communicate, and you and your family and friends will love seeing each other’s smiling faces on video!

Got a better way to video chat, or do you still need more advice? Or if
you have suggestions for other tips you’d like to see here, I’d love to
hear from you. E-mail me!