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![[Webcams: Now you see me]](17lead.jpg) ![[Webcams: Now you see me]](17lead.gif)
Daniel Rosario
Reality shows have been gaining in popularity over the last year. Survivor, Temptation Island and Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire have captivated audiences who find reality more interesting than a film script.
Now, anyone who owns a Web Cam can host his own 'reality show' on the Internet.
Once the device is installed on your computer, it takes pictures at regular intervals. If you have a Web site, you can have these pictures displayed. You can also set image quality and determine who should be allowed to see the pictures.
About.com has a comprehensive list of resources that guide you on setting up office cams, Java cams and streaming cams on PCs and Macs.
A guy called Yash has a simple page that shows images from his Mumbai residence. Another site, run by Bharath who lives in Maker Towers, South Mumbai, shows pictures of Cuffe Parade. However, the picture always looks the same, as the position of the camera does not change.
Web cam pictures of residential areas are not as popular as images of the users themselves. Cherian Thomas' page shows a picture of himself. It is, however, grainy and does not appear to be updated.
A look at Web cam pictures from people in many other countries reveals great disparity between them and the ones in India. That, perhaps, can be attributed to the fact that the Web cam culture has only just caught on here. Besides, there aren't as many computer users in India as there are in the West and the equipment isn't easily affordable.
Another guy, Pradeepkumar Ashok initially displayed images from his two Web cams on his site. However, it has been disabled now. The lone message on his guestbook is from another man who says, "You are so hot and cute. I would love to see more of you." We wonder if that prompted Ashok to disable them. The lack of privacy online implies that while you are able to show such images to people of your choice, you cannot always prevent voyeurs from taking a peep.
Perhaps that's why many Web cam owners generally use them for another purpose: videoconferencing. Yahoo messenger enables people you chat with to see you: For this you need to choose the 'Invite to view my Web cam' option from the 'Tools' menu.
Web cams are a handy way to stay in touch and bridge distances. Hindi film actor Jackie Shroff has been using a Web cam for the last five years. His chief reason: "To see my family and pals. I can see my kids from anywhere." This enables him to keep in touch with his family regularly. That, in fact, was the very reason why he first turned to the Internet.
His Web cam also helps him overcome some tricky situations. Like when he chats online with people who aren't always ready to believe who he is: "Even if I do reveal my identity, there are a lot of times when no one believes me. Typical responses are: 'Yeah, if you're Jackie, I'm Madhuri.' Sometimes, I use Web casts to convince them that it is me in person!"
Well, seeing is indeed believing.
Nagpur-based Mrinalini Paranjpe has been using a Web cam for over six months. She got someone to set it up for her, and uses software compatible with Windows Me. She has never hosted her Web cam on the Internet but uses it to keep in touch with relatives: "When we chat with family, it's reassuring to see how they are doing." Having a Web videoconference with her dear ones helps her feel physically close to them.
Even chatting with new people was a pleasant experience: "Whoever saw the image on the Web cam said 'Wow, you are pretty.' Through her Web cam, she met someone who has now become a good friend. She says, "The first meeting on the cam was an experience in itself, and encouraged us to meet in person."
Mrinalini admits that the speeds are rather slow because of the Web cam but avers that it is well worth the money she paid.
Web cam users have the option of registering with various community sites.
One such is webcamnow.com, which offers free hosting services: 'Create your own live Webcam broadcasts and share them with the world. Get your own WebcamNow ID and Video Broadcaster software now and you can be live within 10 minutes.' Webcamworld.com features reviews, video chat and directory listings according to country, while Camarades.com offers software and directory listing according to interests and background.
These communities are popular because some users prefer video chatting with strangers than with family. Ruchita Nair likes to show pictures of herself to her chat friends. "It's most fun when I'm chatting with people for the first time -- that way I can see what they look like. Unfortunately, my relatives who live abroad keep insisting that I let them see me periodically. Sometimes that can be a drag."
Chatting with a stranger may be fun, but you may not always be ready for what he has to show you. Janyce Borges, a student from Mumbai, recollects an experience she can only describe as 'sick': "I was in a chat room, when this person who claimed to be 21/m/London encouraged me to check him out on his Web cam. What I wasn't prepared for was to see him without a stitch of clothing on. It was positively sick. I now hesitate when invited to see any more people."
On the other hand, the best thing about seeing a person you're chatting with for the first time, is the ability to verify certain details. While in an ordinary chat room a 55-year-old man would not be hard pressed to pass of as a 16-year-old girl, it wouldn't be too easy for him to do so if a Web cam shows him live.
Also Read:
-- Life goes live: 32 Web cams fill a couple's home
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