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Set up laptop in tidiest room for virtual visits Saturday, Jun 7, 2008 By Micki Bare Nerds, students and businesspeople have been doing it for years. A face-to-face conversation over the Internet is not all that new a concept. The technology has been around for a while and as it has gained popularity, the tools and software to support it have improved. We all know that when demand and quality increases, more people, like Hubby and I, take notice. What a great way to communicate when one of us has to travel. What a great way to stay in touch with friends and relatives who live far, far away. Clearly, it was time to download free software and equip our computers with webcams and microphones. We told my brother-in-law what we were going to do, and he downloaded the software before we could order our peripherals. Once Hubby's brother had the software loaded and was ready to chat it up face-to-virtual-face, we received phone calls daily until Hubby downloaded the software and plugged in a microphone. We didn't have a webcam, yet, so during the initial test call, we could hear and see them, but they could only hear us. Those were the good ol' days. Back when we did not have a webcam and could freely talk with friends and relatives without having to fix hair, put on makeup or straighten up the house. But alas, the webcams arrived. I ordered one with my new laptop and Hubby picked one up in town for his old laptop. After I downloaded the software, we decided to test out our new toys. Hubby sat in the bedroom and rang me up in the living room. I sat in my recliner and answered. A few minutes later, one of our boys walked through the house. On his way back out, he mentioned ever so gently that we didn't need to use our laptops to communicate from one end of the house to the other. I explained that we were only testing out our new equipment so we'd be ready when the relatives from Pennsylvania buzzed us online. And when the relatives did buzz in, I was glad the kitchen was in order, as they could see Hubby in the background making lunches for the next day while the rest of us huddled around our computers catching up and just hanging out. Prior to that first state to state online chat, I fretted over what to wear, how to do my hair and where to set up the laptop based on what they'd be able to see in the background. It wasn't quite as intense as an actual, live, in the flesh visit, but it was cause for concern. Once we began talking, though, what I looked like and whether or not there was a dirty cereal bowl next to the sink no longer mattered. It was great to see everyone. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to get our schedules synched enough to set up a second online get-together. Also, while we keep sending out the link to the free software download and our ID's, we still don't have a big list of contacts. To date, Hubby and I have his brother's family, our friends who live less than two miles away and each other. So you can see why there have been several evenings during which Hubby was in the bedroom working and I was on the front porch writing something brilliant, and one of us needed to ask the other something like, "Do you want me to start dinner?", and instead of getting up and walking through the house, we rang up the other online. "Still testing it out?" our teens quipped sarcastically as they walked by, making sure I noticed their full-out eye rolls. "Oh, as if," I shot back, creating a wall of embarrassment for being my offspring that was impenetrable until one needed a specific shirt washed or couldn't find the ketchup. Fine with me, as long as they knew that I knew if they had webcams, they'd communicate with each other the same way. They act like we don't know they already instant message each other from various locations of the house. Hubby and I will continue to prod our parents, other siblings, cousins and long-distance friends to get on board with virtual visiting. If the fact that the software and computer-to-computer chatting is free doesn't convince them, maybe they'll respond to other important points. Live visits cost way too much thanks to the rising price of a gallon of gas; you only have to straighten up the room where you set up the computer; you don't have to buy extra food; and you get to log off long before you tire of the visit. When it comes down to it, you really can't beat online get-togethers, no matter how lame your teenagers think you are. ------- Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com. |
