Video Chat: Put a Face to Your Communications

EngenderHealth, a nonprofit organization that champions reproductive health throughout the world, has headquarters in New York, but most of its field workers are scattered throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Those geographical divides can create gaps in communication and leave field workers feeling isolated. So how do they effectively and inexpensively communicate under those circumstances?

By taking advantage of the video features of instant messaging software, EngenderHealth's New York team can see and talk with workers around the world using video chat. Putting a face with a voice brings a human touch back to communication.

Most instant messaging applications, including Microsoft's MSN Messenger, AOL's AIM, and Apple's iChatAV , include a video chat function. All you need is a camera and a high-speed Internet connection. In some ways, it's the next best thing to being there, and it's a lot cheaper.

Bill Lester, IT Manager for EngenderHealth, said the organization's use of video chat has made field workers feel much more like part of the team. His organization uses ICQ instant messaging software to connect across the globe.

Mobile Video Conferencing

Video chat works on the same principles as instant messaging: One user initiates a chat with another, a central server coordinates a connection between them, and a peer-to-peer connection between the computers is created. (To learn more about how instant messaging works, read this article called How Instant Messaging Works .)

A video chat is different from traditional video conferencing in a few key ways. First, video chats over instant messaging services don't cost anything. Video conferencing can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars per year, depending on the service and number of licenses you buy. Second, video chats offer portability -- you don't need a dedicated room with a large camera and video monitor. All you need is a computer, camera, and an Internet connection. If you've got a laptop with a Web cam and Wi-Fi capabilities, you can video chat anywhere a Wi-Fi signal is available. That means you can chat on the road -- a definite advantage over traditional video conferencing systems, which can require dedicated hardware that often needs to be set up in a specific room.

But the real benefit from video chat is the improved communication that comes from seeing facial expressions of colleagues and clients. You can't get that from e-mail. And even the telephone lacks the personal touch of video chat. With so many nonprofit causes appealing to the human side of business, there's no better way to promote your cause than with a face-to-face talk, even if the those faces are a thousand miles apart.

Real-World Video

Video chat is not a widely used communication tool yet, but some pioneers are leading the way.

In Manchester, England, Martin Grimes of Manchester Digital Development Agency -- an organization that works with government, schools, and communities on a variety of technology solutions, including software development -- is leading the implementation of a home-grown collaboration tool called Communicate . The tool, which offers video, audio, and text chat, along with other business functions, was developed to help various government agencies collaborate without having to travel. One of the collaboration tool's main advantages is that it offers many-to-many video chats. (The latest version of Apple's iChatAV does this, too, but all users need to be running Apple OS 10.4 to make it work.)

Video chat is an emergent technology -- meaning it's far from perfect. While some chat programs and Web cams are capable of full-screen video that displays at 30 frames per second for a television-like image, in reality, images can be small and jittery if you don't have a fast computer and enough upload speed.

And many chats are plagued by a lag between speaking and hearing, called latency. It's like you're living a few seconds out of sync with each other. This can cause one person to talk over the other. Latency is not easy to solve, since it's usually the result of traffic jams across the Internet.

Firewalls pose another technological hurdle, since applications must be configured to jump barriers on both users' networks or machines, as well as any possible ISP firewalls that are in place. Some applications work from behind a firewall, while others will require some tweaking. Check out MVL Design's tutorial for help, or check the chat software vendor's Web site for documentation and assistance. Another option is to ask for help in TechSoup's Virtual Community Forum .

But the biggest stumbling block for video chat is a cultural one, not a technological one, according to Grimes. It fundamentally changes the way you work, and it requires learning on the part of all users. Some people see the benefits and are eager to participate, while others see it as a burden. Video connections take the place of traveling to satellite offices, but also mean that workers who enjoy the travel may rebel. Most of all, video chat isn't as easy as picking up the phone and dialing.

But some people will take to it like second nature, especially those who are already versed in the technology. Lester said he discovered after beginning a pilot program that several younger workers were already using video chat in their personal lives, and it was a natural fit to use it at work.

Low-End Resources for High Technology

It's not difficult to get video chat up and running in your organization -- you probably have many of the pieces now.

To start, you'll need instant messaging software with video capabilities (most of the major applications do). Both you and the person you want to chat with need to use compatible applications -- in most cases, that means installing the same chat software, though AIM users can video chat with iChatAV users.

Each user will need a video camera to broadcast his or her end of the conversation. The better the camera, the better video the recipient will see. Low-end USB Web cams, costing from $25 to $50, will work, but not as well as higher-priced USB 2.0 or FireWire cameras. If your digital video camera has a FireWire or USB 2.0 output, you can use it, and you have the option of capturing your side of the conversation for posterity.

The computer you're using matters, too. Because video is processor-intensive, you'll want a Pentium 4-type PC with a video card and sound card or a G4 or better Mac. Be sure to quit other programs while you're chatting, so you can dedicate resources to the chat.

The last piece of the puzzle is your Internet connection. Don't buy the vendor hype that you can do this over dial-up -- you'll be better off using a camera phone and e-mailing shots of yourself. Consider a minimum upload speed of 128 kbps if you want to achieve near television-like quality. But even at slower upload speeds, you’ll still reap some benefits from video chat. Experiment to see what your threshold for quality is.

Advice for Implementation

If you're thinking about using video chat in your organization, here are some ideas and considerations:

• Run a pilot program: Try video chat with a small group of eager users who will be willing to stick with it while you work out the kinks.
• Train your users: Plan on multiple training sessions and follow-ups. Lester said it took most users a couple of sessions before the process gelled.
• Teach users to expect latency: If you know that you need to stretch out pauses in your speech to allow for users to break in, that will make the experience much smoother.
• Get good equipment: For a few hundred dollars you can buy a good camera that will make a big difference in quality. And don't skimp on the computers you're using, either. Check out Apple's recommendations for iChatAV as a guide.

If you're willing to experiment, video chat can pay big dividends by improving communication. It's not perfect, but seeing the face of your client or co-worker can make all the difference.