Webcamming

I have a new webcam to experiment with; I wanted to see if this was a viable mode of communication with friends and relatives worldwide. Results are mixed: I can see people and see them moving (though not smoothly), but so far haven't been able to get any sound (due to firewall problems or lack of a mike on the other end) - conversation becomes a text chat with moving pictures. At first I wasn't sure I liked the camera; it makes me self-conscious. But I found I enjoyed seeing people respond in real time to my humor; it adds something to the text chat.

One strange thing: From television and movies, we're accustomed to people looking into the camera as if they were speaking directly to us. This must be a skill that actors develop; I found it very hard to look at the camera. This was partly due to shyness, partly because the camera is positioned above my monitor, and I was usually looking down at the monitor to see what the other person was typing, or to watch them on my screen. Of the two people I've chatted with so far, both had their cameras positioned to the side, so I had a voyeuristic feeling of watching someone without their knowledge, even though I knew that they could see me as well.