"Chat" Communication Tool
Arrange ahead of time to have a missionary speak to your church using video conferencing. Talk about making a connection!!
Video Conferencing
Computers (Apple and PC) come with "web cams" built into them - hardwired into their circuitry. Millions of "add-on" web cams are available for computers that do not have a built-in one for this use. The most popular Instant Messaging services have upgraded to give this option to their users.
Skype, Google G-mail, Yahoo, and Voodoo are just a few of those services offering free 1 on 1 (computer to computer) audio/video chatting - video conferencing.
VOIP(voice over Internet Protocol)? People make telephone calls over the internet.
Vonage and Skype are two of the first to do this on a an international scale. At the time of this writing both are fighting lawsuites directed against them by national longline telephone companies such as AT&T. Keep aprised of their status, even try them out, by first visiting their sites or by entering "VOIP" in the search window of Google or C-Net.com.
"Chat" with a keyboard communication tool comes in 3 main forms:
- Stand-alone "instant messaging" programs such as Yahoo Instant Messenger, MSN Instant Messenger, and AOL Instant Messaging.
- Home Grown / Private: Organizations have the ability to write their own software chatroom if they have access to a database server online. A person writes a "middleware" program such as MS ASP, .Net, or Cold Fusion. The database and middleware work behind the scenes to serve the web page access providing the chat room.
- "Chat rooms" integrated in larger communications packages (i.e. "Conferencing Software") such as "Groove" by Microsoft ("Live Meeting"), Adobe "Connect (formerly "Breeze")", and WebEx. (Review and compare these and other Conferencing Packages.) These chat rooms operate in combination with other options depending upon the package. Team members, or members of a world-wide audience can converse while another "window" shows a presentation of a lecture or discussion.With video, these become "video chats/calls."
Chat, while popular, has been the source of the greatest majority of unintended downloads or viruses and other malware. Here are some ways to prevent this:
- Study the features of your anti-virus and other anti-malware installed software. Does it protect you in the midst of chat/instant messaging sessions? If not, find a product that does and load it before continuing.
- Know the person with whom you are chatting. If that person is "passing on" some files, ask if she/he created them or if they got them from someone else. Don't download anything that may have made its way through the web.