Internet Videoconferencing: Coming to Your Campus Soon!.

Colleges and universities typically have a unique resource that is not always recognized as such, that is, their significant Internet bandwidth, which allows members of their campus communities to do things that cannot yet typically be done by businesses and private individuals. One such Internet function that has become practical for widespread use is videoconferencing. Many people have used the older, more traditional method of videoconferencing, which uses ISDN or leased telephone lines at high hourly rates and requires special room setups and advanced scheduling. Internet videoconferencing has none of these characteristics. It is much more like using the telephone, with the added feature of being able to see the person you are talking to, so there are not only technological, but also sociological differences (see Table 1). It is possible to communicate between traditional and Internet videoconferencing systems via gateways that exist just for this purpose, as described below. One of the first reactions some people have, when hearing about ubiquitous videoconferencing in their office or laboratory, is fear of the loss of privacy, but this is not really a concern if you think of this technology as being similar to the telephone. You do not fear that your voice will be heard somewhere else if the telephone receiver is on its cradle; similarly your image will not be seen from afar unless you turn on your camera and start up your video system. It is important to distinguish between Internet videoconferencing and Internet video broadcasting. Conferencing is a two-way process, like using the telephone. Terms such as “call up” and “answer” apply. Broadcasting is a one-way process, like watching television. Terms such as “tune in,” “enter URL,” “streaming,” and “Webcasting” apply. This article addresses only videoconferencing. In the most basic approach to making a videoconference call, you type in the IP (Internet protocol) address of the person’s PC you wish to call, and the call is completed with no further action needed. The systems provide a local dialing directory into which you can enter commonly called numbers, giving them names such as “Bob” or “Dean’s Office,” which frees you from having to Internet Videoconferencing: