New Ways to Use Your Webcam

I've owned a webcam for years, but until recently I never had much use for it. Sure, from time to time I'd try a video-conferencing service like Skype or SightSpeed, but they always left me disappointed. I know these services have plenty of PC Magazine enthusiasts, but I'm not among them, yet. (Q: "Can you see me now?" A: "Not very well.") And if you're not using your webcam to connect with faraway friends or relatives, what's the point of having one?
Here's one thought: What if you could turn your webcam into a TV camera, able to broadcast live video virtually anywhere in the world? Here's another: What if you could record a talking-head video of yourself that would pop up on your Web site, giving visitors a surprising, personalized greeting? One more: Use your webcam to record a video greeting to send via e-mail instead of boring old text.
These three ideas are behind a trio of new Web services, all of them free, all of them offering a lot more bang for your webcam buck. Once you try Bubble Guru, Eyejot, and Ustream.tv, I guarantee you'll never look at your webcam the same way again. Quite the opposite: You'll spend considerable time looking into it.
Don't own a webcam yet? You might find one shoehorned into the next PC you buy: Apple's iSight camera is now a staple in virtually every new iMac and MacBook, and manufacturers like Acer, HP, and Toshiba all offer systems with built-in webcams. Of course, you can always clip on an aftermarket webcam from Creative, Logitech, or another vendor; watch for a series of reviews of the latest and greatest models in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check the lighting and put on a shirt: It's time for your close-up.