The arrival of video on the Internet provokes often unknown or ignored edge effects. If I’m speaking about a video booth, it’s in reference to the photo booth which spits out poor quality photographs, just good enough to be put on a passport or driver’s license.
Now that video conferencing is arriving on Skype and on other tools such as net meeting, that real time conversation services like Seesmic are being created which don’t do better than the old photo booths in terms of quality. Deformed faces, repelling lighting, bad quality sound, a real transgression of the rules of behavior and presentation. These shortcomings are not linked to the services which host them which are of very good quality but to the standard environment: the PC and its technological limits, and a form of amateurism from the users.
It mustn’t be forgotten that it’s about communicating with other people, presenting oneself in your room or office with a halogen light on the side and a PC microphone provokes the worst effect on your image, and therefore on your own communication.
Apart from these remarks, the services I cited are very practical, but sound is enough: it doesn’t make me want to see my fiends physically in these conditions. Despite this, a few recommendations would not be superfluous, so that at least the lighting and the position in front of the camera may be emphasized, as well as an adapted shot frame.
If you are invited to a TV program, you are made-up, the lighting is professionally arranged, the shots are pleasant and the sound capture is perfect so that you and your auditors are comfortable during an interview.
See Steph who is an addict and says exactly the contrary on her blog, which doesn’t surprise me, this demonstrates that making presentation efforts in the real world is a pre-requisite to a balanced social like, whereas on the web you can present yourself in any way… To be continued.
Here are some examples which don’t need any comments



Changes, netmeeting, seesmic, skype, web 2.0