Ok, as someone who occasionally runs a web cam but who spends a lot of time reading journals, I'm curious - what do you guys think of web cams? Interesting, boring, stupid, fascinating? Other? I don't mean sex cams - I mean the ones where the person on cam is clothed and just doing whatever they normally would. Anyone?

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

Answers

I don't go in for them much and wouldn't have one myself. My computer probably doesn't go fast enough for one to be worthwhile, but I also think that one photo of me on my page is enough, possibly even too much, if people want to know what I look like. If I had a webcam photo of me every day, just of me doing stuff at the computer, I'd get sick of it sooner than anyone else. Picture the thoughts of the casual Net surfer watching my webcam: "Mmm, there he is, sitting in his chair, typing away there he's typing again and again oops, he's tossing off, must be browsing porn sites back to typing yawn typing again doesn't he do anything but type and occasionally wank?" What would be more interesting would be if I could rig up a web microphone so that people could hear me swearing and abusing my computer for being so slow. Think I'm better heard and not seen.

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

I run a web cam, and I know that many people actually spend time watching it. I am not sure why, but I think it is just a nice thing to feel like you are really interacting with the webmaster.

Because the internet removes almost all of the 'person to person' interaction, web cams appeal to people because they bring you closer to the owner of the site.

Sorry, I am very asleep, I hope you can understand what I mean.

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

I don't really see the point in them. I would seriously worry about anybody who could care to watch me as I sit at my computer.

Our company started a big web cam house a couple of years ago, and it generated about a million hits (a rough estimate there - I'm always scientific when it comes to statistics). It's in connection with our 'lads' tv channel and is called The Dolls House. You wouldn't believe the number of girls willing to live in this place and have their every move monitored - but there has been at least one scody one who had taken the first available chance to have a full sex scene in front of a camera.

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

I'm not really into cams. I used to occasionally check Elly's cam, but I'm one of the few people who visits Jennicam to read her journal. I occasionally look at the photos in the gallery.

I suppose I might feel differently when and if our GODDAMN DSL SERVICE EVER GETS HOOKED UP.

Ahem. Excuse me. Rough week.

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

I don't care for web cams. I have no desire to watch someone else's live actions while they are using the computer or doing anything else inside or outside of their homes.

For me personally -- I'd never have a webcam. Who in their right mind would want to have to put on fresh lipstick and makeup whenever they wanted to surf the 'net or check their email? Half the time I am online I am either not wearing makeup or I am wearing my pajamas.

Oh yeah, this is because I'm usually online after 11:00 PM. This is way early for me today because I have no work.

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

I don't see the appeal unless it's being used for direct communication. I like it when online journalists have at least a head shot somewhere on their Web site -- I agree with the earlier post in this thread that it seems oddly impersonal to deal with people without any idea what they look like.

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

I have no interest in looking at human web cams. I'm not even that interested in seeing still pictures of the people whose journals I read.

However, I check out the panda cam and kittycam and my friend's cats on their cam quite a lot. That last one is a cam my friend & her husband just put up so they will be able to look at their cats while they're on a long trip. I think it makes perfect sense.

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2000

I like dealing with people online and not knowing what they look like. It means I focus on what they say, not their funny hair colour - and people do the same with me.

-- Anonymous, July 01, 2000

When I worked at drkoop.com, the CEO had one and wanted all the employees to have one. For me, it sounds more interesting than it really is.

-- Anonymous, July 01, 2000

I am in love with webcams. Jennicam is adorable. I love the commentary she includes on the pics in her gallery section. She has a great sense of humor. I think that in the deep parts of everyones' psyche, there's that small "peeping-tom" instinct, and webcams just seem to make that OK to act on. And I admit, I get a thrill out of running mine, and knowing people are watching.

-- Anonymous, July 01, 2000

I have one, which I use occaisonally for videoconferencing for work, and I have it hooked up to the web and linked from my journal. I turn it on maybe once every couple of days - I'm always surprised that **anyone** wants to watch my range of three expressions while I'm working (concentrating, staring into space, talking on the phone) but they do. And since I find it dull, I can't imagine why they do it. Must be the force of my personality shining (?) through. Heh. cheers

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2000

I actually got a webcam because a couple of my friends in another state have them, and I loved being able to see them as I chatted with them online.

Of course, since I got and hooked up my own cam, they've both run into problems with theirs....

I like cams. I like personal pictures. I like seeing what the person behind a site looks like. And, as with my friends, I really like seeing a familiar face. Someone I can't see very often in real life.

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2000

I've watched Alex (http://flinch.org/alex) for years though I dont think she runs a cam very much now. But I think she makes some cool images and I can appreciate that, but her journal is more a draw for me. Jenni (http://jennicam.org) is sometimes interesting but I dont get how she can cam 24/7, but I like the journals and the captions in her gallery more than watching the cam.

I think it can be a cool idea, but I think that people that do it 24/7 or want some kind of fame from it have issues. And I think there are people who get addicted to it to.

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2000

uhhh?. i aint reading all this. You must be mad.

-- Anonymous, July 05, 2000