Getting Started in Videoconferencing

I've seen some really cool telepresence stuff profiled on various sites (and some kind of goofy stuff, too). But the fact is that most people don't need a high-end rig for the day-to-day videoconferencing that is the bread and butter of most telecommuters.

This article from ComputerWorld has some great tips for getting started with videoconferencing without going nuts with the hardware. Having personally done most of the things the article notes (including tearing through a variety of IM clients that support video, headsets galore, firewall tweaks, and router mayhem), I can attest to the veracity of the tips in the piece.

Don't get me wrong: high-end telepresence definitely has its place. I think for far-flung job interviews and high impact communications, you want as many pixels as you can throw at a screen. I just have found that in my regular workday, people mostly want to be assured that I have clothes on and that I seem to be paying attention to them.

And I'm not sitting on a beach somewhere and I just forgot to tell them about my relocation to the Bahamas.