Video Conferencing? You have it already!

From time to time, I get asked about the firm's capacity for video conferencing.

The firm has not invested in professional grade equipment for large conference room style video conferencing.  If you need that, you will need to go to a third party provider.  Many Court Reporters offer such services.  Recently Kaplan Leaman & Wolf did a CLE in the Philadelphia office which discussed its ability to provide these services, among others.

For direct person to person video conferencing, however, you already have everything that is necessary.  I want to warn at the outset, that the help desk has virtually no experience with video conferencing.  These tips are more for the self-sufficient among you who like to try new features.

Hardware Requirements

Your laptop has a built in camcorder and microphone.   This is all that is necessary for hardware.  I do, however, recommend at least a better microphone for sound.  We can provide a USB headset.  We also have a few desk microphones that connect via USB if you don't want to wear head gear during your meeting.

Video Chat on Google

Video Chat is part of the Google Apps package that we already use for email an other purposes.  It is a part of Google Hangouts.  If you want to have a video chat with someone, simply click on the chat icon in the lower left hand corner of your Gmail screen, below your folders.  Select the icon that looks like a video camera and then enter the name or email address of the person with whom  you wish to chat.  You can chat with anyone in the firm, although support staff, who do not have laptops, do not have camcorders and therefore cannot appear on screen.

You may need to register for Google + or download a few plug-ins for Google Voice or Google Hangouts the first time you use this feature.  It is fine to do these things.

Chat with anyone on a variety of devices

You are not limited to people within the firm.  You can communicate with anyone in the world who has a Gmail account with Google plus added.  These are free accounts that anyone can create in minutes  You will receive a warning though if you invite someone outside the firm.

You are not limited to laptops either.  Some or all participants can use a smart phone or tablet (Apple and Android are both supported, among others) to participate.  They just need the free Google Hangouts App installed on their device.

Live Demonstrations

If you wanted to give a demonstration to a large group of people, you can create an internet link so that hundreds or even thousands of people could view the presentation.  In these large groups, however, the conversation is only one way.  Viewers can only respond by typing text into the chat feature.  The chat feature is access on the left hand side of the screen. Click on the blue chat icon to bring up a chat box on the right side of the screen.  Participants can type in notes that the others can read.

Other Features

Another nice feature is the screen share.  If you are demonstrating something on your computer, you can allow all other participants to see your screen and what you are doing (similar to WebEx if you have ever used that).  There are other options that allow you to take a screen shot of the what is happening, or allow a presenter to show a YouTube Video (hint: if you want to share a private video, you can upload to YouTube as private then share that video with the group here).

Once your conversation is complete, hang up and you are done.

Other Video Chat Programs

There are, of course, other free video chat programs that are available for use.  Skype is one of the most popular.  A big benefit of Google is that you know everyone in the firm already has an account and can be contacted through the firm's contacts.

Video Tips

You usually see an image of yourself in a small box in the corner so you know what others are seeing.  Be sure to center your face in the screen.  Don't have a bright light or window in the background as it will make you look like a shadow.