Can You See Them
This is a continuation of a series of post that I am writing on Live Messenger! I venture to say that many of you have Live Messenger installed on your computers and use it frequently, however, we are going to address some additional features that possibly you did not know about or did not know how to properly set up and operate!
One of the many “Cool Features” of Live Messenger is to be able to actually see who you are chatting with!
In this segment we are going to address how to “Set Up” and “Fine Tune” your webcam
Once you learn how to do this and have a webcam
Just another way to help you keep in contact with your friend’s and loved ones.
Setting It Up
Ok, you have purchased a webcam and it will produce a drop down menu of various item’s to select from. Here is what it will look like!
What I have selected was “Tools” then “Audio and Video Setup” this is the built in assistant that will help you to configure your webcam to operate effectively with Live Messenger!
Although I already have a webcam I will walk you through the necessary steps to get you going in the right direction!
Although this may seem a little challenging, do not let all of the steps scare you away from taking full advantage of Live Messenger and all it can bring to your life! You will be so glad that you took the time to do this! Talk about brining the best of both worlds together……Real time chat incorporated with visual aides! Now that’s progress in motion!
Getting Started
Ok, I have described to you how to get started and here is what it looks like.
All you have to do is follow the easy to follow along process that it will walk you through and before you know it you will have your webcam up and running in your Live Messenger!
There are some other elements that we are going to show you how to perform and set up along the way! However, before we can address those you must make your Messenger application recognize that you have one!
These are very easy to follow steps and help is always available along the way!
Tune Your Webcam
Presuming that you have taken all the necessary steps as described above you are now ready to start to fine tune some of the settings on your camera through Messenger!
What you see here is my Webcam showing my mug as I am adjusting some of the settings on it! I can adjust things such as the contrast, brightness, saturation levels and even customize it further for a more refined image that people will see when viewing my webcam!
Sorry, had to show my ugly mug for this illustration so don’t go and start throwing darts at your monitors
Ok now you are ready to start rocking and rolling with your newly installed webcam and share yourself even further with your friend’s and family!
Let Them Know
Ok you have purchased a webcam
What you see illustrated here is my option’s list! I was able to get into this by clicking on my file menu then selecting tools and then clear at the bottom you will see a link for options! If you will not clear at the very bottom is a check box that says “Allow others to see that I have a webcam”. By checking this box you now have gave the application to share the fact that you have a webcam!
Don’t panic, your webcam can only be viewed by those to whom you grant access to view it!
How Do I Start or Stop Showing My Webcam
Ok, you got it all set up and now you are ready to share yourself with the world! How do you start and stop your webcam? This is quite easy!
Notice that I have brought up an Instant Messaging chat window here for illustrative purposes. Right below where your ID picture or Emoticon would be located is a little image of a camera if you hover your mouse over it….it will ask you to either start or stop sharing your webcam! You are in control of who sees you and for how long!
There you go! You now have went through all the necessary steps to activating and incorporating a webcam to utilize in conjunction with Live Messenger!
Benefits To A Webcam
So, Greg, tell us what the benefits to having a webcam are! Really it is quite simple….whether you are wanting to use it as a way of more effectively communicating with your friends and family or maybe even conduct a video teleconference you decide how much and how long a person is able to see you live in your settings.
Think about the possibilities here…..imagine talking to several of your relatives around the country and them all being able to see you live or maybe if you are a business owner you can host your own video conference of sorts. The possibilities are endless and you are the creator of your imagination!
I hope this helped to get everyone on their way to sharing more with all of those you wish to communicate with in a more dynamic and effective way!
Happy Blogging and Spaces Development
Greg A. Hyatt 
