Website Wednesday: TokBox

My mom got a webcam so she can see Maegan and Dara and video chat with us. Then Amy got a webcam too. At first we used Google Video Chat because we all had Gmail accounts and I figured that would make it easy. It worked okay but even though we already had Gmail accounts we still had to install special software to make it work - and installing software could be a major hassle for some non-techies. Plus the video display started out small, with your own camera (to make sure you're in frame) as an even smaller little insert overlayed in the corner on top of the other video.

Then I heard about ToxBox. What I first liked about ToxBox is that you don't have to install any software at all, so I gave it a try. Then this past weekend Patty and Maegan went to Hilton Head and I used TokBox to let Darah see and talk with them while they were gone.

Not having to install anything was nice, but after trying it I found other features that I liked too. For one thing, the video chat displays start off much bigger. There's really no need to expand it, but you can still enlarge it if you wanted to. And I also liked how your webcam display is side-by-side with the video of the person you're chatting with, so they're both the same size and don't interfere with each other. Although I haven't used it yet, TokBox will also let you video chat with multiple people at once - up to 20, although I wouldn't recommend that many. And finally, it was much easier to initiate a video chat with ToxBox compared to Google Video Chat. After you add a friend to your list, if they're online and available all you have to do is click on their name once for a pop-up of options and then click the video icon to initiate a call.

So in conclusion, hey Mom and Amy.... sign up for TokBox because that's what we'll be switching to. Want to video chat with us too sometime (ie. Dee)? If you have a webcam, sign up and let us know.

Labels: Website_Wednesday