Webcams have become very popular in the last few years.  They allow people to carry on face-to-face interaction over the Internet.  It is a way for people who are far apart to chat like they are in the same room; it doesn’t matter if the people are across town or across the ocean, they can still talk face-to-face.  Follow these instructions to set up your webcam:

1. You will first need to buy yourself a webcam.  You want to look for one that permits a high rate of frames per second.  The reason you want this is that it will make the picture appear more clearly, without choppy images, for the person you are speaking with.  There are also high definition webcams that will allow the image to be even more clear.  You may want to purchase one that has both capabilities.

2. Download the software that comes with the webcam.  If it did not come with operating software, you can try to download Microsoft Windows Media Encoder version 9, which is available free of charge online.

3. Once the software is installed, restart your computer.  Connect the USB cable connection of the webcam to the back of the computer.

4. Join MSN, Yahoo, or AOL messenger.  If you already have an e-mail account with one of these companies, you can sign up to use their messenger service.  Also, the person that you plan to video chat with will have to be signed up with the same messenger service that you are for you both to be able to see each other.

5. Position the webcam where you want it.  You can either attach it to the top of the computer monitor or set it beside the monitor.  The majority of webcams are build so they can be connected to the top of computer monitors.

6. To begin the video chat, sign into the messenger and select the person from your contact list.  Select “Contacts” in the chat window, then “Contact Options,” and “View WebCam.”  As long as your friend carried out the same steps on their end, you should now be able to see each other.

Talking via webcam is a way that soldiers are able to keep in touch with their families during tours of duty; college students can talk with their parents or friends who have gone to different schools.  Because most of these messaging services are free of charge, it is considerably less expensive for people to make long-distance and international contact than it is to use a phone, and the people have the added bonus of being able to see each other.

By using File Transfer Protocol (FTP), it is possible to upload software, document files, music files, or any other kind of digital file from one computer to another.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard Internet protocol that provides one of the easiest means for computers to exchange files over the Internet.  Similar to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which transfers displayable Web pages and associated files, and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), which transfers e-mail, File Transfer Protocol is an application protocol that utilizes the Internet’s TCP/IP protocols.  FTP is generally used to transfer Web page files from the page creator to the computer that serves as the server for people on the Internet.  FTP is also used to download programs and files to a computer from a server.

This is the method that you would use to transfer information from your work computer to a website server:

1. You would choose this option if you are wanting to upload files to an off-site computer that does not allow uploads from a web-browser.  This would be the case in a situation where you upload files to a website for which you have purchased storage.  FileZilla is an example of an FTP program that can be used to transfer data from a computer to a server.

2. Open the FTP program, and enter the host address in the space provided.

3. You will need to enter your login ID and password.  If the off-site computer is set up to permit Anonymous FTP, it may be possible to login without using a password or by using “guest”.

4. Click connect.

5. Once the connection is established, you should see two windows containing a list of folders and files.  The window on the left shows folders on your computer’s hard disk, while the window on the right displays files on the off-site computer.

6. Navigate through files in the left-side window until you have located and opened the folder in which the file you want to upload is stored.

7. Continue navigating through the files in the left-side window until you find the file you want to upload.  Now, select the file to be uploaded to the off-site computer.

8. Now drag the selected file from the window on the left to the window on the right-hand side.  Nearly all FTP programs will allow you to upload files in this manner.  If the FTP software that you are using does not allow this, click on the the help tab at the top of the page for uploading instructions.

9. Once the file is finished uploading, check to make certain that the uploaded file is listed with the other files on the right-hand side.  If it is, you have been successful in your transfer of information from your computer to another computer in an off-site location.

Intranet is basically a website that can be accessed by a certain group of people. It is mainly operated in a company where only employees have access to it. If you wish to increase the efficiency of your Intranet, then some of these ideas can come in handy.

Involving more people

Usually the maintenance of the Intranet is done by a single authorized person. This seems okay if you are working with less staff. However, if otherwise, you may end up with a rarely up-dated site that is hardly of any use. With more people involved in the update of your company’s Intranet content, employees will have a good idea of whatever is going on throughout the company.

Simpler is Better

The use of video & audio and other cool technologies can be really overwhelming. With limitations on the Intranet such as the bandwidth and multiple browsers at a time, these features can further keep employees glued unnecessarily. Besides, the staff is only looking for the information they want, so the simple way can be more time saving.

Figure out Killer Apps

Killer apps can prove to be a good way to lure employees to use the Intranet. They are simple and instantly understandable. These are basically staff directories that are shared on the Intranet and are better than any existing paper directory.

Go Live For Feedback

Getting feedback from the Intranet’s users can also help you make positive modifications. This way you would be getting the ideas of more people, and it’s always interesting to see what they have come up with.

These ideas are quite practical, and they can be applied to your public website as well as to Intranets. With these guidelines, you can develop an Intranet that promotes perfect usability in your company.

You must have heard people say “internet” at times, and “intranet” at others. Yet, is this just the case of “tomatoes” and “tomatows”, or is there really a difference between both terms?

Well, the fact that you are reading this right now means that you know a thing or two about the internet. One thing you should add to your knowledge is that the internet is a global system of computer networks that are interconnected using a protocol (a set of rules for connectivity) called TCP/IP.

How the internet works is quite simple. Once you type an address (or URL) into your browser’s address bar, your browser will send a request to your ISP to ask it for a page. The ISP will locate the server of the website and request for the page you want. Once the request is approved, the host will send the page to the ISP server, which will forward it to you.

As for the intranet, it is a private computer network that uses the same protocol as the internet to share information within a certain organization. After hearing the word “private”, you may be wondering if it’s the same as LAN (Local Area Network), however, it isn’t. LAN has a smaller domain, thus can only be used by a small company or a group of computers at home.

The intranet will connect all computers to an organization’s internal website. Although this site can be accessed through the internet, it is password-protected and accessible only to authorized personnel. This is useful in increasing productivity by helping users locate information more quickly. In addition, intranets help workers communicate with one another without their wasting time on moving between floors.

So, the next time you hear internet or intranet, you will know exactly what is going on.