<p>Are many parents planning on using a webcam to keep in touch with their child while at college? I'm sure DS will not want to do this in the company of his roommate, but I do believe he is looking forward to seeing us just as much as we are looking forward to seeing him while he is gone.</p>
<p>No, I’d never do this. Talking on the phone is good enough for me.</p>
<p>We used the iChat program and the built in cameras on our Macs to keep in touch with our son this summer while he was away in a college summer baseball league. Worked great - and would highly recommend for those who are Mac oriented.</p>
<p>Planning to use it sometimes - Google has a free face to face link (gmail)</p>
<p>We use it. It has really reduced the stress, actually. Body language can relay sometimes more than words. Our DD has a mac–we have a pc. We use a logitech video camera(~$50) and the skype download. BTW=Skype is FREE! even overseas!</p>
<p>My daughter is actually encouraging this…she already arranged herself to get a camera/mic for our desktop and she has the one built in to her MAC.</p>
<p>We plan to use Skype as a way to keep in touch.</p>
<p>We used Google Video Chat this summer with our son. Very easy to use and it worked very well (Mac OS X notebooks). We could chat while we were both working or just say nothing to each other but know that the other person is there.</p>
<p>The one in our household who uses various forms of video chat (Skype, the video option on gchat) the most is the 7 yo, mostly because he can’t type fast enough to IM very well. </p>
<p>Once in a while D shows me something she’s bought, or something in her room. It’s great to have the option.</p>
<p>We do it from time to time to augment phone calls and e-mails. Using Skype on a computer with a built-in camera is a snap, and I find it works better for us than iChat. Our Ds have done summer courses and internships abroad during college, and we’ve videoconferenced with them in South America and Asia - other than for the occasional dropped call, it works great - even allows them to introduce their host families to us. And oh yeah - it’s free!</p>
<p>We used skype while my daughter was studying in Europe her junior year and were all so happy to have it. We had lots of 3-hr calls. Because of the time difference we often had to schedule them. The grandparents loved coming over to “see” her.</p>
<p>Interestingly when she returned and we still had the capability, we never used it and didn’t even consider it. I suspect it was so important that year while we knew we wouldn’t see each other for such a long time. And because time zones weren’t an issue, we could catch up via cell phone just about anytime.</p>
<p>I would like to - but D doesn’t think she’ll feel comfortable with it, so we probably won’t. We downloaded Skype and bought a cheap webcam when she had to do a long-distance college interview, but it hasn’t been used since.</p>
<p>We both have the capability - I just don’t know how much we will use it. I think it will be nice occasionally to actually see her face since she will be far enough away that it will be impossible for her to come home between breaks. I know some kids get home sick, I don’t know if mine will, but maybe this will help? She probably won’t care about seeing us, but I know will miss seeing her dog alot.</p>
<p>Ss have it on their computers for their friends, but don’t want it for me. (I guess they don’t want me to see any part of their rooms or whether they’ve gotten haircuts/shaved between move-in and Christmas). I get a weekly call, and more frequent contact when they need money or something from home.</p>
<p>Perhaps D will be different.</p>
<p>You get much more of a feeling of contact with video chat compared to IM.</p>
<p>We have Skype, but have never used it to communicate with S in school. S communicates best by blogging: He set up a blog for us and other adult friends, and posts once a week with interesting info and pictures.</p>
<p>I don’t like communicating with Skye because it’s not like communicating in person, and people – including me – always look a bit odd on Skype.</p>
<p>A blog is nice because you have to put some effort into writing for a group of people. I try to keep my blog interesting for my target audience and assume a college student would do the same. With phone, vid chat and IM, you can be very informal and the other person will know what you mean from a certain phrase or expression. With blogs, the person has to think about the audience. The extra thought makes up for less frequent communications.</p>
<p>I have a camera and Skype. D had a camera and Skype. We don’t video chat. D and the BF do to conserve cellphone minutes as they are are different plans. Our family plan gives us unlimited minutes and texts, so I have not had a need to see her as we speak. She sends pics, and that seems enough.</p>
<p>D1 uses a headphone for audio to have some privacy, but we could see each other. She’ll use it to ask for my opinion on an outfit or something she’s bought for her room. Now she is on the other side of earth, it’s nice to just see her. My friends do regular video chat with their sons as well.</p>
<p>I brought this up with both Ds this summer and both shot me down - not interested. Maybe I’m the only one who wants to see who I’m speaking with…</p>
<p>When I saw the title to this thread I thought it meant “is anyone going to request that their kid stand in front of the live campus web-page camera and wave as they call you?”<br>
The D of someone I know announced her engagement like that - called and told parents to go to the webpage… there were D and BF with a sign that said “We’re getting married!”
I do check the campus webcam sometimes - just to see it there’s snow on the ground or if it’s nice out. I’m pretty sure my DD doesn’t even know where it’s located. I don’t use Skype with my kids, although I have it on my computer. TMI. I don’t want to see their messy rooms or be tempted to ask “Did you really go to class in that?”</p>