I want a cam, so guys tell me everything I need to know. What kind should I buy? What do I need to look for in a cam? I know absolutely nothing about them. How do you broadcast? Yahoo? webcamnow.com? Is it free? Can anyone watch? I know on Yahoo you need an invite to watch but on webcamnow.com anyone can watch. Is it better to control who's watching you?

That's about all the questions I can think of right now. Is there anything else I need to know? If there is, tell me.

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Having just purchased a webcam myself, perhaps I can help here.

First, do NOT bother with the $30 webcams you'll see in Wal Mart or Target. It had been nearly ten years since I bought a webcam, and I had thought that perhaps the technology would have improved and that low cost cams would now be a safe purchase. Not so. Image quality is awful and the cheap cams do not function well in low light situations. I tried a $30 cam, installed it, hated it immediately, returned it the same day.

You want to start with the best possible quality video -- certain webcam broadcast software will end up lowering quality as it is anyway, simply due to the fact that there are compression restrictions when you send video out online. So the better your image is to start, the better it will look online (though direct cam to cam connections, such as Yahoo, will give a better image).

It all depends on what you want to spend. You can purchase a mega-high quality cam for $300 - $500, but this is overkill for most people. Personally, I think $100 to $150 for a cam is reasonable. After researching various cams and reading user reviews (once I returned the crap cheap-ass cam), I decided to go with a Logitech.

Creative cams in the $100 and up price range get good reviews, as do 3 Com cams. However, Creative's software is obnoxious and intrusive -- and they like to load you up with AOL trial icons and all sorts of other superfluous bullshit. Since you are an admitted PC novice, I'd highly recommend the Logitech for you. The install is FAST and completely painless, as it should be. There was no bullshit installed (except for a couple items that load at boot, but these can be removed using the MSCONFIG utility I told you about in the last PC thread -- but leaving them there is just fine, too -- they won't hurt anything: the cam works fine with or without them).

You have a new PC and that means you have Windows XP. In which case I'd recommend the Logitech QuickCam Orbitz. I had to get the QuickCam Pro because the Orbitz does not run on Windows 98. The Orbitz is a step above mine -- it allows for some nicer positioning of the cam and has pan, tilt and zoom functions. It looks pretty damn slick, too. The Orbitz is $130 in retail stores. If you want to go with the slightly lesser cam for $100, get the Logitech QuickCam Pro like I did -- it will run on any operating system. I recently had a guy email me and ask what cam I use. He liked the color and image quality of my broadcasts and snapshots.

The software is easy to use. I'd HIGHLY recommend you set the cam for FULL AUTO adjustment. You won't have to fiddle with gamma settings and light levels, etc. Just click ONE check box and the cam will adjust itself perfectly -- every time. NICE! It takes about four seconds for your image to adjust. The first moment it appears, it will look grainy and dark. Just hang on. A few flickers later, the image will clear up and look beautiful.

LONG USB cord, so moving the cam around is easy. Heavy, sturdy base. Oh... the built in microphone actually WORKS -- and works very well. One less thing sitting on your desk, too.

The image I posted here of my travel bag is NOT indicative of the quality of the cam, however, so don't judge from that. This was a close up shot and there was reflective glare from the American flag pin on the front of the case. If you want to see some representative images of me (your choice, X rated or G rated or both), just email me and I'll send you some pics. I don't care if you or anyone else knows what I look like.

You can find MY cam at NewEgg for $75. I really should have ordered from them -- but I had cash burning a hole in my pocket. NewEgg has been around forever. FANTASTIC customer service and FAST delivery. I just got a scanner from them as well as a sound card and I am 100% satisfied with the service and the price. And really... I hate everything, so for me to recommend them is a serious compliment.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...108-105&depa=0

Or... just go to Best Buy and spend the $100. Best Buy does NOT charge a restocking fee if you return an item.

I didn't search NewEgg for the Orbitz, though. You can do that on your own if you want to spend the additional $30 for the cam with more options.

These are OEM products (original equipment manufacturer) -- the ones sold on NewEgg (mostly). What this means to you is... essentially nothing at all. You'll get a full warranty and all the software. If buying a motherboard or a CPU... perhaps retail is the best bet for a newbie -- but I think you can pretty much not have any concerns about OEM peripherals, so just ignore this. I only added it here because some purists would berate me for leaving this out.

Now, as far as jerking off online with your cam...

Direct cam to cam connections are fine, it just all depends on your personal taste. If you want to broadcast your penis to the masses, WebCamNow is a good place to do that. You can also meet guys on WCN and arrange to enter a private video session with them on Yahoo. I do believe you can also broadcast on both at the same time, though I also think image quality on WCN suffers if you send the signal to Yahoo, too. I'm not sure, though: I've just heard some people bitching about this.

I used to use a program called ICUII (I see you, too). It is still around, but I think you need to pay for it (or hack a code from somewhere). This is also direct cam to cam broadcasting, with previews. The problem with cam to cam is that some guys don't let you see their faces first. You may initiate a cam to cam contact and find that the guy you thought had a hot dick also has a really bad case of facial acne or something. In this case, you can certainly just close down your cam and sign off, but that can be really hurtful to the ugly dude on the other end. So... do you go through with it and jerk off together, or do you insult him and sign off?

Also problematic with cam to cam... a guy may ask you to do something you don't want to do, or pressure you for certain kinds of sex talk (typed or via the microphone). Or any number of little annoyances. With something like WCN, which has hundreds of broadcasters and chatters, you can easily ignore any requests or demands which you deem out of line.

It's like hanging out in a group of guys having sex together in the woods or at the baths -- you can leave anytime you want or avoid doing things you don't want with relative ease when there are larger numbers of men. But in a one on one situation -- extricating yourself from it can get tricky if you don't like it as you thought you would.

The good news is that a lot of guys are just used to this. A cam partner that suddenly disappears isn't necessarily insulting to everyone out there: we all know tastes may vary. I personally don't like insulting guys, so I avoid cam to cam stuff. I also don't want to be insulted myself!

WebCamNow takes some getting used to. Sometimes, you will be the life of the party: everyone will flock to your cam and give you great compliments. Other times, no one seems to watch you at all. It's the luck of the draw. Men who like twinks, I am quite sure, will NOT be interested in your cam. You can't take that personally, of course. Also, lots of guys (mostly immature kids, I suspect), will pressure you for something specific, or to cum quickly, etc. Just ignore them. They'll go away. But what bothers me the most (and it doesn't bother me all that much, to be honest), is guys who are seemingly into you and then suddenly move along to another cam. MEN ARE FICKLE. They want something NEW to look at, and WCN offers hundreds of cams. So what you'll find is that your audience rotates frequently. Men watch, move along, then new ones show up.

Sometimes, a really nice looking guy gets on cam and NO ONE watches any other cams at all, or so it seems. Weekend nights seem to have more good looking guys, but also more kids online, so it's a crapshoot. But hey... the good looking dudes deserve their fun, too. Just don't expect too many people to watch any cam that doesn't have a perfect muscle body if one of those is available. However... this isn't always true. Some fans are very dedicated and you'll find that they stick with you no matter what. You may even make a few "cam buddies" who seek you out often.

Your personality makes a HUGE difference. If you are friendly, more people will like you. No surprise there, right? You are NOT obligated to answer EVERY comment sent your way. Speak when you wish to speak, play with your dick when you want to play with your dick -- or just do whatever you like. Obviously, you've been to the WebCamNow site and have an idea of how it all works.

One tip -- you MAY need to update your Java. Your new cam, whatever it is, should work just fine with all instant messenger programs out there. But WCN's broadcast software is Java code. I won't bore you with details of the little feud between Microsoft and Sun Systems, but what you need to know is that MS doesn't automatically update Java anymore. So try your cam on WCN first. If you get errors or it doesn't work, just update your Java. SAVE THIS LINK:

http://www.java.com/en/index.jsp

Just click the "GET IT NOW" button. The install is painless. Your cam will work fine with WCN after that, if it is necessary to do so.

If anything here sounds too technical, I apologize. It is really not all that complicated. I am quite sure you won't have any problems at all. If you can hook up a printer or a USB device, setting up a webcam will be easy as pie.

As always, this is just MY opinion on the Logitech cam. I am EXTREMELY happy with my final purchase, so it's only fair I recommend it. Others may like another brand of cam. I will say, however, that Logitech has served me VERY well over the years, providing OUTSTANDING customer service. I use a Logitech cordless keyboard and mouse, and just happened to get a bad mouse many years ago, which broke after three months. Logitech replace the keyboard AND the mouse, mailing me new ones in less than TWO days. They did NOT ask for the old one in return, hence I have a perfectly good, brand new keyboard as a spare. But the new mouse and keyboard have worked perfectly for about six years now. I love them. Getting a lemon now and then is expected, so I don't blame Logitech for the busted mouse: shit happens. Their service and support were flawless. I also love the fact that they don't force bullshit software onto your PC. Creative really pisses me off with this crap (though they do make a nice sound card).

Hope this helps. Have fun!

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Thanks Scruff, you're a big help. Just a couple more questions and I'm done.

Do you know how many are viewing your cam when broadcasting? and how do you know what a viewer is seeing? You may think you have the cam aimed at your crotch but really it's aimed at your knee.

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when i jack off cam 2 cam i use netmeeting.

you can preview what the other guy sees.

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On WebCamNow, you cannot tell how many people are watching your cam. You're best guess would simply be how many people are responding in open chat with comments directed at you. Generally, it works like this: one or two guys notice your cam, then start speaking to you. When others see that someone is interested in a particular cam, they tune it in and check it out. If they are interested as well, they may start talking to you. If a single cam gets a lot of people's attention, even MORE start looking to see what the fuss is about, so the end result is cumulative. Not all will stay tuned in, obviously, if you aren't their type. Also, not everyone will speak -- some guys just watch quietly. It also seems that sometimes the silent guys will say a few words if you cum on cam, like "Thanks," or "Hot," or "Nice load," or whatever, but they may not get into the dialogue the whole time.

It probably goes without saying that you can also draw attention to yourself by talking first. You can talk to another guy on cam and folks will check to see if YOU are on cam as well, or you can just announce to the room: "Hey, guys! Hot dick here!" And they'll tune in!

A few more tips for WCN:

Sign up and pick a name to use. Try to pick something that will get people's attention when they see it in the list. If you create a name like "GWT8567" or something very generic, it won't catch anyone's eye when they scroll the list. So go for something you think might attract the kind of guy you are looking for or who would be into YOU, such as "TruckerSucker." I know I would look at a guy with the handle of "TruckerSucker!"

Still, as you probably know, cams can be previewed as thumbnails first, so names don't have to be perfect. If someone likes your preview, they'll look anyway.

As far as previews go... if you want to attract attention, the majority of guys seem to go for images which include a face, but it's understandable that most men do NOT show their faces. I do. I don't give a shit. If you are ONLY showing dick, get it in there nice and close. If you include chest, or just chest, that is usually a good draw, too. Images that are way far back lose clarity and get boring.

Previews can be deceptive. Images shrunk as thumbnails may appear crystal clear but be fuzzy and off-color when viewed full size.

For me, I personally have no interest in poor cam images. There's only one or two dudes who have poor pictures that I'll watch anymore. I prefer a crystal clear video, so even the hottest guy doesn't get my attention if his cam sucks. I think a decent amount of guys watch me because my image is very clear.

As you also probably know, the WCN broadcast software starts up when you join the chat. Once your cam is hooked up, just click the button that will start the software running. Type in your user name and password, then click LOGIN. Next, click PREVIEW WINDOW, as Gar mentioned. This will bring up your cam image. You can adjust it as you see fit. Once your cam is adjusted, click BROADCAST VIDEO and your cam will appear in the list online in one or two minutes. This way, your video doesn't show until it is situated exactly as you want it.

You will only need to login with your user name ONCE on WCN, provided you don't change names. The software will load with your name and password ready to go every time after, so you just click LOGIN and you're done.

There's a checkbox on the software window for COMPRESSION. Check the AUTO setting, this seems to work best. You can fiddle with the slider if you want, but most guys use AUTO.

Adding text doesn't need explanation, it's very simple. If you put your email address there you will get "fan mail," I'm sure.

BEFORE you sign in to WCN, or any other broadcast software, check your cam settings using the software that came with it. Set your resolution for 320X240. Smaller is annoying, especially on WCN. I can't be bothered with smaller images myself. WCN doesn't support larger. I have no idea if Yahoo, MSN or NetMeeting support higher res. Probably they do, but you may lose quality when broadcasting a larger pic online. Just a guess, though. You have a newer, faster PC and I imagine you have broadband, so probably your image will come out nice.

You can turn your cam off at any time by just click the BROADCAST VIDEO button again. It will change from green to red and you'll be offline. The light on your cam will go out at this time. You can remain logged in, though, and turn it back on whenever you want.

Also, a nice feature of the Logitech cam that I have which I forgot to mention: a privacy shutter. Most higher quality cams have this; the cheapies do not. It's handy to just drop down the shutter and cover the lens if you want to go to a black video for some reason.

You may have seen folks on WCN bitch about cams "freezing." This happens. No big deal. Sometimes your video will lock -- you'll see that your preview isn't moving anymore. The video can unfreeze on its own, or you may need to turn off your broadcast and reload it. If this doesn't work, you may need to sign off and start over again. Watch the green light on your cam. If it does NOT turn off AT ALL, your cam is stuck and you may need to reboot. Also not a big deal, unless perhaps you were just about to cum!

Don't jerk off TOO fast ALL the time. It creates just a blurry shot of a hand streaked over what may or may not be a dick! Stop now and then and let the cam pick up a few frames of a nice, hard dick with little motion if you want to show off!

IGNORE the assholes; there are many, as you'd expect and have probably seen. Most times, the jerks on WCN are transitory: the room gets pissed at them and they leave quickly. But if one of them decides to pick on YOU because you are "new meat," bad luck, man. I turn off my cam at this point and give them nothing. They go away. After doing this a couple times, they know not to bother with me anymore since they won't get any satisfaction, so keep that trick in mind if anyone is an asshole to you.

I imagine you also know that Room 8 is the gay room, since you have been there, but thought I'd mention it anyway. And yes, people in ANY room can watch you, but you won't see if they are talking to you unless they are in the same room as you.

Finally (really), if you find that the text chat scrolls WAY too fast, upgrade your Java as I mentioned in the first response. This slows it down, at least it did for me.

One caveat to the Java upgrade: chat within a major gay website also runs on Java. If you use this chat, you may find it takes longer to load once you have updated your Java. This is not a big deal, and it might just be the fact that I'm using an OLD PC. But if it loads slowly a new XP system as well, you can always use a chat client. You can get it at:

www.gayboi.org

Personally, I am not a fan of this software, but it's useful for getting into a full room quickly since it will hammer in for you.

Again, have fun.

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Oh, yeah. Sorry, forgot one thing:

IF you get the Logitech cam, it will install with a tiny piece of software that has something to do with optimizing your cam for use with Yahoo and other instant messenger programs. This is now obsolete so you don't need it.

Just look in the folder where the shortcuts for the cam software are installed. Try each one. I forget the name of the one you don't need, since I removed it already. When you start it up, it will tell you there is an upgrade, and take you to Logitech's website. Once there, you'll get a message saying you no longer need to upgrade and don't need this item anymore.

Just use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to remove it.

You also don't need your cam software to load in your tray if you don't want it.

The only item I use is Image Studio. It's more than enough for me.

A few things will load at boot after the cam is installed. Just leave them unless you have problems. I doubt you will. Us geeks hate shit loading at boot, so we us that MSCONFIG to remove them. All you need to know is that if you want to remove anything the cam loads at boot, it is safe to do so. The cam will work just fine without them, loading what it needs when it is turned on.

For the most part, the bottom line for inexperienced users is this: just install the cam and have fun. Odds are good you won't need any of this technical shit, but it's here in case you do.

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Thanks again Scruff for taking the time to explain all the ins and outs of webcams. I can't wait to get started! I doubt that I'll be showing my face but who knows. Everyone knows I'm gay but not everyone knows I'm willing to expose my genitals via the internet.

One more thing. Why did you happen to use "TruckerSucker" as an example for a good handle? I ask because I've been using "TruckerSucker" for years on other sites and even have a email address TruckerSucker@.......... That is too weird.

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Having already answered GWT's question privately, I suppose I should answer it here as well, for the two gay geek dudes left who have followed all the boring PC talk in this thread!

My thought process went exactly like this when I was picking out that name as an example: "GWT has talked of meeting up with truckers. I know he likes sucking trucker dick. Truck... suck. That rhymes. Sounds good. What would catch MY eye as a WCN screen name? Yeah, I'd look at a guy with the handle of 'TruckerSucker.' Works for me, I'll use that."

However, there could be another reason why this came to mind.

I have a photographic memory. If GWT ever posted this information before, or had it listed in his profile, it could have easily just stuck in my head. This is creepy to some extent, I know. Yet it sure made studying in school a breeze. I look at something and it just kind of STAYS in my head. This is why I have so much trivial bullshit information floating around that I tend to post here. The more something interests me, the easier it is to retain it, too.

This used to freak out my ex a little bit. I knew his Social Security number immediately from the first time I saw it. If you give me a piece of paper with up to sixteen digits on it, I can look at it once, then stuff it in my pocket. I'll look at it maybe two more times that same day, then I remember it... just about forever, unless I intentionally TRY to forget it. So it may not be a good idea to leave credit cards out around me! Just kidding... Putting a number in my pocket... I don't know why that works. I kind of PICTURE it written down inside of my Levis and... I just remember it. Go figure.

I'm just a regular member of CFS like anyone else, albeit the guy with the biggest mouth and the fastest fingers on a keyboard, probably. I don't hack information, I don't get any special treatment or communicate with anyone here about other members. Anything I discuss with anyone else in private email STAYS private -- ALWAYS.

And of course, an even simpler explanation exists: "great minds think alike." I happen to think "TruckerSucker" is a pretty good moniker! I'd pay attention to that name if I ever saw it, so... there ya go.

You're more than welcome for the cam info. Have fun with it, ignore the assholes out there. Print the thread if you need to refer to any of the technical stuff later on, but I think you'll be just fine. Install it and play.

Oh, I guess there IS just one more thing of a tech nature that you might want to keep handy...

If you find any problems with WCN Java chat loading, or your cam freezing TOO often, or Java chat from other sites bogging down -- just clear your Java cache. Open CONTROL PANEL. Open the JAVA PLUG IN applet. Click the tab at the top for CACHE. Click the button to clear it. You can also remove the check mark to enable caching, but you don't have to. It's very easy and can speed things up tremendously if that cache gets filled up with too much crap.

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I am not familiar with the cam broadcasting service you mentioned, so I can't offer up anything worthwhile regarding the censorship situation you discussed -- except to say that I'd personally just ditch a service that didn't suit my needs. However, any time you are looking at porn online, or you click through website entrance disclaimers, you are essentially agreeing that you are abiding by your state, local and "community guidelines." This means that if porn is illegal in your community, you are technically breaking the law if you surf for porn. This is unenforceable, for the most part -- I've never heard of anyone being busted for breaking community standards in his or her own home while online. While getting caught is probably a non-issue most of the time, I would say that any attempts at fighting the individual policies of websites or software manufacturers or local community standards would be fruitless.

As for your question regarding the use of a camcorder to broadcast live video -- yes, you can do this. You need a video card with a video IN connection. These are common; most new video cards have them. However, camcorders (especially older ones), do not necessarily have great light sensitivity. You may get a crappy image as compared to a webcam. If you have a built in graphics chip on the motherboard, probably you don't have a video-in connection. The cost of a video card is similar to that of a new, higher quality webcam, so you could go either way. That is, an INEXPENSIVE video card, a few generations old and not the top of the line technology. Top of the line vid cards are running about $200 to $300 right now. Older cards you can pick up for about $70 or so.

Either option is acceptable, though. A video card has other benefits aside from just being able to plug in your camcorder, but a simple webcam is probably the best choice if all you want to do is stream video online.

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