The mailVU site will post fan videos starting 7/9 so everyone can see the fun World Cup voting of their team fans.  The vote count will be provided right through the final game on Sunday.   Cast your video World Cup vote on mailVU.com today!

Begin by opening any browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) and going to http://mailVU.com. You will be prompted by the following request to allow access to your webcam. Select Allow.

Now you should be able to see yourself on the left side under Live Camera. If you don’t see yourself click on the drop down list of cameras and select the one that works for you. On the Mac it is typically called USB Webcam. Note that until you record a message the deletion options and email option is grayed out at the bottom of the screen.

Click the red Record button above your image to start the 5 minute recording session. This button will change to Stop after you click it, a notification will appear that recording is in process, and a timer counts down from 1 minute. When done click the red Stop button.

Now that the recording is made the information at the bottom of the screen is available to use. You may play back your message before sending it to someone. To play it back simply click the green Play button above your image. Your recording will now play in the right side window while you still see yourself live in the left side Live Camera window.

If you want to record over your message, click the red Record button again to overwrite it. When you are happy with your recording decide if you want to use an auto deletion function at the bottom.

The default deletion time frame is 30 days, but you can change it to anything between 1 and 365 days. And you could also specify the video to be deleted after a certain number of views. If both are checked then whichever event happens first will destruct the video mail.

You can now click Send this as a Video Mail and you will have the following screen to populate:

You fill in the email address fields, and you have the option of adding a text message to your video mail. You can copy yourself if you click the box at the bottom, and you have the option of being notified every time the recipient views the video mail. When done click Send Email. Congratulations! You have now sent your first video mail!

The user will receive an email which is less than 25kb in size that includes a picture of you linking to your video message. They click on your picture and click play and they will be able to hear and see you. To record a video message back to you they can follow this same process by going to http://mailVU.com.

By using mailVU.com anyone can quickly and easily send video messages to anyone in the world. Try it today for free!

Preparation: Decide what you want the recruiter to get from your interview, and be prepared to succinctly discuss those points. It helps to write down talking points prior to an interview and practice what you will say. You can’t expect to have your best performance if you are not comfortable with talking into a webcam, so be sure to practice. You can video chat with a friend for their feedback, or you can record webcam practice sessions on your computer. Practice will not only improve your presentation, but it also is a good time to make sure your webcam is working properly, the audio quality is good, and your background image is professional. Find out which video chat service provider will be used by the recruiter. You may be able to sign up for a free account and practice with that service prior to the interview. As the saying goes, prior planning prevents poor results.

Environment: You want the recruiter to focus on you and what you are saying, not a vintage poster on the wall or a noise in the background. The background must be clean and professional. A plain wall, or a clean and organized bookcase/credenza will work great. It is best to be alone in a small, quiet room so the audio does not echo and there are no annoying background noises. No dogs in the room please! Lighting is critical for a good video image on a webcam. Good lighting should be on your face and never behind you. You may need to place a lamp on your desk by your webcam to achieve good lighting on your face. Practice with several lighting configurations until you are happy with the results.

Your Image: As with any interview you should always dress professionally. Remember that the webcam will only capture images waist up, so be sure you wear suitable interview clothing for the position. Try to avoid wearing striped or checked shirts as webcams and Internet connectivity may cause the lines to run together in the video. You want to avoid excessive movement as that can be detracting to the recruiter, so try to maintain a good position in front of the webcam and avoid looking away to notes. Be careful about your facial expressions, just as you would in an in-person interview. At the same time you don’t want to be “stiff”. Show some positive emotion and smile. Use small hand motions to express points, but keep them close to your side so it shows in the webcam view. Keep in mind that with a waist-up image, any motion will seem exaggerated, so even small gestures will be powerful in making a point.

Webcam: A quality webcam will make a big difference in how the recruiter sees you, so be sure to use a webcam that has at least 1.3Mp of image resolution. If you have a lower end webcam, or a low pixel built-in webcam on your laptop, consider getting a quality external webcam prior to your interview. The good news is quality webcams can be purchased online for as low as $20 USD. We’ve seen webcams that claim more than 2Mp resolution, but it isn’t worth the extra money as the video interviewing services and your Internet bandwidth will not be able to take advantage of the size of the images. Our experiences show that 1.3Mp provides great video quality. For audio you can use the built-in webcam mic, or use a headset with microphone. Be sure to practice with your equipment so you are comfortable with how it works, the quality, and how you look while using it. For additional tips see the article How To Improve Your Webcam Video Quality.

Recording: Our final tip is to consider that the video interview could be recorded, either by the recruiter or by you. The recruiter may record simply to pass along good candidates to the hiring company or hiring manager. You can use recordings for self improvement. You can view the recording at a later date and decide how you want to improve your next video interview. You can also share it with friends for critique. If you decide to record be sure to practice with the software in advance of the interview! The last thing you want to do is fiddle around with the recording software controls instead of talking with the recruiter. CamStudio has an easy-to-use, free screen recording tool that you may find helpful in recording your interview. A note of caution; it is a legal requirement to gain consent for recording conversations. Prior to choosing to record the interview you should gain the other party’s consent.

Best of luck on your video job interview! Please share your feedback with us on how these tips worked for you, and any other tips you would recommend.

For more information about Vonei LLC see www.vonei.com. For an online demo of the video interview service email us at info@vonei.com or call us toll free on 888-698-6634.

CheckAppointments allows a firm or recruiter to specify job openings, available interviewers, and interview dates and time slots. The applicants can then go online and pick the appropriate interview slot for them. The applicants do the scheduling work, and the recruiter can simply look at their completed pre-screen schedule. The recruiter can then hold a video interview with the applicants directly from their computer utilizing a video interviewing service such as Vonei. Without leaving the desk, a recruiter can quickly and easily pre-screen candidates with minimal effort.

A great example of an application for using this process is an amusement park which is staffing for the summer season. Positions abound in various areas of the park including Grounds, Food Services, Accommodations, Operations, and Games. Thousands of job applicants want to apply. With an appointment scheduling service all you have to do is fill in the blanks on interviewers, positions, days, and time slots, and then make the jobs known to the community. You can even embed the appointment service within your website with your logo. Applicants can schedule themselves according to the rules you established. Confirming emails can go to the applicants, and you will have a nice, coordinated schedule of people and times. Establish a video interviewing session and you will be able to see and talk to your candidates live without leaving your chair.

Time is money, and the faster you can get through the weeding out process the better. Using online services to both schedule appointments, and conduct the interviews, is a great way to complete the process quickly and efficiently. But how about the cost of these tools? CheckAppointments has an entirely free service for a single recruiter with a single location. And for a team of recruiters with multiple locations a premium plan is available for only $19.95/month. Vonei has an unlimited usage annual service plan for $99. If these tools save just 1 day of productivity they pay for themselves for an entire year.

Of course amusement parks are not the only application for this process. How about career fair days held by colleges or Chamber of Commerce organizations? An efficient scheduling and interviewing process is an aid any time there are many job candidates to pre-screen. Isn’t it time you tried it?

Alan Fitzpatrick is a co-founder of Vonei LLC, home of the $99/year video interviewing service. Additional information can be found at www.vonei.com. CheckAppointments.com is a service of Addy Systems LLC. Additional information can be found at www.checkappointments.com.

One company that is focused on improving the cost and effectiveness of communications is Wingspan Performance Advisors. “We identified communications as a high potential area for saving money,” explains Wingspan’s president, Terry Dolan. “We cover the US and international markets from our headquarters in North Carolina, so we know all about meetings in far-off places and being on teleconferences at odd times.” WingspanPA focuses on:

• Building a collaborative effort between our company and our clients
• Creating strategies founded on analysis and data
• Supporting our clients’ overall objectives and culture
• Creating value for your business

WingspanPA utilizes Vonei Meeting service for live multi-person video meetings with clients throughout the world. By seeing all the other parties in the meeting WingsanPA can tell if participants are paying attention, or if they are placing the meeting on mute and multitasking. Vonei’s flat monthly or yearly price structure eliminates the costly per minute fee of traditional audio conferences. Since the service works on any computer over the Internet, there is no need for expensive cash outlays on equipment.

Vonei has vastly improved Wingspan’s remote meetings. “Our meetings are not only more efficient,” says Terry Dolan, “but they’re also much more effective. Every person at the meeting is engaged.” Vonei is so simple to use that Wingspan’s Talent Acquisition team utilizes it as a recruitment tool. “I can have face-to-face meetings with five different candidates in five different cities before lunch time,” says Fred Weber, a Wingspan executive recruiter.

Using online technology like Vonei Meeting can cut communications costs in 2010, while making it easy to continue face-to-face meetings with anyone in the world. To request a demo of the service email info@vonei.com, or call toll free 888-698-6634.

There is a new resource designed to help both the college graduate and the employer. 1stGiG.com is the first career service of its kind specifically designed to connect college undergraduates and recent college graduates and the companies that value their skills. There are no jobs posted, but there are countless opportunities for internships and employment.

Here’s how it works:

• A precision matching matrix identifies compatible profiles between young career-bound talent and potential employers
• When the talent accepts the match, an introduction is made with the prospective company
• Over time, both parties make multiple connections, establish a relationship and create “opportunity pools” based on their mutual interest
• When the right opportunity arises, the parties are prepared to move forward in the hiring process – eliminating the time-consuming process that has been the status quo.

1stGiG.com sources, screens, and presents the graduate with internship and/or career opportunities that meet their specific interests and requirements. Between 70 and 80% of jobs are never advertised. 1stGiG.com expands the opportunity network to put the college graduate on the radar of companies and industries that typically wait for job seekers to come to them, not the other way around. It’s a richer, longer-term approach to career development designed to make the “first gig” a better experience for everyone involved.

1stGiG.com has partnered with Vonei to add a video interviewing service to their site, allowing employers and college graduates to quickly and easily conduct video interviews over the Internet from their computer. In today’s economic reality, employers don’t have the time and money to visit as many campuses as they would like. Video interviewing allows the employer to recruit from anywhere without travel. Video Interviewing service starts as low as $99/year, so it is an extremely cost effective method to link employers and college graduates.

Now is a perfect time to consider using these innovative services. Help graduates start their career and begin benefiting from what only 1stGiG.com offers the early career professional!

For more information about Vonei LLC see www.vonei.com. For an online demo of the video interview service email us at info@vonei.com or call us toll free on 888-698-6634.

Recording interviews may not be so much a question of ethics as it is a matter of mitigating risk.  We suggest you always ask a candidate for permission to record regardless of local requirements.  The recruiter or hiring manager could state up-front that he/she is recording the interview for purposes of “recall” later.  If you inform the interviewee that the interview will be recorded, and they acknowledge acceptance, then legality should be covered as long as the purpose is clearly limited to selection.  It would be interesting if the candidate refuses to be recorded.  What would it say about them?

Remember that being recorded cuts both ways.  When you make a recording it becomes part of a permanent record, just like comments written on a paper resume.  Some recruiters and hiring managers may not ask the right/appropriate questions, or may say something inappropriate and now there would be a record of it.  That’s okay for coaching the individual, not okay if it is needed as “evidence” at a later date.

Our belief is it is not wise if you fail to tell the interviewee that you are going to record the interview to share with the hiring company, even if you are in a one-party consent state.  Hiring is a trust building exercise and a secret recording, even if legal, doesn’t feel quite right.

You should explain the entire process to the candidate, beyond just the fact they are going to be recorded.  For example, what do you do with the recordings?  How long will they be stored?  What is the recruiter’s privacy policy?  If recordings are merely passed on to others involved in the hiring process, and then deleted as a matter of policy, it might be considered more acceptable.  Just realize it is not the norm to record interviews.  Most HR professionals understand the fluff factor and to use the recording later for other purposes, could cause question.

Recording interviews, done legally, can be a valuable tool.  Just be aware of the risks.  Have you ever recorded an interview?  Do you have any feedback, good or bad?

Alan Fitzpatrick is the co-founder of Vonei LLC, home of the $99/year unlimited usage video interviewing service.  Vonei does not store recordings of user sessions.  We can suggest tools to allow the parties to record and store on their computers.  For more about us see www.vonei.com.

Video quality on your computer webcam depends largely on 3 factors:

1. Webcam Quality
2. Lighting
3. Bandwidth.

Webcam Quality

I previously wrote a Guide to Selecting a Good Business Webcam which discusses many factors to consider in purchasing a quality webcam. It includes advice on specifications for image resolution, frames per second, features, etc., and also provided recommendations and sources to purchase your webcam. To summarize the Guide I recommend you look for a webcam with 1.3M pixel image resolution or better, speed rate of at least 30fps, and a good quality glass lens with auto focus.  When in doubt just go buy a Logitech.

The webcams built into laptops and netbooks unfortunately are not always the highest quality, and often are only 0.3M pixel resolution. They are also prone to breakage from opening and closing the clamshell. If you purchase an external webcam ensure that it has been tested with the service provider you plan to use, and that the webcam works on your operating system. No one wants to purchase a webcam with good specifications and then find out it doesn’t work on Windows 7, Vista, or Mac OsX 10.4.   Before an important online video session you need to make sure your webcam is working properly.  Simply click here to test your webcam. Bookmark the link and use it whenever you need to test your webcam to make sure it is working properly. Share the link with your friends so they can also test their webcams.

Lighting

It is amazing how much lighting can affect the quality of your online video experience. No wonder television studios have such strong lighting systems! If your video looks dim, grainy or washed out, try adjusting the location and brightness of your lighting. Below are some common problems caused by lighting and some suggestions to improve them:

• Is the video dim? – There isn’t enough light in your room. Try turning on more lights, or move to an area where there is more light.
• Is the image dim? – This could be caused by having a bright light source behind you. The camera adjusts its sensitivity to the background instead of you. Try positioning yourself so the light source is in front of you.
• Is your video grainy? – While this could be caused by a low quality camera, it can also be caused (or made worse) by not having enough light. To compensate for the lack of light, cameras often adjust their sensitivity which creates more grain or “noise” in the image. Try turning another light on, or sitting closer to and facing the light source.
• Is your video choppy? This can be caused by not having enough light in your room, but can also be caused by not having enough bandwidth. Try turning on more lights and if you still have the problem, read the section below on Bandwidth.
• Does the image look washed out? This is usually caused by a light that is too intense (example: having a light shine directly at your face). Try dimming the light, or reflecting the light off a light colored surface, like a white piece of paper on your desk.

Bandwidth

Having sufficient bandwidth is key to a good video call. Bandwidth may vary during the day based on factors such as the amount of traffic on the network, the number of people using your Internet connection, and whether you are downloading or streaming something else. Below are three measurements of your connection speed that will influence your video quality:

• Downstream Bandwidth – This is the amount of bandwidth you have coming to your computer from the Internet. You should have at least 1Mbps downstream bandwidth to ensure good quality video for multi-person conferences and screen sharing.
• Upstream Bandwidth – This is the amount of bandwidth you have going from your computer to the Internet. You should have a minimum of 128kbps upstream bandwidth; for the best quality video and for multi-person conversations you should have 256kbps and higher.
• Webcam fps.  There are several factors that influence the webcam frames per second.  A guide to these factors, including a free fps test and tips on how to improve your webcam fps is found on the webcam fps test site.
• Latency - This is the amount of time it takes for the traffic you send to reach its destination. If you notice it is taking a long time for your friend to respond or that you are talking over each other, this is probably being caused by high latency. Your latency should be below 250ms. Latency problems are often caused by network congestion, if you experience problems, try ending the video conversation and starting it again.

It is a good idea to test your bandwidth prior to holding an online video session. Vonei is one of several sites that provides a free bandwidth speed test.

There is a free service to send webcam video mail to anyone in the world with an email address: http://mailVU.com.  It is a great way to utilize your webcam to personalize messages for birthdays, holidays, or for business contacts.  The free service has a self-destruct feature where you can set the video to stop after x views or x days.  Give it a try.

I hope this article on webcam video quality has been helpful. I welcome your comments, suggestions, and feedback from your own experiences.

Vonei LLC is a provider of video interviewing and video conferencing services.

A friend of mine pointed out that internal webcams on laptops are convenient, but are usually lower quality and can break more frequently. Closing the laptop screen repeatedly could eventually result in a small crack in the lens or a sensor misalignment due to the shock. My friend’s daughter got a Lenovo for college and the camera was broken in 2-3 months. She uses her laptop quite a bit and opens and closes it frequently. She reported there is now a big black line right in the middle of the picture, a symptom of a cracked lens Having an external webcam is a good safety net as well as a means of getting a higher quality image and motion.

Mounting Types. Webcams are usually optimized for desktop computers or laptop computers. What’s the difference? Desktop computers are likely to need a webcam that accommodates sitting on a flat surface. Clip-on webcams are not as ideal for flat surfaces. Desktop computer CPUs are often placed on the floor. To plug in your USB webcam to the CPU, and have the webcam sitting in a position showing your face requires a long USB cable. If you have a desktop look for these two features. A laptop requires the opposite characteristics. A clip-on webcam is ideal, and the smaller the better for carrying the device while traveling. A laptop is ideal for a short USB cable. After all, who would want several feet of USB cable coiled on their desk when they only need a couple of feet length between the USB port and the top of the laptop screen?

Webcams with microphones. Webcams come with or without a microphone. After the past couple of years in testing webcams I’ve come to the conclusion that it is best to use a computer headset with microphone, and not the microphone in the webcam. Computers are inherently not good speaker phones, and sound from the computer speakers could enter the webcam microphone causing an echo effect. A headset places the “speakers” on the ears, and the microphone right in front of the mouth. A headset provides the best audio experience, making the webcam microphone a non-required feature.

Webcam fps. There are several factors which impact the frames per second produced by your webcam.  For a guide to these factors, a free fps test tool, and tips on how to  improve the fps on any webcam, see the webcam fps test site.

Mac webcams have unique characteristics. Macs are optimized for use with Apple’s services such as iChat. While they do a great job, it is inconvenient for video conferencing with people on PCs or Linux computers. The Macs will not release the webcam to other service applications unless you turn off webcam access to iChat, Photo Booth, and Skype. Also, Mac users need to select the USB webcam when they use their service. This is true even if the webcam is built-in. Why one has to select USB when the webcam is built-in is puzzling, but trust me, unless you do this the Mac webcam may not work on your video service.

Conference Rooms. Webcams are great when the users are sitting right in front of their computer. But what do you do in a large conference room with multiple people? A little known fact is that you can use a video camera, and some digital cameras, as a webcam. You will need a video capture cable to connect your computer to the video camera (source provided below). With a video camera you can mount in on a tripod on the conference room table and show everyone in the room. If the computer is plugged into a large screen monitor, or plugged into a projector and shown on the wall, everyone in the conference room can see the other parties. Plug in a USB speaker phone and you have a very low cost solution, avoiding a large investment in traditional video conferencing equipment.

Final thoughts before the recommendations. Lighting can play a major factor in the quality of the webcam image. Never sit with a window behind you, as the background light source will place your face in shadows. Having a desk lamp is very helpful in shining light on your face, improving both the image contrast and color. Another recommendation is to ensure that the webcam you purchase has been tested with the service provider you plan to use, and that the webcam works on your operating system. No one wants to purchase a webcam with good specifications and then find out it doesn’t work on Vista or has an interoperability issue.

Webcam recommendations and sources. After the past couple of years of experience with webcams I recommend the following units:

Brand Model Online Source Recent Price

Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 www.newegg.com $75.99

Logitech QuickCam Communication MP www.newegg.com $44.99

Vonei V8019 www.videointerviewkits.com $24.99

Video Capture Cable  www.videointerviewkits.com $24.99

I used to recommend the Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 ($26.99 at newegg.com) until we had several users complain of interoperability with Flash video. I believe Microsoft placed a software patch on their website to fix this, so if you’re game for downloading software patches the Microsoft webcam may work well for you.  Overall Logitech makes a great lineup of quality webcams.

One service you should try with your new webcam is the free video mail service from http://mailVU.com.  You can record private video messages and send them to anyone in the world for free.  A great feature they offer is the self-destruct function where you can have your video deleted after x views or x days.  Give it a try.

Alan Fitzpatrick is the Co-founder of Vonei LLC which provides live video conferencing service across PCs, Macs, and Linux computers. VideoInterviewKits is an affiliate of Vonei LLC. Additional information about Vonei can be found on http://www.vonei.com.

Desktop video interviewing is performed right from your computer, whether it is PC, Mac, or Linux. A webcam is needed to show video, and documents such as resumes, application forms, and examples of work can be shared securely and directly right in the video interviewing service. By seeing the candidate you can pre-screen for communication skills, helping you find the right candidate faster.

Along with the low entry price point, desktop video interviewing lowers the risk in your investment. There are no hardware costs other than ensuring webcams are available. Most services require no software downloads for you or your candidate, and no set-up fees.

Try out video interviewing and save time and money in the recruiting process.

Vonei LLC is a provider of desktop video interviewing and video conferencing services. www.vonei.com.