Communicating face to face without being in the same location has become easy with the arrival of video conferencing technology and its related software. For business, it is the best way to interact with colleagues worldwide for meetings and conferences. For medical professionals, it provides an invaluable service in that patients can be treated long distance in real time by specialists without the time and hassle of travel. And now for the everyday person, video conferencing software has given opportunities for education and communication like never before.

A video conference is achieved with a set of interactive telecommunications tools that give 2 or more parties in different locations the opportunity to work together using 2-way video and audio at the same time. The history of video conferencing can be traced back to the beginning of television. Video conferencing pretty much began with the advent of the television, by using closed circuit televisions that were connected by means of cable. This tended to be expensive to carry out, and was not the most efficient over long distances for such functions as business meetings or distance learning.

In the 1980's, digital telephony technology opened the doors to more efficient and effective transmission of audio and video over longer distances, with a guaranteed minimum bandwidth (approximately 128 Kbps). The technology remained expensive and therefore not highly sought after, especially for smaller businesses, until the 1990's. The fast progress of the technology and its capabilities along with the burgeoning prevalence of the Internet helped to make video conferencing software and hardware more reasonably priced. In addition, these factors contributed to making the technology a more appealing and convenient way to communicate long distance.

For a basic video conferencing setup, there are certain pieces of hardware and software that are required. These include a video input for recording video, such as a webcam. There also needs to be a video output for displaying video images, such as a monitor or television set. An audio output device, such as a microphone, is required for recording sound. Audio output devices such as speakers are needed to playing the audio. And finally, there needs to be a method of data transmission from one location to the other. This can be accomplished via the Internet, or even a LAN (Local Area Network). The more bandwidth, the better.

For the general population, there are ways to take advantage of video conferencing. There are lower quality services available in the form of downloadable programs like Googletalk, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, among others. The downloadable software is usually free of charge, and if you have a webcam, a microphone, and broadband Internet access, you can be connected with friends and family sans the long distance phone bills. It is an ideal way for grandparents to witness the development of far away grandchildren, and for long distance friends to keep in touch.

Another use to video conferencing software is for educational purposes. Students can use the technology to participate in distance learning programs worldwide, without having to leave home to do it. This technology offers no limits to the possibilities of expanding your educational and cultural horizons, no matter where you are in the world. And yet another positive use for video conferencing software is in the field of medicine. The technology allows doctors and nurses to consult with patients and colleagues in real time and send and receive x-rays and other pertinent images quickly. In addition, health problems can be diagnosed by specialists from anywhere in the world, without the need to travel to do it.

Video conferencing software is not only for business meetings anymore. The Internet has provided a means of allowing the average citizen a way of taking advantage of this technology. In addition, the uses for video conferencing continue to develop all the time. In business, medicine, education, and personal computing, video conferencing software is a highly convenient and easy means of face-to-face communication.