Imagine attending a busy high-tech conference in California, thousands of miles from your home, then breaking for lunch in your own kitchen. Later that day, you meet fans at a New York City bookstore, on the opposite side of the country, to sign copies of your latest book. Minutes after the signing, you retire to the comfort of your own bed... after all, you have to make an appearance in London in a few hours. No, you haven't discovered teleportation, you are traveling via video conference!
With devices like Apple's iSight and iChat AV software, a space/time itinerary like the above scenario is possible. The technology is readily available, easy to configure, and a lot less expensive than airfare and accommodations.
In this article, we aim to turn you from a jet-setter into a Net-setter, but it's not so much a how-to as a what-we-do. By explaining how we use simple AV setups in our careers as authors--for what we call "virtual book signings"--we hope to spark up some ideas about how video-conferencing can enhance your own life, either for pleasure, or for making your business a pleasure. We'll be focusing on the iSight and iChat AV, but this information could also be applied to almost any other web camera, video cameras, and video conferencing software.
So step up on the transporter and prepare to energize! 
Now, you may be asking yourself, what the heck is a "virtual book signing"? Don't worry, it's not some kind of pantomime performance art that we captivate our imaginary friends with. Instead, it is an online event where fans can have their The Best of the Joy of Tech books signed and customized by us, in cases where we cannot make it physically to the fans.
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It works like a traditional author signing held at a bookstore or at a conference, only instead of interacting with the folks in person, we are thousands of miles away at our home in Canada. We meet them virtually, either via webcam, over IRC, or via iChat AV's two-way video communications. After exchanging smiles and laughs, and asking what they would like us to sign in their book, we autograph a digital file using a Wacom pen and tablet. This customized signature file is then delivered to them immediately via iChat or email, where it can then be printed onto label paper and pasted into their book.
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In cases where people have purchased a book via our web store, we sign a book located at our end of the connection. They can then watch as we sign it, and afterwards, we hold it up to the camera for them to see. A week or so later their book will arrive in the mail for them to enjoy.
So, for us, living as we do in the wilds of west coast British Columbia,
it is a fantastic way to meet with fans and colleagues, and to make
personal connections that we would otherwise be unable to do. For the fans,
it is a fun way to have their books signed and personally inscripted.
Their book becomes a memento of a pleasantly geeky experience that they
can share at the watercooler, on their blog, or in their favorite
forums. 
Now if you're a creative type, you may already be thinking how this technology could be applied to other situations and events, both for the chance to connect with friends and family around the world, or perhaps for use in your own business.
For instance, you may know someone who is in the hospital and needs cheering
up, but you can't visit as often as you'd like, or you live on the other
side of the country. A simple webcam feed of you or their favorite view
might be just the ticket to them feeling better. Or, you may be holding
a wedding, and you see an AV broadcast as an opportunity to share the celebration
with more people than you could traditionally. Perhaps even use it as
a way to keep those long lost relatives from showing up in person! 
Another example. You may be nervous about leaving your child for the first time back home with the babysitter. No problem; set up a webcam or a couple of iChat accounts, then just log in from the office or an Internet cafe and check that everything is OK.
And remember, you don't always have to broadcast live video from a camera; you can just as easily transmit previously recorded material. By feeding the signal from your camcorder or VCR to your webcam software, suddenly you'll be broadcasting your child's birthday party to the grandparents who couldn't make it. Of course, keep this in mind when viewing your babysitter cam... your babysitter may be playing a game of Spy vs. Spy with you.
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Although there is nothing like actually being there, attending
an event virtually does have its advantages. For authors who reside
in far off distant lands like Canada, Australia, or Brooklyn, it gives
them a chance to share in a bit of the excitement of a conference, without
actually having to go to it. This means saving the costs of transportation
and accommodation, and since you can travel virtually from your home
or office with all the associated comforts and familiar surroundings,
it also tends to be a lot less stressful than an actual trip. (Of course,
that depends on how your home or office life is doing. You may want to get away!
)
Traveling virtually is also a perfect solution for your typical agoraphobic and anxiety-filled author. No more fear of flying, lost luggage, hotels from hell, the crush of crazed and rabid fans, or that dread of visiting Buffalo in the winter. For those who lean towards catastrophic thoughts, it is reassuring to know that, to date, there hasn't been one recorded case of a virtual traveler suffering physical injuries from an iChat AV crash. Egos may have been bruised, and some may be suffering post-traumatic kernel-panic stress perhaps, but all in all, the safety record is spotless.
It's also a chance to be an innovator, someone who uses new technologies in fresh ways. You will always have those bleeding-edge risks, but it's far more likely you'll wind up with a fun event, meet some happy family, friends, or fans you otherwise wouldn't have been able to see ... perhaps even create something that is newsworthy in itself.
And best of all, people love it. The virtual experience is a really fun
thing to participate in. We find most folks are enthralled with the
technology and think it's "so cool". Everyone whom we've talked
to during one of our virtual book signings has had huge smiles on their
faces and clearly enjoyed the experience as much as we did. (In fact,
since most of these folks are pretty geeky, we suspect that they are
more enthralled by the technology in front of them than by their favorite
authors.)
OK, let's go over a few of the ways we set up virtual events, starting with the simplest. Say you have an event you'd like to share with people who can't make it; it can be anything: a wedding, a graduation, a book signing ... your cat sleeping. The easiest way to do that is by using a passive one-way system like a webcam.
Using a simple camera and some software, you can broadcast a constantly updating image to a web site, where the folks that cannot make it to your real-life event can watch. Sound boring? Maybe, but it can also be an extremely effective and powerful way to share your moment.
For instance, a few summers ago we lived on the oceanfront, and our webcam
pointed out over the beach to the Pacific Ocean. The local neighborhood
soon discovered our webcam, and would use it to communicate with their
friends and family in far off corners of the world. Having previously
sent their friends the URL
to our webcam, and arranged a time in advance, they would then walk
on the beach in front of our house and wave to their family. It
was a little unnerving having people wave at our house all the time,
but it was also fascinating in a social-experiment kind of way, especially
since these folks had figured out a way to piggyback their personal
communications onto our signal. We also discovered that area fishermen
and windsurfers were using our webcam to check up on the local sea conditions,
which are legendary for changing dramatically in a short time. (We eventually
moved, and took our webcam with us, leaving many sad virtual faces out
there on that beach.) 
Now, if you add text messaging to that simple webcam setup, the experience becomes even more powerful. The porn industry has known for years how compelling this can be; now you can put that technology to work in kinder, gentler, less naked ways. Your friends can view your event on a web page, and at the same time, communicate with you via IRC or by instant messaging.
This is how we started out with virtual events (no, not in the porn industry!). Our webcam would broadcast images of our signings while we chatted with fans in our IRC channel. We set up a table as if we were at a real book signing, with the camera positioned where fans would be standing as if they were in front of our table ready to get their book signed.
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We use a pad of paper to keep viewers informed of whose book we're signing, and to directly address folks we know are not currently on IRC. Screenshots are saved and later posted up on the web for those who couldn't make it to the virtual event.
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The great thing about the webcam broadcast is its ubiquity. The feed can be made available to anyone with an Internet connection, and your event can be as private or as public as you desire. It can be viewable by one person, or with a bit of publicity, it can be seen by thousands of people in different locations all around the world. We won't go into detail about how to set up a webcam, as that information is readily available on the web, but if you haven't set one up yet, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised how easy it is.
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When Apple announced its iSight camera and iChat AV, we recognized that we now had an opportunity to enhance our virtual appearances by delivering high-quality, two-way audio and video without the legendary hassles normally associated with video conferences.
Of course, there is a big catch here, you can't go it alone. You will require the services of a "Scotty" on the other side: a ready, willing, and knowledgeable geek who will be on site to round up the necessary equipment and handle the setup. Your geek will also be there during the event to receive the stream, handle any problems that might occur, and act as the host for the event.
All this may sound daunting but as long as you have a high-speed connection to the Internet, setting up an iSight and running iChat AV for your event should be a no-brainer. Of course, even the simplest system can run into glitches that will threaten the entire show, so to illustrate, we'll share our experiences with you from a recent virtual book signing.
Snaggy's Law: The more important an event is, the greater the likelihood of technical difficulties.
At our Emerging Technology
Conference (ETech) appearance in February 2004, we had the extreme pleasure
of working with Bill Takacs, O'Reilly product manager for the event. Previous
to the conference, we had been discussing the setup at ETech, and eventually
convinced ourselves that we had all the technical wrinkles ironed out.
Famous last words.
Almost immediately into the event, we recognized that we'd need external speakers to boost the sound at the conference-end of things. Bill was running the ETech side from an iBook, and the built-in speakers just didn't have sufficient volume, especially in the crowded area where the signing was taking place. Luckily, being the resourceful geek he is, Bill was able to quickly round up some external speakers and we were good to go ... or so we hoped.
Our signings were scheduled to be held during the breaks between the
conference's sessions. We had access to the broadband at the conference,
and during the sessions, things were looking and sounding great. However,
we discovered that during the breaks, as conference participants emerged
from the sessions, they immediately went online to check their email
and download the world's biggest files. It was like a school of starving
piranhas feasting on a hapless jungle newbie. Available bandwidth was
rapidly consumed, and our video stream was stripped of its flesh! 
Fortunately for us, iChat AV does a remarkable job of maintaining a connection
despite bandwidth woes, and after a few re-connections, we were able
to continue our signing, and despite their otherworldly pixelated appearance,
we were able to distinguish the most important feature of our fans,
their smiles.
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Here are a few things you can do to make the most out of your iChat AV virtual event.
Quit any extraneous programs you may have running. Your search for extraterrestrial life or the exact value of Pi can probably be put on hold for an hour or so. Both will be waiting for you after the conference, but for now, let your computer focus on processing video and sound.
For hints on setting up your camera and backgrounds, check out our How to Look Great on iChat AV article. There's no point in holding an event if people are going to cringe at the iSight of you. Your setup is important, but so too is the position of the screen and camera on the remote end. Ideally, you'd like the monitor raised high enough that the viewer doesn't have to bend down to peer at you, but if that can't be helped, just try to imagine you are a little Sea-Monkey being stared at by curious humans.
Making the iChat window as large as possible or full screen adds
to the illusion that you are actually there, and that your fans
are actually in front of you ... especially if your imagination
is also configured to be as large as possible.
You may want to temporarily block your Buddy List during important conferences. The last thing you want in the middle of a career make-or-break interview is to be suddenly distracted by something like this...
If you are signing books, but don't have a tablet device that lets you sign a digital file, you can always sign a piece of paper, then scan it into your computer (at a high resolution so it will print out nicely), then send it off to your fan via email.
If you're running out of bandwidth, or can't connect due to the lack thereof, try turning down your throughput. In iChat AV, go to the Preference/Video panel, and lower your bandwidth limit. If you still cannot connect, try switching to an Audio-only chat.
Keep a text window open so you can keep in touch with "the other side" if the bandwidth fails.
Of course, you're always going to run into problems like power outages,
equipment failures, geekosphere malfunctions, and other random acts
of technology. To help avoid the "Stress of Tech", we recommend that before
the event, you thoroughly check all of your equipment, perform a test-run
or two, and perhaps even make a small offering to whichever geek gods
or daemons you currently believe in.
Nothing beats the experience of face-to-face interaction with friends and family, co-workers, or fans. However, in the event you can't meet in person, meeting virtually is truly the next best thing. The beauty of the virtual event is that it can give you more time, energy, and resources to do what you really want to do. For us, that is spending more of our time creating new works, and less time, energy, and resources promoting things that we've already created. It's one of those glorious have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too ideas that we think you'll be seeing more and more people utilize.
For instance, at a recent Florida Film Festival screening, an iChat video conference was held during the intermission, in which music video director Brett Simon interacted with the audience from his computer in Los Angeles. And fans of Dr. Phil (What are you thinking!) will no doubt have noticed he uses iSight and iChat AV to connect with his "Dr. Phil Families" in order to serve out his brand of therapy directly from his home to theirs. Another area where we think iChat AV is going to be very popular will be for teaching, from personal tutoring to remotely teaching an entire class of students.
So, whether you're sharing the hallmarks of your life, promoting your
business, or just trying to see what that person you fell in love with
over IM really looks like, we encourage you to give a virtual event
a try ... at least it won't take you a few days to get over the Net-lag!
If you have a unique way that you use iChat or other telecommunications, let us know in the Talkbacks section below.
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Snaggy and Nitrozac have scheduled their next Virtual Book Signing for Saturday, May 22 at MacCenter in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. They'll be beaming down there via iChat AV at various times throughout the afternoon as part of their Meet and Geek event. If you are in the South Florida area, be sure to drop into MacCenter and say hi, they'd love to see you.
Nitrozac and Snaggy (a.k.a. Liza Schmalcel and Bruce Evans) are the authors of The Best of the Joy of Tech, and the creators of GeekCulture.com: home of The Joy of Tech comic, thriving online community, and purveryor of fine propeller beanies.
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O'Reilly & Associates published The Best of the Joy of Tech in November 2003.
Copyright © 2007 O'Reilly Media, Inc.
An
example of one of our digital signature files. (We
bet you didn't realize there would be go-go girls
and aliens at a geek convention.) 
As
Nitrozac signs a book for 
