Look Into My Eyes

Sometimes it's hard to remember a time before there was email, but I do remember.  Word choice in sending letters via snail mail or especially when quickly sending off an email are important in conveying the right emotion.  Without voice inflection or eye contact misunderstandings can easily happen.

In the category of what rock have I been living under, I seem to have missed a web 2.0 application called Eyejot available for at least five years now.  The beauty of this video mail service is there is no software to download, it runs along with your browser and there is an unlimited amount of 60 second messages to create.  According to the site, additional major features are:

• inbox and sent folders
• an address book
• the ability to set up groups
• integrates computers with a webcam
• contains Eyejot This! bookmark
• mobile iPhone app
• vCard option

This application is free to use but there are two other upgrades, Pro and Pro Plus.  To set up an account enter in a username, password and email address at the initial screen.  Continue by entering in your first name.  Your last name, city, state, country and time zone appear to be optional.

A series of prompts helps you adjust your webcam to the Eyejot application.

When you first log in to your Eyejot account the message screen appears.  Across the top are a series of tabs representing:  message board, friends (add, import, remove, create groups), services (placing an Eyejot widget using HTML on your website or blog), profile (update your personal information), help (extensive information with more features explained) and upgrade (Eyejot Pro and Eyejot Pro Plus).  Before composing a message I explored the choices beneath the line of tabs.  Of course you can compose a new message, but also play a message, stop a message, save a message to your computer, copy an embed code (HTML) for a message, view a message in full screen, reply to, forward or delete a message.

When you click on the compose new message button another smaller screen pops up asking you to give Eyejot access to your computer's microphone and webcam.  Permission granted your create a message screen appears with the options of record, play, stop, use a video from the  document library, upload a video file from your computer or launch the Eyejot setup helper.  I am not sure how it will work for other users but when I click on the record button my own webcam software appears over the Eyejot create page but all seems to work just fine.

My first Eyejot video mail message was about a book that I am currently reading and some I hope to start soon.  For me this is going to be a great way to do micro-booktalks to friends, colleagues and students.  I also discovered that a URL link is given for each created message as well as the HTML embed code. 

Here is the first of what I hope are many Eyejot messages. 

I also want to mention the Eyejot This! bookmarklet  which allows you to comment, annotate, links to web pages.  It is a simple process to add it to your browser favorites.  When you find a website you wish to share with others click on the bookmarklet and record your message.  It's great the way your message appears in a panel above the website.

Eyejot has a new fan.  This is definitely going in my virtual toolbox to be used daily if not more.