6 Ways to Make "Virtual Visitation" Work

6 Ways to Make "Virtual Visitation" Work

Regularly Scheduled E-mail Sessions
Private On-line Chatting
Instant Messaging
Live, Video Visitation Sessions Using a Web Camera
Creating A Website with/for Your Child
Multiplayer Games

Regularly scheduled e-mail sessions

Setting up web-based email accounts is a solution available to any parent, regardless of income. It can be used with any child old enough to communicate by typing. Free web-based e-mail accounts mean that you do not need to have your own computer. Because your e-mail account is stored on the web, you do not need to buy a computer or pay for a connection to the Internet. You just need to get access to a computer with an Internet connection. Most public libraries offer free access to the Internet and have high-speed connections.

Send videos with your email
Some web-based email providers, like Yahoo allow you to send videos along with email. This normally isn't possible because of the large size of video files. The service is free, but you do have to install some specialty software. To receive video emails you do not need any additional hardware. However, if you wish to send one, you will need a web cam or some other digital video recording equipment. You can read more on web cams below.

On-line chatting in a private space on-line

Chat rooms are places on the Internet where a company has set up a forum for people to talk to one another in real time. Chatting is similar to talking on the telephone, except you talk in type rather than speak. Chat rooms are places where groups of people sign in and interact around a variety of topics. Everyone can see what everyone else types in just as if everyone was talking in a room. Some chat rooms allow 2 or more people to go to unmonitored private chat rooms. This may be a forum for you and your child to met on-line and share the news of the day. Generally you may find this option better for older children. If there are only two of you, and you each use the same computer every time you get on line, instant messaging may be an easier solution.

Safety first - Chat rooms can be exciting and entertaining places. On rare occasions, they can also be places where adults prey on children. For tips on how to select and use chat rooms appropriate for children, visit the Canadian Public Library and education sector website which is part of the Canadian government's effort to promote "wise, safe and responsible use of the Internet". The site offers some useful tips, Internet use agreements for families and general background for parents of children using the Internet. When concerned with safety you should also check the privacy statements in the users agreements. Headbone is an example of a very protective website that highly protects its users through its privacy statement.

Check out the sites that might be appropriate for your child to use. There are sites designed just for kids that include adult monitoring of the chat and "swear word" filters, etc.. For example - Headbone.com has moderators watching all the chat rooms as well as filtering inappropriate language and subject matter.

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is a type of communication over the Internet that combines the live feel of chat rooms and the personal contact of an e-mail connection. It allows you to type in a message that will be instantly sent to your child and s/he can instantly respond to you in a give and take that is limited only by your typing speed. Instant Messaging is a real-time program that means that if you and your child are on each other's list, anytime you go online the software will let you know if the other person is on-line, too. More information on Instant Messaging and finding the IM programs Ancestry.com has a good article.

How do I set it up? - You need access to a computer that you can use on a regular basis and to which you can add a small, free program. Your child needs the same type of access to a computer at his or her end. First, you install a simple program on your computer. (This is easy to do by going to a site and clicking on a few buttons. It may also already be an option on your current system.) You need to have the same program on your computer that your child has on his or hers.

What if I am away from my computer? This is not a solution that works well if you need to use a public library computer to e-mail your child. However, at least one of the programs will let you connect without needing to download and install on the computer you are using away from home. AOL Instant Messenger Express allows you to use a common web browser (like Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) instead of downloading the IM program onto the new computer. You do, however, need to be a registered AOL Instant Messenger (which can be used by AOL subscribers and non-AOL subscribers) user or a subscriber to America On-line. AOL Instant Messenger Express

Virtual visitation
Live, video visitation sessions using a web cam

Web cams (cameras) have recently emerged as one possibility for seeing your child over the Internet. A web cam acts as a video camera and records a live image, sending it over the Internet to a viewer at another computer with Internet access. This may a solution for you and your child's other parent to work out a way to visit when you are separated by distance. You can see the expression on your child's face or some item they want to show you.

What you need to start - You will need two computers with Internet access and two web cams, each attached to one of the computers. This will enable your child to see you, as well as, you to see your child.

Finding out about webcams and costs - Web cams (small cameras that mount on your computer and send pictures over the Internet) can range in price from $25 to $400. It is important to evaluate your needs as well as the interface that your computer can support. A good place to learn more about web cams and how to use them, is Webcamworld.com which offers a free tutorial on how to use web cams, as well as how to decide which one is right for you. This is a for-profit site that sells both hardware and software to support web cam technology and includes advertisements to purchase their products. The site is not endorsed by the Peoples Law Library, however, the site's introduction to web cam technology is thorough and provides you with the information you need to set up a web cam on your computer.

Your Internet connection - will make a difference in the quality of the pictures. A dialup connection is possible but the picture will be slower and more broken up. A cable connection is a better option if that is available to you.

Be realistic - Keep your expectations in check. The pictures will be choppy and will seem more like a series of still pictures. On the other hand, seeing one another's faces can be a major boost to a long distance relationship. It is a useful way to supplement "instant messaging".

Creating a website with/for your child

A way to share information between parents and children may to set up a simple web page. On the web page you can schedule times for telephone calls or visits. You could also share pictures by posting them on the web page.

Many Internet Service Providers (ISP) offer some free space to create a small website. An Internet Service Provider is a commercial service that providers a connection to the Internet. America On-line and Earthlink are familiar examples of Internet Service Providers. If you are connecting from home, you will need to have a connection through an ISP and pay a monthly fee (usually $15 - $30 per month). The ISPs that offer free web space also offer free tools to help you build a simple site.

If you are using an ISP that does not provide you with free web space or you just want some other options, there are several web sites that provide free hosting of web pages

Angel Fire & Geocities - Angel Fire and Geocities both offer free web hosting as well as fee based hosting solutions. They provide easy to use tools to help you create easy to use web pages.

To post to your website, you may want to scan in items like your child's picture or report card - A scanner will convert the hard copy picture or document into digital format. Scanners can let you send pictures, report cards, drawings and other items as attachments to e-mails or to put them on a website. You do not need to be connected to the Internet to run a scanner, but you do need a scanner device, which are available at most computer technology stores. Scanners can cost anywhere from $75 to hundreds of dollars depending on its features and quality. For most jobs an inexpensive scanner would be more then enough to scan a report card and some photos.

If you don't want a scanner, or don't plan on using one that much there are other options available to you. For photos most film developers now offer a service where when you get your film developed, the can give you a digital copy on CD-ROM. The service usually doesn't cost more then a few extra dollars and when you receive the CD-ROM you can directly put those images on-line.

Another option is to go to Kinko's or to some of office copy centers. Kinko's you can use their computers (that are hooked up to scanners) to scan images and copy them to floppy disks. Kinko's will charge you by the minute, but if you are only doing a few pictures it might only cost a couple of dollars. If you do this, make sure you have plenty of disks because scanned images can be rather large in size.

Wal-Marts and some photo supply stores are another option. They sometimes have vending-link machines that let you can you own photos and then copy them to a CD-ROM. You should call ahead to see if your local stores have this ability. If you get your film developed at Wal-Mart, you can try the Photo Center. They can upload your photos to their Photo Center when they develop the film at the store. This service does cost $3.76 extra. You can also order extra copies or different sizes by using the Photo Center online.

Source: The Maryland Legal Assistance Network (MLAN)

Last date of legal review 6/02(MLAN/AC/DD)