Who has time to watch webcams? Apparently, lots and lots of people. At least lots of parents of students currently enrolled at Colgate and lots of alumni who want to stay connected to campus.
An effort to reposition our webcams resulted in a mini-flood of e-mails from cam users who were upset that they were temporarily unavailable, eager to offer suggestions for new vantage points, and then thrilled that they were restored and offering nice, new views.
It's been a great exercise in learning how this type of social media tool can really build community among constituents. I've had some great e-mail exchanges with webcam users who feel appreciated, at least I think they do, that we've taken the time to listen to their concerns, and who now feel "plugged in" to campus via our tiny Axis cameras.
They want to see what their children are experiencing. They want to see snow. They want to see our beautiful campus in all sorts of weather conditions. Sbowbirds from the village of Hamilton who have headed south check in to see what they are "missing."
And though it was a bit of a struggle getting new ethernet cable run and new connections put in place, it's definitely been worth it. Our buildings and grounds webcam expert, Hoyt Kelly, helped shepherd this project through for us. And we're feeling pretty confident we've found the right settings. (Though don't expect to see anything after dusk or before dawn. I've had to add that caveat to some e-mailers with apparently very high expectations.)
I'd recommend establishing some kind of webcam presence at your institution. Once installed, it requires little upkeep but provides major benefits in terms of connecting with your web users.
See the Colgate webcams here.
