Time magazine recently estimated that the total would soar to 36 million by 2003. Even if you aren't ready for your own Webcam, you still can enjoy the multitude of Webcams that provide images of traffic, the weather, sporting events and everything in-between. Very simply, a Webcam is a camera that hooks up to a computer and takes snapshots or transmits video images that are automatically uploaded to the Internet. These images can be accessed from any computer with Web access anywhere in the world at any time. Webcams are exploding in popularity because quality has increased as prices have fallen.
More expensive models provide better quality and additional features.
Individuals use Webcams for a variety of purposes. Some activities, such as surveillance, are controversial - parents may set up a Webcam to keep tabs on kids who are home alone, and bosses have been known to keep tabs on employee work habits. But most people use Webcams for fun, such as sending images of themselves to family and friends while they chat online. Thus far, Webcams have probably made their biggest impact on the Internet, where there are sites devoted to cameras that provide continuous live images of scenic wonders, vacation destinations, people's lives or other phenomena. The number of Webcams and diversity of images they project is staggering, even by Internet standards.