Video conferencing beams you in

MakeUseOf has a post on MeBeam, the free video conferencing service.

This looks useful for committees and small groups to meet without the hassle and expense (and carbon footprint!) of traveling.  Set up a “room”, invite the others in.  You can also post a link to the room on a web site and invite people to join you at a certain time.

Instantly setup video conference rooms with at least 4 and up to 18 people simultaneously. No registration or sign up is required, just create your conference room and invite others to join. The only requirement is a working headset (the webcam is optional). There’s a text chat window also.

There is a minor limitation: “All members must have a photo avatar of themselfs [sic]. This is to allow us to know who we are testing with, and to stop spam bots using our forum as a dumping ground.  Photos must be a clear headshot and must also contain no nudity.”