How To Make A Video Conference Call With ooVoo

Skype, like Hoover and Google, is one of those company names that has become a verb. People say: 'I'll Skype you in half an hour!" And you know exactly what they mean. Owned by Microsoft, Skype is a VoIP telephone system. It's loved by millions because it lets you make calls between PCs for free. For a few pennies you can call from a PC to a telephone by paying for what's known as e last mile. Thanks to the popularity of webcams you can make video calls with Skype too.

If you want more from your VoIP telephone system you need ooVoo. It'll do everything Skype will do and more. It lets you make VoIP telephone and video calls to PCs, Android devices, Macs and Apple tablets too. What's more it will let 12 people share a group video call for free from any PC, tablet or smartphone. Skype and ooVoo aren't Cop catible so you'll need to get your mates to join up. We'll show you how.

Make group video calls for free

#1 Download and install ooVoo
Go to www.oovoo.com, and click Get ooVoo: When you're prompted click 'Run: It should appear in a box at the bottom of Internet Explorer's screen. You'll be prompted to select your language, then In the next screen accept the terms and conditions. Take care to uncheck the lower two check boxes which relate to Ask. When the process has completed, click 'Finish'.

#2 Signing in
Next up you'll need to create an ooVoo account. If you're a Facebook member you can use the details it holds to access ooVoo. Just click 'Connect with Facebook'and enter your usual security details. Alternatively, fill in the form in the centre of the screen and click 'Sign Up: As ever it's a good idea to choose a password that contains a mix of letters and numbers.

#3 Tell your friends
When it comes to VoIP, there's a good chance your friends use Skype, though some may prefer to use Apple's FaceTime. Sadly ooVoo isn't quite so well known. You'll need to contact your friends, tell them you're a member and suggest they sign up too. You can email them or use the Facebook and Twitter options in the program to broadcast news of your membership.

#4 Build up your address book
You'll need to repeat this process for all your friends. At their end your friends will need to accept your request by clicking 'Add' when prompted. As we've said previously, the good thing about ooVoo is it works on all versions of Windows, Apple devices and Android. So, no matter which device your pals use, there's every chance you'll be able to video conference with them.

#5 Make your maiden call
To begin a call click 'Actions' at the top of the screen and then click'Start A Web Call:Your webcam should now chime into life and you should see yourself in the centre of the screen. Now click 'Add' to call and then 'Contacts. These are the ooVoo contacts you've just made. Select your friend and click 'Add: When they answer, you'll be able to chat.

#6 Supersize your conversation
Adding more of your ooVoo friends into your conversation couldn't be easier. All you need do is move your mouse onto the ooVoo windows and then when the menu options appear at the top of the screen, select 'Add to call'. Now click 'Contacts', scroll through your list of friends until you find the person you're after and click on their name, followed by Add'.

#7 Making the best of it
We found the more people you add into a video call, picture quality can start to decay The best way to ensure everything keeps working smoothly is to ask your friends to all keep still. This will reduce the amount of information being pushed over the internet. You'll also need to be disciplined about taking turns speaking. When you're done just click the red button to end a call.

#8 Leave a video calling card
If your friend is offline you can leave them a video voicemail message When they logon they'll be notified and can watch your small film. With ooVoo running click on the small icon that shows a film emerging from an envelope. Now click the red record button. When you're done click the blue stop button. Now, at the top left of the Window, click 'Send'.

#9 Record a big conversation
One of ooVoo's coolest features is the ability to record a conversation and upload it to YouTube. This is a great way to document and preserve group chats. When you're all logged on, ready and chatting, move your mouse onto ooVoo, click 'Actions' and then Record'. When you're all done, click'Stop: Now get ready to make yourself famous on the Internet!

#10 Upload to YouTube
To share your conversations via YouTube you'll need an account. Assuming you have one, click sooVoo > History > Recorded files'. Now, select your conversation file and then 'YouTube upload:There'll be a brief pause while your video is processed. Enter your YouTube username and password. You'll be prompted to title and tag your video, then click 'Upload'.