Well, why does the webcam need to be on?

This question has been posed to me more than once and I need to first profess that I am a needy webcam person! What is that? I need it for many reasons and none of those are to see what you are doing!

• I am easily distracted. If we have the camera on, I am more focused and not checking emails and such.
• There is this want to see the nods or smiles that confirms I have connected!
• It is no different than seeing you in your office, seeing your background is a small glimpse into your life. You get to see common interests and such.
• It amazes me how you can see something is wrong just through seeing someone. If there is something more important that person needs to attend to, you may not hear it in a phone call.
• To see someone’s face makes me feel like I know them better. Have you been friends with someone on Facebook but not really know them? You then run into them at an event and you feel like you have known them deeper. Same concept.

As I was shopping recently in a large store, I found it really interesting how having masks on pretty much everyone limits your ability to recognize people! Natively I look people in the eyes and study their eyes and mouths. Even people I know really well, I struggled recognizing them since half or more of their face is covered. Heck, I even started wondering why I was smiling at all the strangers I passed, they can’t see I’m smiling. So I stopped, which I think made me feel strange or distant. Pretty soon I just stuck directly to my shopping and ignoring those around me and avoiding eye contact.

Take your virtual mask off and share your camera so we can all connect at a deeper level and not avoid each other.