A web cam (or webcam) is a near real time camera who's images can be accessed using the World Wide Web. Generally a digital camera delivers images to a web server, either continuously or at regular intervals.
Although frequently mentioned in spam email and used on pornographic web sites, they also have many less controversial uses.
Initially intended for personal videoconferencing, it was quickly realised that World Wide Web users enjoyed viewing images from cameras set up by others elsewhere in the world. While webcam refers to the technology generally, the "Web" part is often replaced with the "Category" of images the camera provides.
Today there are thousands of webcam that provide views into homes, offices and other buildings as well as providing panoramic views of cities (Metrocams) and the countryside. Images from satellites are frequently posted on the World Wide Web. Webcams are also used to monitor traffic (TraffiCams), the weather (WeatherCams) and even volcanos (VolcanoCams)!
