FogCam

The webcam is stationed at San Francisco State University, capturing student life and occasionally San Francisco's common fog. The camera has been moved several times partly due to pressures from the administration. Previous locations include a student health center with a view of the Tapia Drive, the Cafe Rosso line as a nod to the Trojan Room Coffee Pot webcam, the library overlooking Holloway Avenue, and the ground floor of the humanities building. When camera replacements are made, the university opts for a dated model to stay true to its origins. However, the software has not been modified since its inception. == History ==

On September 30, 1994, two then–San Francisco State University students Jeff "Webdog" Schwartz and Dan "Danno" Wong, founded FogCam in the university's Department of Instructional Technologies They were studying for a Master's Degree in the Graduate College of Education. Their initial setup involved a Connectix QuickCam connected to a Macintosh computer sourced from the campus's bookstore, and a custom software. Planned shutdown and revival In August 2019, the creators announced the webcam would cease operating, citing a lack of scenic spots and support from the university. They explained "the university tolerates us, but they don't really endorse us and so we have to find secure locations on our own." The announcement was met with public outcry, as multiple news outlets reported on the news. The official university Twitter account started the hashtag #SaveTheFogCam and few offered donations. On August 28, Schwartz agreed to transfer the webcam's ownership to the university. The Department of Instructional Technologies, which as of 2022 is still Wong's workplace, now runs the webcam. When SFGate journalist Amanda Bartlett visited FogCam on September 20, 2022, it was stationed on the second floor of a conference room within the business building. Bartlett commented that the webcam looked "humble" compared to the public outcry it received. She described it as a Logitech camera being held up by a "flexible plastic tripod". == Reception ==

In 2019, NPR noted that FogCam was "commonly credited as the world's oldest webcam in operation" and "one of the oldest websites, period". The New York Times noted FogCam's novelty at the time, commenting that it "didn't do much of anything special, which was part of its quirky charm". Jenny Vogel wrote in Journal of the New Media Caucus that while FogCam was "unspectacular", the live nature of the media was "often more interesting or appealing than what the image itself presented". == See also ==