MeBeam.com is the very simplest and easiest of the three to use. No software installation.(Must have Adobe Flash (2). No registration. No video call set-up hassles. It works directly with PCs, MACs, Linux, and several mobile phone video chat systems. Just go to MeBeam.com and enter a "Room Name" . Anyone else who enters that same name will automatically join the video conference immediately. I surmise, pending testing, that people without a video cam can still join a Mebeam video conference using just a microphone. So, mebeam is good for groups with at least some members who are technologically challenged. (3)
Tokbox.com is a little slicker in appearance. No software installation required (Must have Adobe Flash). But each participant needs to register for a TokBox account AND each room you create must be separately registered beforehand. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokbox
MeBeam-in-Skype supports video chat for up to 16 people in Skype (which Skype itself can not yet do by itself). You must install Skype software. Register your own user name with Skype (once) and add Skype name MeBeam (User ID "Mebeam Video Chat") to your Skype Contacts list. (see links below for how to do all that). Then you start a video chat with user Mebeam and use Skype to invite other registered Skype users to join the video conference. I suppose there may be advantages to running the video conference inside Skype (like Skype-facilitated file sharing during a vid-chat) but the initial installation, registration, settings and learning curve are much steeper than with just Mebeam.com alone.
blog.mebeam.com/2008/08/skype-
blog.mebeam.com/2008/05/multi-
So, mebeam.com seems like a good place to start for quick and easy video conferences with up to 16 people.
(1) The first step being, of course, having or installing a video camera. Any video camera certified as "Skype compatible" by the manufacture or by Skype.com, will probably also work OK with any video chat software or services one may choose later on. Mebeam is by nature Agnostic about the video camera.
(2) The first time you use Mebeam, Adobe Flash pops up a window - Check "Give Flash control of your vidcam and microphone" - and check the "Remember" box, so you don't have to do that each time. You can get Adobe Flash Player at adobe.com.
(3) On my low-powered laptop i seem to get better video responsiveness using Internet Explorer (ugh), vice FireFox. FireFox works fine on my quad-core desktop. My vidcam is the Skype-compatible "Logitec Communicate MP" ($59 Circuit City, cheaper with occasional rebates). Mebeam.com seems to be using room names "test" and "test room" for testing video conferencing at random times with random strangers (caveat) -- but those rooms are, of course, usually empty. Video and audio quality are ok -- occasional audio echoing may be mitigated if you use earphones (vice speakers) and a microphone. The Room Name page URL can be bookmarked for one-click access to future video conferences in that Room.
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