Bar cams let you drink in scenery before you go

Not content to allow highway cams and dormitory Webcams to fill the Web with streaming video, assorted bars and drinking places now are providing video feeds directly from inside their business.

Webcams have been a regular source of amusement for more than a decade. In recent months, however, bar owners have added bar cams to promote the fun — or lack of fun — taking place that moment within the establishment.

How many bar cams are based in the Northwest is unknown. One of the first to test the idea was the Skye Book and Brew in downtown Dayton, in Eastern Washington. The bar operated a single Webcam for about six months back in 2006, but then removed the camera.

The Webcam-in-a-bar business model works this way: potential customers can call up the live video stream online or by mobile phone so they can survey the crowd before venturing out.

Web users looking for a quiet restful night out will scan a bar through a Webcam and decide if it provides the right vibe. Those looking for something exciting will have the same option; bar-cam promoters say there’s a rough 50-50 split between the two camps.

We can’t find any good Northwest bar cams. But if you want to see some cams in Florida Keys, here’s the site: webcam.keywest.com.