I’m hoping to video connect with my friends, using my HP laptop’s built-in webcam. Which of the various providers (Skype, AIM, Google Chat, etc) should I use? Also, does the recipient have to use the same provider, say, Skype?
At this point in the game, I would think Skype is your best choice. I believe the recipient does have to have the same provider.
I have used Skype for a few years. Skype to Skype is free, maybe the texting (SMS) facility is not but I do not use testing. The other advantage of Skype is that I can phone my railroading friends in the USA for a very low cost. In fact most calls are far cheaper that cell phone or national rates are concerned - I only speak from a UK point of view.
I have not found that the recipient needs the same ISP, just a phone of some description or of course Skype on whatever device they choose to use. The Skype programmes I use are both on computers but Skype can be used on cell 'phones and maybe other devices as far as I believe.
I don’t think webcams can be used other than Skype to Skype. That is assuming that the recipient has a web cam of course. 
Joe,
We use Skype to teleconference with my grandchildren in Texas. It has made the separation for Grandma much easier. Quality is fair to midland on standard internet connections. There is a way to modify the settings in your router to make the video conferencing packets priority, but I cannot advise how.
Bob C.
A few of us use Google Plus due to we can have more than one person to chat with. Works good for one to one or small group in a circle. We’ve had have 6 persons on at the same time in our live cam chat. Some of us use more than one cam.
Some of use a added Many cam program with Google plus so we can switch cam’s to show things we are working on with our live cam chat.
Skype and Messenger seem to only work for a one to one cam chat that we have found out.
Messenger ran very slow for us. May be connection location?
Google plus has a lot of other capabilities. The specific one Noel is referring to is called “Google Hangouts” and works on pc and cell phone.
It automatically switches the camera to who is talking and everyone sees the speaker, works surprisingly well, have even done it in the car and let others see where I’m driving.
Greg
As Greg said… was a lot of fun talk to him live on his way home from work and seeing how he drive… “Fast…hahahaaha. oops.”
Never over 90… except when being chased… gotta keep the carbon burned off the plugs ha ha!
Greg
Thanks for the advice, all. Since the recipient–my former editor, who is having a staff reunion at his SoCal home–has Skype, I’ll go with that. He’s on the mainland and we’re not, if ya need to know the back story. BTW, we’re on cable so the throughput or whatever is pretty good, and we have wi-fi, so I can drag my laptop outdoors, kinda. Plus, since the cable company is Time Warner, we have Dodgervision!