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This chapter uses a general communication framework to predict where visible information supplied by video might be critical in mediated communication. We first identify fundamental features of communication that have to be supported in any convetsation, regardless of the available communication moduli? ties. We characterise the difiermt types of visible information that play a role in face-to-face interaction and the communication features they support. We then use the framework to evaluate three predictions about the benefits of video in mediated communication:(a) Video supports visible behaviors and hence supplies nonverbal information that is missing from the speech channel;(b) video provida visible information about the availability of other people, and hence supports connection for unplanned communications;(c) video provides dynamic visual information about objects and events that is important for …