Keep in Touch While Social Distancing

Social DistancingQuarantine doesn’t have to mean you are on your own all the time. Sure, back in the old pre-internet days, people were stuck. But we now have technology and Internet access which can help us remain connected with others even while social distancing. This article lists some of the top options for some fun with family and friends.

Note: These options are mainly used for socialising with friends and relatives. If you need a more business like solution with options such as encryption and security please contact us.

Video Conferencing Options

The Houseparty app (www.houseparty.com) allows up to eight people to connect online in a video chat “room.” There is no need to call people as you get a notification when your friends are online. You can also switch between rooms easily – it is like wandering from the kitchen into the lounge room.

Zoom (www.zoom.us) is another app that lets you have a virtual get-together. Only the host needs to have a Zoom account, and the other participants follow the link to the video conference. Free meetings are capped at 40 minutes, for groups of three or more (during the current COVID crisis though I believe this restriction has been lifted).

If your friends and family are on Google, you can bring together up to 150 of them in a Google Hangout (hangout.google.com). One of the original video conferencing apps, Skype, is another video chat option.

Social Chat

Maybe you want to just chat and don’t want or need need to see each other’s faces or perhaps you don’t want to have to get dressed up! Then online chatting is for you.

Take texting up a notch with Slack (www.slack.com), which can keep clubs and teams together during quarantine. You can easily share files, instant message, share pictures and even video calls.

Discord (www.discordapp.com) is another app that combines text chat, voice chat, video chat and much more. Discord is already popular amongst and offers templates to help you get started. People also use this app to live-stream art creation, read stories, play music together, and even host digital conventions.

Nextdoor (www.nextdoor.com) lets you connect with your neighbours. Did you see a stray dog? Want to know if this week is recycling or green waste collection? Want to host a virtual garage sale? Then this is the social media app you need.

Movies with Friends

Another way to socialise together online is by enjoying a movie or binge watching a TV series.

With Watch2Gether (www.watch2gether.com) you can create a room and invite family and friends to watch anything on YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and SoundCloud. You could even use this app to replicate the group gym class experience. PopSugar Fitness , for instance, offers a wide range of free videos available on YouTube.

If you have a Netflix account and a Google Chrome browser, you can tune in together with Netflix Party (www.netflixparty.com). The app lets you chat back and forth while viewing. and the best thing is that all party members are watching the video in sync – so no one ruins that big moment by texting before the others have seen it.

Other Great Options

Looking for more active virtual fun? With Rave (www.rave.io) you can host a virtual dance party. You can sync music videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, Dropbox, Reddit and Viki with friends in real-time, or create your own playlist, then text and video chat simultaneously.

If you’re wishing you could meet someone new, try Quarantine Together (www.quarantinetogether.com). This is a dating app, that starts out by asking you if you have washed your hands today! Then, it will match you with someone else for a text chat and after 20 minutes of texting, you will be sent a video chat URL.

Really, there’s no excuse for being a alone during quarantine – unless you want to be, of course!

Need help setting up your devices with any of these apps or have other issues? Then contact our experts on 08 8326 4364 or su*****@dp*********.au!

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