Find out how to stay connected online with friends and family. Whether you live away from home, or are in lockdown, now’s the time to get creative about staying connected.
Our world has turned digital. We are lucky to be able to connect with others online, almost any time and anywhere, be it family who live in a different country or state, friends who have moved away or loved ones away on holiday. Social media is available for loved ones to follow our adventures, messaging apps like WhatsApp allows us to chat in realtime 24/7 and video chats allow us to talk to friends and family as if they were right in front of us.
But it’s a shock when we can no longer pop to a friends house, meet up with family for Sunday brunch or are asked to work or study from home. Various lockdowns and restrictions have been the new normal for many people across Australia since early 2020, and hasn’t been any easier in 2021. So how do we stay connected online whilst forced to stay apart? It’s amazing how far technology has come.
#1 Organise a Zoom Social Evening
Whilst it may be hard to organise a time to suit everyone, a Zoom social evening brings games night/pub quizzes/catch up drinks to new heights.
If you’re someone who doesn’t like to put too much effort in, jump on Zoom and catch up with your friends or family… just as you would if you were face to face. You’d be surprised at how natural it actually feels – even if you are just speaking to a screen.
If you like to go above and beyond, why not organise a quiz night where each person comes with a topic or round. Want to go one step further? Dress up for the occasion. The best thing about Zoom is that it’s party at the top, comfort at the bottom. No need to change out of your comfy pair of tracksuit pants or pj’s!
#2 Get Competitive by Gaming Online
If you’re a self confessed gamer, jump on your favourite console or multiplayer app and get competitive. We love jumping on the Nintendo Switch or apps on our phones. It’s the perfect way to stay connected in a ‘do we have to pick up the phone and talk to each other?’ Type way.
#3 Start a Book Club
One of our personal favourite ways to stay connected is to start a book club – it could be with your friends or even total strangers! Find one online to join or start your own.
It’s easy to stay connected by discussing your thoughts about a particular book, both when you agree or disagree about a character, deeper meaning or review of a book.
Whether it’s your favourite novel, self-help books or those written by your favourite entrepreneurs, there’s something for everyone to dive into.
#4 Netflix Watch Party!
Ok, who doesn’t love Netflix? Combine your favourite pastime with your mates and hit play on a Netflix Watch Party to stay connected.
Jump on the group WhatsApp and send through your reactions, discussion points or jokes about what you’re watching.
#5 Take Part in Online Classes
There are so many online classes you can take part in right now, be it with friends or on your own. From at home pottery to pasta making to painting. Why not find a new hobby online and make friends at the same time?
#6 Send a Care Package
Ok, this might seem like it’s only helping the person you’re sending a care package to, but if you’re anything like us, it’s make you feel gooey inside too.
Find a cute package that fits your friend or family’s personality online or even craft your own. The time you spend thinking about gifts they’d love will remind you of memories you shared and make the two of you feel connected online, even from afar.
