Social distancing and sheltering at home has limited our interactions with friends and family, but all is not lost. Now is a great time for using technology to connect with your loved ones. Try one of these ideas for bridging the social distancing gap.
Text messaging
Texting is quick and convenient, and family members can respond to you throughout the day without having to completely stop life to touch base. If you have difficulties using your fingers to type, you can use a stylus pen which allows for more accuracy.
Facetime, Skype, or Zoom
Facetime is already installed (for free) on most Apple devices and enables users to video chat over long distance. You can catch up, face-to-face, with your grandchild in Michigan without leaving the living room.
Skype is a video-chatting service compatible with all mobile devices and is a great way to make inexpensive phone calls from your computer to, say, your daughter overseas. Download the app on mobile devices or go to Skype.com.
iCloud Photo Sharing
A great way to stay in touch is by sharing photos of the ones you love or the events you’ve shared with others. This Apple product works best on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac but can communicate via website (icloud.com) to PCs. Set up a photo album (say, “grandkids” or “Peru”) with a group so everyone can share their photos to the album and leave comments for one another. Everyone in the group can stay connected through sharing photos and creating a dialogue.
Goodreads
Goodreads is an app for mobile devices (phones and tablets) but is also available at goodreads.com. This app allows you to stay connected to your literary friends, almost like a virtual book club. Set up your profile and build your bookcases with the books you have read, are reading, and want to read. You can read reviews and stay connected with others by viewing what they are reading and creating book groups.
BY MEGAN SECKMAN
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