Being in school and/or far away from family and friends can make it hard to stay in touch, but sites make it easy to be a part of friend and family gatherings such as birthdays, holidays, special events or allowing us just to be "there".
Video chat sites allow us to be "there" without being there. There are sites that allow up to six people to chat at once if you have a big crowd, such as Oovoo.com. Skype, which is very popular, has video chat too. Chatride.com, a site I found not too long ago, is also a good choice. You just send the url the site gives you to the person of your choosing and begin video chatting.
Out of the three sites I use Skype the most because of the added bonuses to the site. However, I use sites similar to Skype to see my family and friends and to be a part of what is going on. I can see what they see and seeing their reactions makes me feel like I'm really there with them.
The person I video chat with the most though, is my sister. She moved to Hawaii after getting married last November. This past Christmas we got on video chat so we could see each other open our gifts, likewise we do the same thing with our birthdays. Sometimes though I just video chat to get her advice on an outfit and vice versa, you know girly things. My brother does the same thing with my brother-in-law, but more manly things, like showing each other their knives or seeing you can sport their favorite team the best.
Sometimes video chat is used during memorable moments like graduations or proposals. Recently, I was over at my friends house and her cousin texted her reminding her his graduation was that evening. The only problem was that he reminded her 15min before it started, not to mention she lives on the north east side of San Antonio and his graduation was on the other side of the city. She made it though, via live video feed. She was able to watch her cousin graduate and take part in being there without being "there". I took part in a memorable moment via video chat, when my future brother-in-law, asked for my sisters hand in marriage. It may not seem that intimate but it felt like he was in the room, even though we was overseas.
Video chat also can make us feel less lonely at times, just by hearing and seeing a familiar face that we cherish dearly. My sister and I sometimes leave the video chat on while doing chores and watching TV. Even though we aren't talking to each other it feels like I'm there in Hawaii with her hanging out. I occasionally ask her to show me the ocean and she'll take the laptop outside and amuse me.
Video chat is a wonderful thing! I love how it allows us to see and not just hear what is going on somewhere else allowing us to be there without being "there".
I hope after reading this you take time this summer and next school year to video chat with someone who is special to you! Maybe you haven't had time lately or you haven't video chatted with that person(s) at all, but it is never to late to start!
What to look forward to next week: Privacy and to deactivate or reactivate?
No comments:
Post a Comment