How are you interacting with loved ones?
 

One of the hardest parts about social distancing is not seeing loved ones. We just downloaded zoom and plan to video chat with the whole family. Any ideas on how to make the video chat more interactive? Any games online or activities that work over video chat? Thanks!

When they are not on call or working 16 hour shifts, we are playing words with friends. Takes up lots of time, we Skype but ours are different than most, right now teaching suture technique, and ortho anatomy, to the grands in premed.

Be careful of the Zoom security settings, make sure you investigate these and have them properly set or you may find you are sharing info you do not want to share.

What’s wrong with an old fashion phone call, it worked for all of us really well for most of our lives. Why do we have to zoom, FaceTime, Snapchat, Facebook, tweet, Instagram, etc... We had a wonderful hour phone conversation with our daughter earlier tonight. We try to TALK at least a couple times a week. All good!

We don't participate in all that on line stuff.
We prefer the reality of the telephone....several times a week.

Great Tip as usual villagetinker but when I signed on Zoom around last Saturday it stopped me twice for an update. It is much more stable since the update. We have a group of 20 to 25 people with a moderator and it works great. The people are the only thing I miss about N.J. I get to stay up on current events this way.

Facetime is a beautiful thing to have with the Grandchildren. One of the kids lost 3 teeth in one week and was crying and I got to comfort her and made her laugh by trying to get her to say Suffering Succotash! Two of the teeth were the top center front. Don't knock it till you've tried it. Once it's set up you just push one button.

I forgot to mention that we do use facetime....enhances the communications significantly.

We have done family chats on Zoom and it has been great! Keep in mind that only one person at a time can speak or sing.

zoom - tips
 

Participants must have some technical acumen. Use a laptop - ZOOM nfg on a handheld device - i.e. phone or tablet - bounces around too much. Don't face the camera toward a window - it washes out the picture - have lighting that will illuminate the face of the participants. Limit participants as too many people on the call is confusing. We use 4 and that seems to work well. Have your phone handy so people that are not use to ZOOM can text you separate from the conference call - many people overthink a ZOOM call if it is their first time and may need some assistance. Just click on the link seemed to confuse my people at first - but they finally got it and it works ok. Be patient :)

zoom -
 

You can see the person and TALK! Do not be afraid of technology - it is how the younger generation communicates.

you want more interaction, here's a few ideas: :icon_wink::icon_wink::icon_wink::icon_wink:

- #1 tell the kids that all your money has all been drained out of your accounts by the bad guys, that you've figured out how much money you're going to need from each kid every month to live on....one of three things will happen - dead silence, laughter or push back

- #2 hare what's in your current will, and ask them to get back to you with what they would be willing to individually start to do to increase their take....again one of three things will happen - dead silence, laughter/gasps or push back

- #3 let them know that you've decided to put everyone's name in a hat and on New Year's Day the one that comes out will be putting you up during the summer for that year....again - either dead silence or push back

- #4 share with them that due to covid-19 The Villages nudist club is no longer allowed access to any of the Rec Centers so they're meeting outside in groups of no more than 10 at a time and that your wondering if it would be best to go early and risk sunstroke / exposure or go in the early evening and risk getting Triple E from bug bites...again this can foster lively discussion or kill it

- #5 share with them that you both have always believed in free love and got into wife swopping during your honeymoon, and as a result you actually aren't sure which of the kids are only half brothers/sisters and who are full brothers/sisters...but that you have an idea and you'd like to share your thoughts with them.....I'd recommend holding this one for one of the holidays, but your choice

no need to thank me now

FACETIME works for us. My family has Iphones for that reason. My son chats everyday with me and he’s in PA Youngest daughter in MD with my grandkids via FACETIME. I see someone recommended using ZOOM app. That was meant for business teleconferences and i had 2 doctor conferences on ZOOM that worked OK.

My phone is for voice calls only No Text! So impersonal
I won't answer any either

We use FaceTime, GrandPad, and Zoom
 

We use FaceTime with daughters and grandbabies! Will probably see the 2 newborns due in May and June via FaceTime! 😢 GrandPad (using cellular and not WiFi) enables my 98 yr old MIL to video chat with family and get photos! I have also used Zoom with various art groups! All are different but work great!!

Zoom is a China owned company that spies on everything you do on zoom