STAYING CONNECTED FROM AFAR

It occurred to me a few weeks back that my best friends are officially scattered across the globe. From the midwest, to the east and west coasts, to Mexico and England and South America and many places in between. 

As a result, we need to get creative with how we communicate.

Here are my favorite ways to stay in touch from afar.

MARCO POLO

This is, by far, my favorite. It is video (or voice, if you upgrade) text messaging, which means you can leave and receive asynchronous voice messages. Because there is both a voice, and a visual (if desired) component, this can help us to feel deeply connected from afar. It gives us a glimpse into our friends’ everyday lives, their drives to work, their daily dog walks, and whatever else they might be doing while talking to us.

Here, girlfriends and I share wins and successes, process some of our toughest challenges in business and life, and laugh and cry together.

If you are considering one tool to stay connected from afar, I recommend this one. The upgraded version is (in my opinion) well worth the money, because it means you can leave audio-only messages anytime you are, say, in your bathrobe or getting dressed.

Note: a number of friends use Voxer in a similar way. This also features asynchronous voice messaging, but I have chosen not to use it, given the fact that they emailed all of my contacts without my permission when I signed up. Not cool, Voxer!

SIGNAL

If you have grown tired of social media apps tracking everything you say, write, and think (seemingly), you might love Signal.

It is highly secure, encrypted, free, and has a great user interface. Through signal, you can do good old fashioned text messages, and you can also send videos, photos, or audio messages.

This works great for talking with friends who are abroad who might be using WiFi (versus cell coverage) for texting.

VOICE MESSAGES

Most text messaging services allow you to leave a voice note (ie: texting through an iPhone). You can also leave voice messages through Facebook Messenger and Instagram Messenger (warning if you are verbose like I can be: Instagram cuts you off after 60 seconds).

This is a nice option for deeper connection, and also to have an asynchronous phone call of sorts.

SNAIL MAIL

If you’ve been part of the Zing Collaborative Community for awhile, you won’t be surprised to see this one on the list.

Send a postcard, send a letter, send a little “Hi, I’m thinking of you!” note in the mail.

Call me old school, but snail mail can be a delightful surprise among our stack of bills and the glossy 8x10 postcards disparaging whatever political candidate is currently up for re-election.

etc.

Additional options:

• Telegram - texting and voice messages.

• WhatsApp - helpful for communication with friends and colleagues who are out of the country. This app is more popular with my friends from other countries than it is with friends in the US.

• Vocaroo - allows you to record, and send, voice notes.

• Loom - awesome for capturing videos and screenshares.

What tools do you use to stay connected with friends and loved ones from afar?

Thanks for reading!