“Grandma
Did What?!” Communicating with
Friends and Family While on the Road
Friends and Family While on the Road
One of the great aspects of
traveling is sharing the fun and experiences with your family and friends!
Let's explore some ways to keep
up with family and friends.
Texting
Using your smartphone, you can send messages with pictures
to family members. The advantage to this is capability of snapping a
picture and sending it right away. Imagine the surprise on the grandkids'
face at the photo of Grandma skimming down a zip line! To text, both you and
the recipient must have a text capable phone. Depending on your
provider's package, there may be a charge for texting.
Blogging
This is a on-line opportunity for journaling and story
telling. It provides you a record of your travels and adventures that is
available to just those you select or to the whole world. There are
several blog programs. Two of the easiest are:
Blogger from
Google
With your Google account, you can set up a blog similar to
the Blog this post is on.
Blogger Tour https://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g
Blogger Video http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5878262115724681302#editor/target=post;postID=6476841698522731768
Setting Security on Your Blog http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmEwlfF3pzk
Example: Dixon
Other
Blog programs
Word Press http://wordpress.com/
Blog Comparison Article http://blog-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
Word Press http://wordpress.com/
Blog Comparison Article http://blog-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com
Facebook is a popular free social networking website that
allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send
messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. The site, which
is available in 37 different languages, includes public features such as:
·
Marketplace - allows members to post, read and
respond to classified ads.
·
Groups - allows members who have common
interests to find each other and interact.
·
Events - allows members to publicize an
event, invite guests and track who plans to attend.
·
Pages - allows members to create and promote a
public page built around a specific topic.
·
Presence technology - allows members to see
which contacts are online and chat.
Within each member's personal profile, there are several key
networking components. The most popular is arguably the Wall, which is
essentially a virtual bulletin board. Messages left on a member's Wall can be
text, video or photos. Another popular component is the virtual Photo Album.
Photos can be uploaded from the desktop or directly from a cell phone camera.
There is no limitation on quantity, but Facebook staff will remove
inappropriate or copyrighted images. An interactive album feature allows
the member's contacts (who are called generically called "friends")
to comment on each other's photos and identify (tag) people in the photos.
Another popular profile component is Status Updates, a microblogging feature
that allows members to broadcast short Twitter-like announcements to their
friends. All interactions are published in a newsfeed, which is distributed in
real-time to the member's friends.
Facebook offers a range of privacy options to its
members. A member can make all his communications visible to everyone, he
can block specific connections or he can keep all his communications private.
Members can choose whether or not to be searchable, decide which parts of their
profile are public, decide what not to put in their newsfeed and determine
exactly who can see their posts. For those members who wish to use Facebook to
communicate privately, there is a message feature, which closely resembles
email. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Facebook
Facebook Setup Tutorial http://www.gcflearnfree.org/facebook101
Security concerns: When you log in during your
travels, Facebook will find your location and it will be available on your
Facebook pages. Unless you limit your security settings to Friends,
anyone can see it.
Skype http://www.skype.com/en/
With Skype, you can share a story, celebrate a birthday,
learn a language, hold a meeting, work with colleagues – just about anything
you need to do together every day. You can use Skype on whatever works best for
you - on your phone or computer or a TV with Skype on it. It is free to start
using Skype - to speak, see and instant message other people on Skype for
example. I was able to attend my daughter's bridal shower in NY via
Skype.
Requirements:
WiFI or Internet Connections
Device with Camera
FaceTime
This is an program for Apple devices which allows video
calling so you can communicate face-to-face. Read your grandchild a
bedtime story with Facebook. Show them Thomas the Tank Engine as he chugs out
of Chama. http://www.apple.com/ios/facetime/
FaceTime for PC http://facetimeforpc.net/
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