5 Ways To Stay Connected With The People And Things You Care About While Social Distancing

If spending most of your time at home is making you feel a little unmotivated to maintain a social life, you're not alone! 

But it's never been more important to reach out to others and stay connected, even from the safety of your own home. 

Here are some ways you can stay connected with friends and family, maintain your hobbies, or join an entirely new community online... 

1. Virtual trivia night

Use Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or whatever video calling service you feel most comfortable with to host a virtual trivia night with your mates!

You can even share you screen or utilise features like Zoom's breakout rooms for a simple games night completely online. 

2. Group chats

Start group chats with your friends and family to share life updates, photos, or online content. 

3. Join an online class

Whatever hobbies you're into, there's an online class for just about everything! Stream at-home workouts, learn to cook, or develop your green thumb, with tutorials and online classes flooding the Internet.

4. Stream your own content

Use social media to connect with others and share your hobbies. Inspire friends and followers with your newfound knowledge, or video chat with a pal to keep each other accountable as you discover new skills.  

5. Host a virtual movie night

If you're avoiding the cinema, or if you just prefer the comfort of your own couch, plugins or services such as Netflix Party for Chrome organise a stream session so all your mates can watch a movie or TV show at the same time. Most of these features also include built-in chats, so you can still keep up a conversation. 

If you want help getting set up to stay connected online, head into the new Optus store in Settlement City Shopping Centre. From the 4th November the team will also be offering free, one-on-one tech help sessions. Simply bring in your device. Bookings essential - please visit the store at Settlement City to find out more!

This article was written in association with Optus.

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