Staying Connected

Do you find that your schedule is so busy, you don't have time to pick up the phone and call close friends and family as often as you'd like? You're not alone. Fortunately, social networking technology has been exploding over the past few years, and there are lots of ways to keep in touch. They're fast and easy, and some even let you get the word out to multiple people at the same time.

• E-mail. Etiquette is loosening up about how you can use e-mail. Today, it's considered suitable for informal invitations, thank you notes and special occasion greetings - and it's always an appropriate way to let people know you're thinking of them.
• Instant Messaging. If you and a friend are shooting rapid-fire e-mails back and forth to each other, why not just instant message? It's a conversation typed back and forth, and lets you get an instantaneous response to your comments or questions. AIM is probably the most popular software for instant messaging.
• iChat. Later-generation Mac computers are equipped with a small camera and microphone, which let you have a video conversation with one or more other iChat users. It’s great for long-distance family and friends who don’t get to see each other often.
• Skype. Another way to get free video calls anywhere in the world is through Skype. (If your computer isn’t equipped with a camera, you will need to purchase a webcam.) Skype also allows you to instant message and make free calls from your computer to a friend’s phone.
• Texting. Texting isn’t just for the under-25 crowd -- it’s a great way to send a timely message to one or more people that’s less intrusive than a direct call. Be sure to check your cell phone contract for costs related to sending and receiving texts.
• Facebook. This social networking site not only lets you communicate easily with a few (or a few hundred) friends, it also helps you get to know friends better, since it allows you to follow whatever activities and interests they post there. Signup is free.
• LinkedIn. A Facebook-like site for business connections and associates, LinkedIn helps people network for jobs, contacts and new business.
• Twitter. If you’d like to follow someone’s every move (or let your friends know what you’re up to on a trip or a special day), then Twitter is the tool for you. Posts to Twitter can be no more than 140 characters, so it won’t take much time to post or read “Tweets.”
• Online photo galleries. Have photos from graduation, a wedding or family reunion you’d like to share with everyone you know? Upload them to your online photo gallery (Snapfish, Shutterfly or Kodak Gallery, for example) and send out an e-mail notice that allows whomever you choose to have access to viewing and downloading your shots.
• YouTube. If you have videos you’d like to share with family and friends, the files are often too large to send through traditional e-mail. Instead, you can post it to YouTube and let the world see it as well. Use with caution, however, since viewers post comments with brutal honesty.