5 Ways to Connect Over the Holidays
They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Being away from friends and family during the holidays can help you realize just how important they are to you. Regardless of why you’re not there in person to share in the celebration, we thought we’d suggest some neat ways you can connect with the people you care about this holiday season- simply by using your Acanac High Speed Internet connection.+
1. Use Periscope/Twitter to show off your holiday deco
Some of us just can’t get into the holiday spirit before our space is all decked out. Why not celebrate your inner Martha Stewart with family, friends and the rest of Twitter by broadcasting your project live for everyone to enjoy?
Periscope is a free live video streaming app owned by Twitter that can be used from most mobile devices and can be downloaded from either iTunes or Google Play. It’s relatively easy to use, we recommend checking out a quick tutorial so you can hit the ground running.
If you don’t want to download the app, Twitter just recently launched their own live video app “powered by Periscope” which means you can start broadcasting your marathon popcorn threading session or take your followers on a tour of your holiday wonderland using the Twitter app on your mobile device.
2. Use Facebook Live and sing a Christmas Carol.
Christmas Carolling is an old tradition. Its origins are unclear and it has been reinvented many times over, but one thing has remained consistent: people singing songs together to celebrate the season. So why not share your voice with everyone and brighten up their Facebook feed in the process. Think of it as the online equivalent of being gathered together around the piano drinking eggnog and sharing your Holiday favourites.
Facebook Live is free to use on your mobile app on either Android or iPhone, simply tap the Live button, add a brief description and you are ready to go. For inspiration, here’s a list of popular Holiday favourites to choose from.
3. Use Facetime or Google Hangouts to share the kids unwrapping their presents.
If you have extended family who want to take part in the fun by watching you or your kids unwrap presents, consider using Facetime, Google Hangouts or Google Duo to make a video call. This is a nice alternative to streaming live, because you are directly communicating and whatever you are sharing will not be posted on your social feed.
FaceTime
FaceTime is a free app that comes pre loaded on any iPhone and is free to use if you are contacting other users. It allows you to make video calls using your High Speed Internet connection. You can also use Facetime on your iPad, some iPods or your Mac desktop or laptop.
Google Hangouts
If you’re an Android user, you have a lot more options for audio and video calls. The most popular of which are Google Hangouts and Google Duo which work similarly to FaceTime.
The nice thing about these apps is that they can be used on all devices.
4. Make a Holiday Greeting Video on YouTube.
If you are a stickler for production value, streaming live may not be your thing. Why go live and leave it to chance when you can do all the takes you want, add music, effects and get the lighting just right? If this is you, maybe consider making a Holiday video on YouTube.
Let the season inspire you to make something amazing- check out the Lewis Family Holiday Greeting.
5. Make All Your Calls Back Home Local
The simplest way to stay in touch with family and friends when you’re apart is being able to pick up the phone and call whenever you want and not have to worry about Long Distance or data charges. You should consider switching to Digital Home Phone from Acanac with Long Distance calls throughout Canada and the US included. You can also choose a phone number from almost any area in Canada, which means that friends and family can call you regardless of where you live by dialling a number that is local to them. For example: If you live in Calgary but your family lives in Montreal, why not have a local Montreal number? The possibilities are endless.
The Acanac Difference
At Acanac, we’re the Internet Provider that understands how important it is for you to have dependable High Speed Internet access on all the devices in your home so you can stay connected. We make it our mission to deliver all there is to love about the Internet without any of the hassles. You can focus on watching all of the Christmas cat videos you want, because we’ve got the rest covered.
If you’re looking for a worry free way to surf and stay connected this holiday season, you should consider making the simple switch to Acanac.
