Kiwification

When Kiwis ask us what we miss about South Africa, our answer is invariably “friends and family”.

(It’s interesting how geographic distance makes some friendships fade away, while others grow stronger)

While we can’t see our loved ones in person anymore, we try to use technology to make the world a little smaller. Here are a few ways you can keep those relationships going…

Skype

Sometimes you just have to talk face-to-face. With broadband Internet, and a webcam, Skype can make your computer screen a “window in space and time”, letting you talk to your loved ones as if they’re right there.

Strengths

• Skype is fantastic for real-time chat - it lets you have a text, voice, or video chat between “online” computers for free. I have a video camera built into my laptop, and I use this to have weekly “video chats” with the folks back in SA. (Who also have broadband and a webcam).
• Skype also lets you make cheap calls to regular landlines across the world, from your computer.

Weaknesses

• Where Skype fails is in asynchronous communication. Both parties have to be online at the same moment in time to chat, and messages sent by one party while the other is offline are only delivered when you both happen to be online again.

Facebook

The timezone differences between “old home” and “new home” mean that it’s hard to arrange a “Skype time” which is convenient for both parties - either we’re eating dinner, and they’re off to work, we’re rushing to work, and they’re out for the evening. Facebook is a “social platform” (i.e. it’s great for socializing). Sign up at www.facebook.com.

(My Facebook profile is here - go ahead and add me as a friend - I love connecting with readers and fellow migrants)

Strengths

• It’s really easy to post photos on Facebook. Upload your photos, and instantly all your Facebook friends can see them, and comment on them.
• I’ve recently been using the “video message” feature - I’m able to send a new message, record a few minutes of video (you can have up to 20 min), and send it off without further effort.
• Facebook have recently added privacy groups, which means you can share photos of your toddler in the bath with her grandparents, but not with your 87 old schoolmates.
• Facebook have also recently added in-browser chat, letting you text-chat with any of your friends who are online.

Weaknesses

• For staying in touch with family - no weaknesses really, besides the array of distracting applications you can enjoy on Facebook (Be a Zombie, sell your friends, take quizzes, etc.)

Blogging your news from New Zealand

When I got tired of repeating the same stories to multiple friends and family members, I decided to “publish” updates via my blog, and get them to subscribe via email. Sign up for a free, easy-to-use blog at blogger.com or wordpress.com.

I post regularly on this blog, of course (Kiwification), and my personal, not-always-up-to-date blog, is Young David.

Strengths

• Post “newsletter-like” updates to your blog, and have readers refer to that, rather than sending individual email newsletters.
• Your blog will contain a “history” of your updates - folks can “go back” and read what you posted six months ago, if they missed it.

Weaknesses

• You must actually write blog posts. This takes a bit more effort than a Facebook status / photo update.

“Twitter”ing about your life in New Zealand

For the more geeky-inclined, Twitter is like combining the real-time nature of Skype with the status updates and wall of Facebook… the result - a constant stream of maybe-relevant info and personal updates from the friends you follow.

Sign up at twitter.com, and then download the awesome “twhirl” twitter client. You can practice twittering by following me - my twitter username is “funkypenguin” or “kiwification” (for updates).

Strengths

• When you want to be in contact, but you don’t necessarily have something “big” to say, “seeing” each other on Twitter feels like you’re in the same office, swapping banter.

Weaknesses

• Still in the early-adopter stage, Twitter can be hard to understand or “get” unless you spend some time on it.