Some tools to help you reconnect with friends
It is fun to use the internet and other resources to find and reconnect with old friends. Whether you have moved away or just moved on, it can be fun to get on the memory bus and spend some time conversing and sharing life with old acquaintances, relationships, and friends. The following is a look at some of the better resources out there for reconnecting with old friends. There are so many options, so let's look at the pros and cons of a few:
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Email: With email you can send messages back and forth to one another, on your time and no matter what time of day it is. There are many different email service providers, some better than others. Often you can combine email with other media to send photos, video clips, links to blogs, etc. So it is kind of an all-encompassing tool for reconnecting with friends.
Pro- It is private, so you can reconnect with old friends without anyone else seeing what is going on.
Con- It can be difficult to assess tone, meaning, etc. in an email, there is room for misunderstanding, and it is a bit impersonal.
Social networking sites: With these there is the benefit of reconnecting with several people at once, and not having to attach the same photos 100 times to let 100 people see them. In addition, many have search tools that help you find your old friends, a definite benefit if you do not already know their email or phone number.
Pro- If you choose the right sight you get some privacy and security but you also get the opportunity to get quick updates, look at photos, and see what is going on in each other's lives on your own time.
Con- You can know what is going on in someone's life without ever even talking to them directly, which again is impersonal, and counterproductive when you are trying to reconnect with friends.
Skype: This is a internet phone type service that allows you to video chat with other skypers, or even call a cell phone or land line from your computer. It is free to download, and use with others on Skype, and offers low prices for making calls to land lines and cell phones. It also has an instant message chat feature to allow you to chat if you do not want to be talking voice to voice.
Pro: It allows you to talk, but it is more than just being on the phone, as you can do video as well. In addition it is free, as long as you both are "skypers", so there is no issue of minutes being used, etc. as you catch up. It is more personal as you get a form of face-to-face, no matter where you are in the world.
Cons: Poor connections, pixely cameras, and the need to both be on line at the same time can make it unreliable and not the best tool.
