For most of us drinking is a social activity. We get together with our friends, have a few drinks and debrief our work and lives. We also have dinner parties and go out to restaurants so we can “break bread and drink wine” together. For many of us a casual wine or spirit is part of our social outlets, and drinking provides us with a common social connection and a way to decompress from our pressured fast paced lives. And then along came COVID-19 and it all stopped.
But fear not! Technology has a number of solutions where you can drink in the age of physical distancing so you don’t have to social distance too. In this article I will cover some of the virtual ways that you can still have a drink with your friends even if they are not in the same room as you. So grab a drink and let’s get started.
There are lots of video conferencing platforms that can serve as virtual drinking spaces. I’ll cover the main ones with their pros and cons. I will focus on those that are cross platform (i.e. work on multiple operating systems and devices) so you have the best reach to include everyone.
The first platform is Zoom – it’s hit the headlines lately for the right (and some wrong) reasons. It is browser based but works best if you download the application. It is more focused on corporate use but as many people already have it on their work devices it can be the easiest choice.
Pros:
- Very good quality audio and video;
- Intuitive easy to use interface;
- Lots of features.
Cons:
- Limited to 40 minutes unless you have a paid version;
- Security issues unless you adjust the settings e.g. enable a password on meetings.
The next platform is Google Hangouts Meet. I have been using this lately to connect with family and friends and although it isn’t as fully featured as Zoom it has everything needed to a host a casual virtual catch up.
Pros:
- Free;
- Intuitive easy to use interface
- Integrates into with Gmail and Google Calendar which makes meeting invites easier.
Cons:
- Quality not as good as Zoom.
The next platform is Skype which has been around for along time. Skype doesn’t just do video conferencing and there are multiple pricing levels, but I will focus on the free video conferencing feature.
Pros:
- Free;
- Intuitive easy to use interface;
- Lots of feature.
Cons:
- Quality not as good as Zoom or Google Hangouts meet;
- More advanced features require a subscription.
The last platform I want to cover is Houseparty, the new kid on the block. Although it has been around since 2016 it has really come into prominence this year with the COVID-19 situation. The big difference with Houseparty compared to the other platforms is that you can play games within the application with your friends including Heads Up, Quick Draw (basically a virtual version of Pictionary) and Trivia. It is app based so it works best on mobile devices.
Pros:
- Free;
- Can play games with your friends.
Cons:
- App and not web based;
- The Google Chrome plugin doesn’t work very well so not so good on desktop computers.
So with four video conferencing solutions pick the one that suits you and your friends best and schedule a drinking catch up. You will be glad you did!
Just last week I was invited to run a virtual wine night for my regular client BYOB Social Club. We’ve run several physical client wine nights for this business networking group already. But with COVID-19 restrictions in place we decided to run a Friday virtual wine night and it was a smashing success. About a dozen of their members joined, each presenting the bottle of wine they were drinking for review. I was able to provide some expert advice and it was a fun way to keep connected whilst physical distancing. If you would like to try this for your company or club, contact me for further details.
In my next article I will cover how to prepare for your virtual catch up as well as some virtual etiquette to make the experience as stress free and fun as possible. In the meantime sign up to our mailing list to get access to our latest information and head over to our online store for our ‘Social Isolation Secret Cellar Clearance’ as stock is starting to run low.
Cheers,
Antony.
