{"id":6876,"date":"2021-12-21T09:37:15","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T17:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.consumercellular.com\/blog\/?p=6876"},"modified":"2023-01-11T13:30:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T21:30:03","slug":"host-a-virtual-holiday-party-from-your-smartphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.consumercellular.com\/blog\/host-a-virtual-holiday-party-from-your-smartphone\/","title":{"rendered":"HOST A VIRTUAL HOLIDAY PARTY FROM YOUR SMARTPHONE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s looking like the 2021 holiday season may be similar to last year, with large, in-person parties being replaced by smaller household gatherings with some guests attending remotely. Maybe you fumbled through your first few events hosted on Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, or any of the other popular video conferencing apps. But now we\u2019ve had more than a year to practice, so here are some ideas that can help make your remote holiday event a success:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have a plan<\/strong> – Just as every good video conference has an agenda, it\u2019s good to have a plan when you bring together family or friends at a virtual holiday event. To start, make sure everyone gets a chance to speak. Maybe each person could share their fondest memory from the past year. Or, each guest could open one gift while all the others watch. You can even play a game where everyone participates, such as Trivial Pursuit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go mobile<\/strong> \u2013 An online holiday party doesn\u2019t have to take place in a sterile home office environment. Most of the popular video conferencing services have free apps that can be downloaded to your smartphone<\/a> or tablet<\/a>. Download the one or two used most by your friends and family. Android users can go to the Google Play Store<\/a> and search for \u201cvideo conferencing.\u201d If you\u2019re an iPhone user, you\u2019ll want to go to the Apple App Store<\/a> and conduct a similar search.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add some entertainment <\/strong>\u2013 There\u2019s no need to hire a live band for a virtual party. You probably have several ente\u00ad\u00adrtainers already on the call. The kids can sing Christmas carols. Aunt Susie plays the piano. Grandpa can lead a New Year\u2019s toast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get to know your settings <\/strong>\u2013 Most of the video conferencing apps are simple to use, but there are a few settings you should get acquainted with. There\u2019s usually a \u201cGrid View\u201d (or similar name) for seeing everyone in a single screen, but you\u2019ll want to swi\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00adtch to \u201cSpeaker View\u201d where the person talking takes up the whole screen. Virtual backgrounds can add a festive mood too. Swap your current background with a photo of snow-covered hills, holiday lights, or a nighttime cityscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set a time limit <\/strong>\u2013 While you could sit in a living room and catch up with old friends for hours, there are limits when those friends are two-dimensional. When you notice that people are starting to drop off the call, that\u2019s your cue to wrap up the virtual party. If you\u2019re using the free version of the Zoom app, for example, you have a time limit of 40 minutes. That just might be the perfect time for keeping everyone engaged. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s looking like the 2021 holiday season may be similar to last year, with large, in-person parties being replaced by smaller household gatherings with some guests attending remotely. Maybe you fumbled through your first few events hosted on Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, or any of the other popular video conferencing apps. But now we\u2019ve had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":6878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nHOST A VIRTUAL HOLIDAY PARTY FROM YOUR SMARTPHONE - Our Blog<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Consumer Cellular offers tips on hosting a virtual holiday party using video conferencing apps like Zoom on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.consumercellular.com\/blog\/host-a-virtual-holiday-party-from-your-smartphone\/\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Susan Thomas\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"HOST A VIRTUAL HOLIDAY PARTY FROM YOUR SMARTPHONE - 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