Stay Connected with Family and Friends

So it looks like many of us will be forced to stay at home, either through ‘self isolating’ as it’s just been confirmed that schools in the UK will close from Friday ‘until further notice’.

There’s no getting away from the fact that its going to be challenging but there are ways you can stay connected with friends, family, loved ones and (if you really want to!) work colleagues beyond your four walls.

I’m going to run through some of the easier to use (and free) video conference tools so the kids can still have ‘virtual playdates’ and see their friends in a group call.

Business Owners

As an SEO and Web Design Consultant I know how to get businesses online and get them online successfully – if the needs of your business are changing and you need to shift your focus to more online offerings or increase your online capabilities (e-commerce, online chat, online booking, video conferencing) – send me an email and we can have a completely free of charge chat – nigelm@surrey.digital

If you are in the Elmbridge area please join our support group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/elmbridgecoronavirussupport/

And take a look at our information page :

https://thehershamhub.co.uk/elmbridge-coronavirus-support/

ZOOM

https://zoom.us/

Zoom allows for simple, easy setup meetings or regular meetings in your personal meeting room. Quickly create and share a private meeting link with an individual or group.

Free Features:

• Host up to 100 participants
• 1-1 and group meetings
• Unlimited meetings
• HD video and audio
• Screen sharing
• Scheduled meetings
• Private and group chat

Webex

https://www.webex.com/

Good web interface, takes 48 hours to setup whereas Zoom is instant.

Free Features

• Up to 100 participants in each meeting
• Meet as long as you want
• Unlimited number of meetings
• Call-in for audio
• 1 GB of cloud storage

Skype

https://www.skype.com/en/

I’ve always found Skype a little ‘buggy’ and not as smooth as other interfaces. Easy to use and simple to setup.

Free Features:

• Up to 10 people on video calls
• HD video calling
• Screen sharing
• Video call recording
• Interactive video chats
• Location sharing

Slack Video

https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/video-conferencing

Good for smaller groups. Pretty easy and smooth to run.

Free Features:

• Group calls of up to 15 people
• Individual calls
• Messenger

Google Hangouts

https://hangouts.google.com/

Google Hangouts is a simple way to connect with Google contacts. But is limited to Google contacts.

Free Features:

• Up to 25 video participants
• Video, audio, and messenger conversations
• Video meeting recordings
• Join calls using Google Calendar
• Screen sharing

I hope you’ve found this quick guide helpful! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me : nigelm@surrey.digital

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/UKSEOHelpSupportAdvice/

I’m Nigel, Head of SEO at Surrey Digital, a Surrey based digital media agency.

With over 20 years consultancy experience working with blue chip companies I’m a natural problem solver – a perfect character trait for the ever changing landscape of SEO.

Feel free to ask me anything, always happy to help out – nigelm@surrey.digital