New Realities of 2020: Video Chat Communication

Video chats are an extremely convenient and functional tool for communication on the Internet. People meet and communicate in video chats, study and solve work issues, find new friends and even love. During the existence of web chats, they have experienced two leaps in popularity:

•  The first leap was after 2010. It was during that time that high-speed Internet became generally available, and video chats became a mass phenomenon.
•  The second leap is in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and quarantine measures around the world.

The increase in audience activity is observed in all types of video chats. For millions of people, web chats for professional activities have become indispensable: Zoom, Skype, partly Discord. The latter, by the way, was originally designed as a platform exclusively for gamers. At the same time, we see an explosion in the popularity of anonymous video chats: Omegle, Chatrandom, Shagle and their analogues.

What is Omegle? Why is it so popular?

In 2009, when eighteen-year-old American developer Leif K-Brooks launched Omegle, nothing like that ever existed before. You go to the website, press one button, and within a second you are talking to a stranger. Moreover, the interlocutor can be in a different country or even in a different part of the world. In just one evening it was possible to meet dozens of interesting people. And it’s completely free! Naturally, such opportunities aroused tremendous interest. And in turn it stimulated the emergence of Omegle alternatives. Many of them were even better than the “original” website.

Some websites offer features and benefits that Omegle does not even to this day:

• choice of gender and geolocation of the interlocutor;
• support of chat rooms for several participants;
• proper moderation;
• modern and intuitive interface.

Many websites like Omegle are developing by leaps and bounds whereas the development of the American Leif K-Brooks, unfortunately, is stagnating. But let’s not get too deep into this issue. It’s not just where you communicate, but how you do it. And there are some interesting points here!

7 tips for comfortable communication in a video chat

To get started, we recommend trying different chat rooms and choosing one or two that suit you best. You can even go to paid resources – there are more functions and more thorough moderation.

Let’s get to the recommendations!

1.  Prepare your space for a video call. The interlocutor will see not only you, but also things and objects nearby. Clean up any mess and declutter any areas that need to be organized, remove everything that you think is unnecessary. You don’t want to appear sloppy in the eyes of a stranger, do you?
2.  Adjust the light and position the webcam properly. Natural light from a window that falls on your face is the best thing and most recommended. If it’s dark outside or you can’t sit near a window, use artificial lighting. Even a table lamp will work. It needs to be placed behind the monitor, you can shift it slightly to the left or right. Direct the light to the table. It will dissipate and lie softer on the face. The webcam should be at eye level or slightly higher.
3.  Choose comfortable, tidy and preferably dark clothing. You should not communicate via video in sloppy clothes. Nobody forces you to wear your most elegant suit. But the rumpled T-shirt you slept in and woke up in is definitely not going to work. A dark outfit will make your face brighter and distinctive in the frame.
4.  Don’t talk about politics, religion or other controversial topics. Try to avoid conversations that might provoke an argument, misunderstanding, and conflict. Talk about something more distracted and mundane. Set aside difficult conversations, if necessary, for the future.
5.  Be natural and don’t be afraid to improvise. Many people feel uncomfortable when video chatting. But it goes away with time. Try to imagine that you are talking to a person you already know. Or that this is a friend of your friend, with whom you already have some common interests, topics for conversation. If you feel like the conversation is about to come to a dead end, improvise. Show your pet, showcase your children’s drawings, and so on. You probably have something that can surprise, intrigue and interest the interlocutor. Make use of it!
6.  Remember about internet security. The internet is not the safest place. There are many scammers and even really dangerous people. Be extra careful when video chatting with a stranger. Make sure that there are no personal documents, bank cards and such in the frame. If the phone is on the table, turn it over with the screen facing down. Do not give your exact address, phone number, or other personal information. You should not agree to a personal meeting with the person you just met in the chat roulette. Don’t click on links that get dropped for you. Also, we do not recommend taking communication to another platform, even if the interlocutor insists.
7.  Don’t be afraid to end the conversation and switch to the next person. Not all people on the Internet may be interesting and attractive to you personally. Most likely, among them there will be trolls, and prankers, and insane individuals. We advise you to immediately stop communicating with such people. Such conversations are a total waste of time.

By the way, we want to give one more piece of advice. During a conversation in Omegle or any other chat roulette, try to make sure that you and the other person have the same communication goals. It happens so that one person is serious about finding a life partner, while the other just wants to pass the time with an unobtrusive conversation. Try to find people with whom your goals and interests coincide. Time will tell in what direction your communication will go.

Discover different video chats, try free and paid options, look for new chat rooms around the world and explore new horizons. After all, now is really the best time for dating on the Internet!