In these trying times, we are all searching for new ways to connect with our loved ones. Whether you’re Zoom-ing for work or for happy hour, video chat has become the new normal. But with this new technology comes a whole host of new problems.

The Prankster

We’ve all been there. You’re trying to have a serious conversation with your boss/partner/mom and someone starts making a silly face in the background. Or, even worse, they start saying things in a baby voice or making loud noises.

Sure, it’s funny… at first. But after the fifth time, it starts to get a little old.

The best solution for this problem is to mute the offender. But be warned, they may just take their antics to the next level by acting out even more egregiously when they know you can’t hear them!

I wouldn’t suggest this to everyone but to get even I once set up a computer directly across from my webcam so it looked as if my cam was broadcasting xxx cams.

This surely got a few laughs before I moved my webcam back to focus on me, but the best advice is to just ignore pranksters.

The Early Bird

3 pm? Too early. 4 pm? Too late. 5 pm? Perfect!

Or so you thought… You finally manage to schedule a video chat with your far-away friend only to find that they’re not quite ready yet.

They forgot to charge their laptop, their cat is sleeping on their keyboard, or they just need a minute to finish getting ready. This can be frustrating, but try to be understanding. We are all dealing with different time zones and conflicting schedules.

The best solution is to set up a specific time and stick to it (or be flexible if your friend is truly running late).

The connection goes out…again

You’ve been on hold for 30 minutes and finally, and finally, your call goes through… only for the connection to drop almost immediately afterward.

Or maybe you can see your friend but they can’t see you. All of us have dealt with bad connections at one point or another. And while there isn’t always a perfect solution, there are some things you can do to try and improve your connection.

Restarting your router is always a good place to start. If that doesn’t work, try closing any programs that might be hogging bandwidth (like Netflix) and see if that helps.

And if worst comes to worst, there are always good old-fashioned phone calls!

Despite the many challenges that come along with video chat, it’s still one of the best ways to connect with loved ones near and far.

So log on and make sure to wave hello to that prankster in the background!