Say, for instance, that you’re on a video chat app like Camsurf. You can chat with all the people you want to form around the world, at any time of the day or night. What do you do? Instead of just talking about nothing in particular, open up your video chats with something already in mind. Chances are, you’ll find loads of chat partners who are happy to join in on whatever you’ve thought up.
Why does this work? Because video chatters are already predisposed to try new things.
Random video chatting gives you a social opportunity that doesn’t have a parallel in the real world. If you just started approaching strangers in public and tried to strike up a conversation, you’d get turned down more often than not. People just aren’t ready, willing, or inclined to spend any time or effort on that kind of interaction.
On a video chat site, though, you’ll find the opposite. These websites are a place where people go specifically to meet strangers, whether they’re looking for some casual conversation, or to make a new best friend. In this context, a bunch of the people you get matched with is looking for interactions that will lighten their mood and make them crack up, even if they’re just remembering it the next day. They already want to try out new things, so when you come along and suggest something they’ve never thought of before, it’ll make their day.
That’s all well and good, but what are some practical ideas for what to do during a random video chat?
It’s time for the fun part! You can use these ideas just as they are, or use them for inspiration as you figure out what you enjoy most.
Think outside the box for interesting conversation topics
Simply talking with each other may be the default option for video chats, but that doesn’t mean your conversations have to feel ordinary. What’s something you feel strongly about, but that would also be fun to discuss with a stranger? It’s probably best to avoid potentially inflammatory topics like politics or religion; instead, see if you can engage people on subjects like “cats vs. dogs”, “foreign vs. domestic sports cars”, or where the best style of pizza comes from. Bonus points if you have the audacity to argue about pizza with an Italian!
Have a karaoke competition
There’s an instrument-only version of just about every popular song out there, so all it takes is one of you blasting the song while you give Michael Jackson a run for his money. If you wanted to mix it up even further, bring in some friends to act as additional contestants or even judges.
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Go on a treasure hunt
Random video chats can’t turn out to be absolute gold every time, simply because your taste won’t match everyone else’s tastes. If you want to meet people who you’re more likely to enjoy talking to, you have a couple of different options.
Option #1 is to use filters. The most common types will be by gender, or by country. Gender filters are great if you feel like getting a little flirty, and country filters can be used for all kinds of purposes.
For example, many people who are learning a new language use the location filters on video chats to find practice partners. It works especially well if English is your native language, as a lot of non-native English speakers want to hone their skills with the help of people who’ve spoken it from birth. You could trade vocabulary words, teach each other your favorite sayings, or stretch your linguistic limits with puns or tongue twisters. Even if you aren’t particularly invested in learning another language, it could still be entertaining to swap words and phrases with each other.
Option #2 is to decide on something specific that you want to talk about and begin every chat by asking if they’re interested in discussing it with you. If they aren’t, continue your search on the next video chat…and the next, and the next, until you find what you’re looking for. It might take a little longer than usual to find a chat partner, but it’s almost always worth the effort.
What kinds of things would you spend so much time on? This approach is best for anything that isn’t generic enough to be a crowd-pleaser; it’s also where you can have some of the most interesting conversations, as you can find the people who really know what they’re talking about.
Have you been tasked with bringing dessert to the next family get-together, and you want to impress a new in-law? Go hunting for someone who’s a professional baker, and can point you to some killer recipes. Have you been struggling with making an important decision? Find someone who’s been in a similar situation, and get their feedback on it – maybe you’ll realize that the solution was there all along.
See who’s awake at 3 AM
You can’t fully take advantage of a video chat site’s international user base if half of them are asleep every time you log in. You don’t necessarily have to stay up until 3 in the morning, but you could notice a difference if you try video chatting at all different times of day, just to see what happens.
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It’s hard to mess up with random video chats.
Sure, a few interactions might end up being a bust, but that’s just what happens when you spend time around other human beings. If you start video chatting with a little know-how and a desire to make new friends, you’ll have a hard time going wrong!