Random video chatting isn’t that complicated; if it were, it wouldn’t be so popular. When you’re using a site like Camgo, there will only be a few seconds between landing on the home page and starting your first chat. But what about getting your chat partners to stick around? That’s where some expertise might come in handy.
Sure, you don’t actually need to use any particular strategies when video chatting; some of the people you match with on video chats will be leaving anyway. Why exert yourself to whittle that number down? Well, this isn’t just about how many people leave or stay in the video chats; it’s also about the quality of your chats. In fact, you might discover that your conversations are better than ever after doing just a little prep beforehand.
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Be presentable
Here’s a hypothetical scenario, just to illustrate: you’re going to a party, and you know that you’ll be meeting a bunch of new people for the first time. You’ve been relaxing in some sweatpants and an old sweater all day, but you want to make a good first impression, so you change clothes and clean yourself up before heading out for the evening.
This is the standard procedure for most occasions when you know you’re going to be around strangers in a social setting. The bar for random video chatting is definitely lower than for most social situations, but you’re still going to be meeting strangers, and your interactions with them will still partly depend on their first impressions of you.
So what should you do? Nothing too complicated. Run a brush through your hair, make sure there isn’t anything stuck in your teeth, and maybe change into a fresh shirt. Even if your chat partners don’t know that you did anything in particular to spruce yourself up for the chat, they’ll still be able to tell that you care enough to look decent.
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Make sure your environment is conducive to chatting
There are plenty of random chat sites that offer on-the-go chatting, which can be a great source of entertainment when you’re out and about. Even if you’re at home, consider how busy your chat backgrounds are going to be. Will your chat partners are able to see your face, or will you be blending into a hectic background? Will they be able to hear what you’re saying above the ambient noise? Plus, you never quite know what’ll happen on a video chat, so you might get some unexpected surprises when new chats come onto your screen – may be even more unexpected if you’re around other people!
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Come prepared
A good first impression is a beautiful thing, but you’ll need some substance if you want to keep the interaction going. Expectations probably won’t be high, so you can come up with pretty much anything; as long as it’s of general interest, you don’t really have to worry about striking out.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Talk about your favorite childhood comfort foods
- Discuss your hobbies, or even turn the chat into a show-and-tell for your most recent project
- Show off your pets
- Share ideas of where you’d like to go on vacation, and what you want to do when you get there
- See who can come up with the best off-the-cuff puns
The more you experiment, the more ideas you’ll have for future chats. If you really have your heart set on a certain subject, just click through your chat options until you find someone who likes your idea. If you’re just looking for a casual friend, simply have some suggestions ready, and be open to hearing about theirs as well.
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Match their Energy Level
This advice is something you’re more likely to hear for a first date, not a random video chat, but it still applies. If you’re trying to make friends via random chat, it won’t work very well if you’re being Tigger to their Eeyore. Sure, some friendships just aren’t meant to happen, but sometimes people confuse “being authentic” with “failing to read the room”.
If you’re a naturally high- or low-energy person, there’s nothing wrong with that; but at the same time, you probably aren’t always one thing or the other. Whether the two of you are video chatting or talking in real life, it’s natural for you both to meet in the middle. This doesn’t mean you’re being fake; it just means that you recognize the kind of person they are, and you want to make them feel more comfortable. Remember that this goes both ways – if they won’t do the same thing for you and it’s messing with the rhythm of the chat, you probably won’t be missing much if you move on.
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Ask relevant Questions to Demonstrate Interest
A conversation goes two ways, and an important element of the process is to make the other person feel like you’re genuinely interested in talking with them. It’s not that you’ll be interested in every single chat partner; after all, random video chatting is about as laid-back as it gets. When you meet someone who piques your curiosity, though, asking questions is a great way to show that they aren’t just another face on the screen.
Whatever your questions happen to be, stick with the generic version. If you get too specific, you might sound like you’re trying to steal their identity, and that’s a terrible way to start a friendship. For instance, instead of asking where they work, you could ask what field they work in. Rather than asking what city they live in, ask what life is like wherever they happen to live. If they volunteer any personal information, that’s their choice; just try to avoid directly asking for it.
Random Video Chatting Apps
Even if you just try out a couple of the above suggestions, you should be able to notice a difference in your chats right away. The more you practice, the better you’ll be. Eventually, you won’t even have to think about it; it’ll practically be second nature!