Virtual Visits and Social Streaming

Recently I had a scheduled follow-up visit with my OBGYN after giving birth to my gorgeous daughter in February. It was kind of a surprise when the receptionist called me to change the appointment from an office visit to a virtual visit. He gave me a Zoom number and, suddenly, I felt very old and out of touch.

“Do I need to sign up? Or download something?” It turned out to be a fantastic experience. Instead of sitting in a waiting room or an exam room twiddling my thumbs, I dialed in and put away laundry while I waited for her to dial in. I was able to show her the swelling in my ankles, virtually. Of course, there are some things you can’t do through a video but, for other things, it can save a trip to an office.

Many businesses are turning to technology to create a space to continue to work with customers and coworkers from a distance. Additionally, we’re using it socially!

My sister-in-law and I recently had a FaceTime video chat so that our kids could see each other. They are 2 and 4 years old and don’t really understand fully why they aren’t able to spend time together in person. I’ve refrained from saying too much about the pandemic in front of my 2-year-old. He just thought it was a lot of fun to see his cousin and show off his new toys to her through the phone.

A friend of mine overseas invited me to a Facebook group called Quarantine Pub Quiz. I wasn’t sure what it was all about, but accepted the invitation. It was amazing, just a few days later, to see Sara and her husband, live from their living room, hosting a virtual pub quiz and the names in the comments were former coworkers and other mutual friends. This technology has been around forever, but we’ve never used it to connect until now. 

Someone else told me that she’s been doing virtual ‘happy hours’ with friends on Friday nights. Since they can’t get together to have a drink in person, they link up, open a bottle of wine, and do karaoke via video.

My son’s nursery teachers have been sending videos on secure YouTube links of them reading books. Children’s music hours we once attended in person are being done on a live stream with real-time availability to comment and get a response.

I know that there is no substitute for seeing someone in person, especially if you are a hugger like me. But if there is a silver lining to be found, and it’s great that we are finding new ways to be in touch.

About Rebecca Romo

Rebecca Romo hosts Feel Good Mornings weekday mornings from 6-10 am on 99.9 The Q. Originally from New Orleans, she moved to Cape to be with her husband a second generation Cape Codder.



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