Zoom and the rest

At the start of the pandemic I installed Zoom, Google Hangouts and Skype on phone and laptop, soon followed by Houseparty. All these apps were intended for keeping in touch by video, but in specialised circumstances. Thus Zoom was only for my weekly pilates class. Skype was my cousin Rosemary's app of choice for one-to-one video calling, and I used it only with her. Houseparty was a simple and easy-to-use app if several people wished to take part in a video call at the same time. Hangouts, an older app (and now superseded by Google Meet) did the same thing but (to my mind) not so well, although there was the option of having a text-only chat. Most people I know also had Whatsapp installed, but I refused to do the same, not wishing to lend my support to an app owned by the evil Facebook.

All the time, it remained possible to keep in touch with ordinary bog-standard emailing and texting. I used Gmail and the texting app on my Samsung phone.

It's no surprise that video calling has now taken off in a big way, Zoom especially becoming extraordinarily popular for both business use (its original slant) and for social use.

But I wonder how the other apps will fare as the pandemic restrictions relax even further. Will video calling remain popular, when you can see people face to face again? I certainly think it will remain in heightened use in some circumstances. Obviously, for Christmas and New Year greetings, where children want to wave to their distant grandparents, or vice versa. And I'm sure that a lot more medical consultations will be done by video calling henceforth, especially if routine.

But otherwise, I'd be surprised if there isn't a drift back to ordinary emailing and texting - or Whatsapping - simply because these ways of getting in touch are quick and ultra-easy, can be done on the fly, and don't reveal your current appearance. If you look a dishevelled mess, or mucky from gardening, or just not at your best, you don't want to do a video call!

I've already uninstalled Hangouts and won't be replacing it with Meet. Skype will follow as soon as Rosemary and I restart our regular meetups in person. Houseparty is a good video app for the phone, and informal enough for casual use. I don't think I'm ever likely to instigate a video chat myself, but I don't mind using Houseparty if someone pings me. Zoom is OK for pilates at home, but that's all I have it for, and although it has recently improved its 'join a meeting' process, it remains business-orientated and therefore not the best platform for a social get-together. I still find it clunky and not completely straightforward to engage with. It too will be uninstalled once I can return to doing pilates in a real studio.

Although they are now rather 'old-fashioned' communication methods, I still think ordinary emailing and texting beat video calling hands down on convenience, and handle communication very well.

Of course, now that my ancient, gummed-up printer has been retired, I am forced to resort to firing off a handwritten letter. I don't mind; it's a pleasure in many respects. There are snags to it: the time needed for physical delivery; making the recipient work harder on digesting the letter and devising a reply; the cost of postage. But, like riding a penny-farthing, a handwritten letter in an envelope has unbeatable style if done well, and can be a keepsake. But rest assured: if an email is the best way, then that's what I'll use!