Thanks to technology, reaching out has never been easier, and staying connected is far more manageable than it has ever been before.

Social networks are making the world smaller, and showcasing snippets of life to ensure that those we wish to connect to stay up-to-date with where we are and what we’re doing. There are also other ways to stay in touch, such as reunion events, annual letters, snail-mail, and specially designed services.

If they have a smartphone you can stay in touch via call or message, or any other of the thousands of communication applications now on offer worldwide, such as:

● Facebook – Facebook makes it finding people simple and you can easily send them a message or friend request.

● Email – Most people keep the same email address their whole lives; if you’ve emailed someone before finding them again is a snap.

● LinkedIn – Used by many professionals, this is a great way to get in contact with someone who may not have other social media.

● WhatsApp – Used by young people as an alternative to texting, this is a good app for people who don’t always check their messages.

● Twitter – If you know the person’s Twitter name you can follow them and send them tweets.

● Instagram – Like Facebook and Twitter, it’s easy to find someone you already know and just as simple to follow them. Most users will automatically follow you back!

● Snapchat – Used to send short picture and video messages, Snapchat will automatically present you with an effective list of people you might know.

● YouTube – If you don’t have your own page yet, YouTube makes it incredibly straightforward to set up your channel and create basic videos you can send to family.

● Video Messaging – Especially since Covid-19, Skype, Zoom, and other video chat services are all incredibly popular ways to reach and and connect.

Some may seem daunting to begin with, but once you get the hang of a platform you’ll be reaching out to more and more lost contacts. With all of these things, you can take advantage of multiple approaches. Social media, letters in the mail, postcards, text messages, emails, videos… it’s all possible in this modern society we have been blessed with.

Have a video conference with family across the globe and hear their voice, or ask for photographs of birthdays and celebrations that you weren’t able to attend. Ask a friend or close family member to help you with this; you may find that your relatives are doing exactly the same, as they too seek to reconnect.