admin In the past, soldiers on military deployment had to rely on letters, care packages, and occasional long distance phone calls to communicate with their loved ones. But when the Internet burst on the scene in the early 1990’s, it opened up a world of new possibilities that made keeping in touch with partners in the military easier. Now, there are online dating sites for military personnel that can help deployed soldiers communicate with their loved ones and, of course, find new friends and partners. There are now also a number of different applications designed for the same purpose. Here are some of the new technologies that you, as a military spouse or partner, can take advantage of.
Video Conferencing:
The advent of video conferencing allows military pen pals to see each other and communicate in real time. This computer and communications technology digitizes audio-visual information sent through web cameras and then streams it video over the Internet to a computer on the other end of the line.
Seeing and communicating with your partner in real time can help reduce the loneliness and ease the stress that comes after a loved one has been deployed.
How It Works:
To make video conferencing possible, web cameras record both the audio and the video then convert them to digital form. This is then compressed and prepared for playback on computer monitors and through speakers. Video conferencing uses a combination of web page tools and Internet communication technology to make real time communication possible. Tools such as HTML and XML, Java, and Flash all play a role in making Internet communications engaging and effective for military soldiers and their spouses.
How It Helps:
According to studies, many people absorb information better when they are visually guided by something they’re seeing. This is the main reason why video conferencing is the best technology for staying in touch with loved ones in the military. Being able to see your partner in real time will help you overcome the loneliness and stress that both go hand in hand with the sacrifices required by military life.
Other Options:
If you need other options or if you want to have a backup system in case video conferencing becomes temporarily unavailable, you can also use instant messaging and chat applications.
Web-based solutions such as chat rooms, forums, and sites designed specifically for military pen pals also help tremendously.
Some deployed soldiers also use audio and video recording. With this technology, military soldiers and their families can record messages that they can then send to their partners for playback in the event that real time conferencing is unavailable. Audio and video can files can be attached to text messages using MMS technology, and they can also be attached to emails. There is nothing that will warm the heart more than receiving a video or audio file from your military spouse or partner that can be downloaded and watched or listened to.
Why Mobile Phones Aren’t Enough:
Some are probably wondering why mobile phones are not on this list. The fact is that, based on the experience of many military spouses, mobile phones can be quite unreliable and, instead of making things easier, actually make the situation more frustrating due to faulty, or unstable connections. Thus, reliable web-based technologies such as sites for military pen pals and video calling applications such as Skype make a better choice.
So, What Are You Waiting For?
Start communicating with your loved ones in the military. Simply download the right video conferencing software, buy the right equipment, and get online with your military partner, now.