Many of us have never relied so much on technology as we have in the past couple of months. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily turned a lot of us into homebodies, as we socially distanced ourselves from our friends, family and yes, the people we were dating when this “new normal” started. And it was technology that helped us feel more comfortable with our current situation.
Whether it was telecommuting and communicating with your coworkers via Microsoft Teams, staying in touch with your professors and classmates on daily Zoom calls, “meeting” for happy hour cocktails over Facetime with your group of friends or “going on” a date with your significant other by means of Google Meet, technology helped us survive a spring of isolation.
Introducing Seeking Video Chat Feature
Coincidentally, Seeking had been busy working on launching the site’s newest feature: video chat. Seeking is always updating the platform to make dating more convenient and accessible for its members, and this fresh feature couldn’t have come at a better time.
While the world continues to open up, many cities and regions are still experiencing spikes in cases of COVID-19 and thus its residents are still practicing social distancing. Even if you’re living in an area that has completely opened and the statistics on your local news are encouraging, you might still personally be practicing some form of isolation.
Human interaction is still a necessary part of the human experience though, which is why we’re believers in physical distancing over social distancing and encourage members meeting virtually. If you’re still staying home but are still pursuing honest relationships, check out some of our past blog posts for ideas of how to date digitally.
The new video chat feature isn’t just for virtual dates for those still in their “homebody” modes, though. It’s a convenient way to meet whether you’re practicing some form of quarantine or not. Read on for more information on the new feature and how it can positively impact your experience!
How Seeking’s Video Chat Feature Works
While we hope every Seeking user will utilize this fun way of communicating, there are some requirements for users to gain access. Attractive members with completed profiles (including verified emails and approved photos) are eligible to use video chat, and established members with either Premium or Diamond upgrades have access to the feature.
In addition to those requirements, video chats can only be sent after initial communication—a message on Seeking—has been sent and received by both parties. This ensures users are only receiving calls from members who they have expressed an interest in. No one wants to screen calls from a bunch of randos, right?!
The video chat feature is available on both the desktop and mobile versions of the Seeking website, and requests are sent directly to a recipient from the sender’s message with them.
Seeking’s Video Chat Provides Added Safety
As we already touched on above, video chat is a perfect means of communication for those who aren’t able to date in-person right now. You’re already logging in and sending messages while searching for your ideal relationship—and with video chat accessible right from your messages, getting to know someone is even easier!
The video chat function is also a great way to verify that the person you’ve been chatting with has been truthful. A quick video chat before meeting in person allows you to confirm that the members looks like their photo, avoiding a potentially awkward conversation in public if the user’s profile has been misleading in any way.
Seeking’s Video Chat Provides Added Privacy
While there are numerous video communication services from which to choose, Seeking’s video chat feature offers an added level of privacy.
If you decide you want to chat on any other platform—be it Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Facetime, etc.—you’ll have to offer the person you’re chatting with some personal information. All other platforms require an exchange of an email, phone number or social media handle to be able to connect with the person you’re chatting with. This leaves one’s information open to being leaked for research or other various purposes.
Seeking’s chat feature is accessible directly from the website and mobile app, meaning the only information you’re exchanging is your profile username!
Seeking’s Video Chat Provides Added Security
Other video communications services have either been faced with security issues or could be collecting more consumer data than they are letting on—just do a quick Google search on your platform of choice for an example or two.
Seeking’s video chat uses WebRTC for direct, peer-to-peer connections that are highly secure. Seeking also confirms that the site does not record any conversations on the video chat feature, ensuring further security for those using the feature. There’s no guarantee that other video chat platforms aren’t doing the same for the security of their users.
A Few Things To Remember When Using Video Chat
Just with anything else one uses on the internet, there are always a few precautions to take while using Seeking’s video chat feature.
While Seeking does not record any conversations had on the feature, no video chat platforms have the ability to prevent a screen recording of a video chat. Members using the feature should keep in mind that the person they are speaking to could be recording the conversation with another device.
And as the feature offers a high level of privacy considering no personal information is exchanged, members should also take into consideration what is being displayed in their video shot. Recognizable backgrounds can offer a lot of information—from the neighborhood the user lives in to even which building they call home. Or if a member decides to take a video call in a community space such as a coffee shop or café, that also can tell the other person a lot about how the user spends their time.
All of this comes down to, really, is common sense. Choose your background wisely, don’t offer extremely personal information and be safe—dating should be fun, even if it’s on video!
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