Social distance tips: 5 ways to use a group chat

With the implementation of social distancing and self-quarantine by the government, how can you stay in touch with your friends and loved ones? You don’t have a choice but to practice social distance as you cannot break the rules or risk other people’s health.

However, we all know that it’s not easy to stay at home. Especially if you’re an extrovert, you’re used to seeing people at work or hanging out with your friends.

The coronavirus news and circumstances have been draining all of us, mentally and physically.

In times like these, we’re grateful to have social media and chat platforms. If this had happened years ago, we wouldn’t be blessed with such advanced technology.

Through social media and chat platforms, we can stay connected virtually.

Therefore, here are a few ways in which you can use a group chat to stay connected.

1. Check up on your friends and family through messages

By setting up a group chat, you can chat with your family members, relatives, and friends. Think of your friends and family who might be quarantined alone.

Check up on them once in a while so they don’t feel like they’re battling this crisis alone. If they’re feeling extra lonely, you can then move on to video calls if they want some virtual company.

2. Virtual company through audio and video calls

Eating alone? Or maybe you’re in different cities and you just miss someone far away? Then, call your friends or family. You might be eating in different parts of the world, but you can still eat at the same time.

This will make both parties feel more secure and happy that you’re in this together.

chat platforms

Another example would be on video calling on special occasions. Because of the virus, you cannot celebrate or party like normal. Video call on a special occasion and celebrate by talking or hanging virtually.

The best way you can celebrate is when you’re surrounded by your friends and loved ones.

3. Host a watch party

Are you familiar with watch parties? You can host one via social media or through a minisite. Watch your favorite YouTube series or shorts and talk about it in your chat.

When you’re at home, you can feel a bit lonely and weary. This way you won’t feel bored because of the repetitive days. You still find ways to have fun with everyone.

4. Create a virtual event (maybe a parody on social distance)

Do you know that there’s another use for your minisite? With it, you can create your own virtual event. Think of it as broadcasting yourself to others.

For that, you can use YouTube Live. Link it on your minisite, and voila! You’ve created a virtual event.

Invite your friends and family to watch your event. Also, chat among yourselves and use it as entertainment. You’re mixing it up by putting yourself out there and not moping at home.

5. Share selfies and videos

social distance

Getting bored at home? Share some wacky photos of yourself or cute videos for a change! Invite your friends and family to do the same.

If you start, then there’s someone who will reply and keep the chain going. It’s a nice change of pace than just being gloomy all day.

In addition to that, you can also send motivational posts or links for someone else to read. There’s no limit to sharing fun and helpful information. It’s always best to be prepared and make daily chores bearable.

Surviving the social distance

Social distance is not a problem if you have social media and a group chat. You can try lots of things you haven’t tried since you had your chat. Like the examples above, you might just want to host a watch party or hold a virtual event.

In these times, remember that you’re not alone. The world is witnessing this pandemic together. Together we fight.

If you’re feeling lonely, don’t hesitate to reach out to someone. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

Create your group chat today.

How to Create a Minisite for Online Worship Services

The coronavirus pandemic is shifting the world to a digital one. As a member of the church, how are you coping? Some churches have temporarily halted their worship services and masses. Will you do the same or are you open to the idea of online worship services?

Online worship is the same as traditional worship. The only difference is you do it online.

Usually, the mass is broadcasted live with church members. However, because of the ongoing pandemic, the only ones present in the service are the pastor, altar servers, and the cameraman.

By taking your worship online, you give your members hope, especially in times like these. So, let’s talk about how your church can take worship to a modernized one.

Miniaturize your church website

Already have a dedicated website for your church? You can have a mini version of it. Focusing only on a specific page, for this instance, your online worship service, it will be easy to create.

What are the elements that are included in your minisite?

  • Your own chat – open or closed chat
  • YouTube link – for your live broadcast
  • Description – all about your church
  • Header and profile images – images that can distinguish your church
  • Social media share buttons – share your minisite to Facebook and Twitter
  • Text area – anything you want to say to your members or visitors

These elements are available for you to change. Also, the chat is unique to this minisite. You cannot change the chat, but you can customize it via CSS or skins.

Creating your online worship minisite

How can you create a minisite for your church?

  • Firstly, you need to register to RumbleTalk. Just go to the RumbleTalk website and click Sign up.
  • Next, on your admin panel, you will see Page. Click that and you’ll be redirected to another page. This is the Page section, which acts as your minisite.
  • Lastly, customize the page to your liking. A default template is set so you won’t have any problems with coding or website development. All you need to do is change it according to your church or organization.

The following are step-by-step visuals of the procedure.

monetize
online class
online worship

Use the chat as an online donation platform

As with all churches, donations are a vital part of worship. With this minisite, you don’t have to leave that out. This can help you gain donations.

For members of the church, they can donate via chat. To enable donation in your chat, go back to your admin panel. Then, go to Monetize Settings and check the box for donations. Don’t forget to save your changes, else it will not reflect.

To make a donation, members of the church should log-in. They can choose from five methods:

  1. Guest
  2. Facebook
  3. Twitter
  4. Username
  5. Register as a new user

If they choose to register as a new user, the next time they donate, they can log-in with their username and password.

Should they wish to be anonymous, they can also log-in as a guest user. Facebook and Twitter log-ins will show their respective profiles on their social media platforms. This means that it will show their name and profile picture.

After that, they can donate by clicking the dollar sign on the text box. They can choose to donate via their PayPal account or their credit/debit cards. It’s that easy.

donations

Additionally, they can write a personalized message for each donation. The minimum donation for each transaction is $2, while the maximum is $100.

donations

You can refer to the example above where the chat is used for donations. In parallel with your YouTube live stream, you can collect donations simultaneously.

Also, you can read this blog post if you want to know more about how donations work for churches and non-profit organizations.

Online worship made easy

Just because the world has turned to online measures doesn’t mean you need to stop all church services. There’s always an alternative.

Moreover, your members need the church’s guidance more than ever. The pandemic is causing panic. As part of the church, it’s your task to guide and keep the faith in people’s hearts.

With a minisite, you can chat with your members and let them donate for a good cause. Also, you share the Word to your members even if they cannot attend the mass personally. You give them an option and that’s always better than canceling all worship services.

Want to get started with your minisite? Then, visit RumbleTalk to know more about the feature.

Using InChatPay for Churches and Non-Profits to Collect Donations

Giving your church or non-profit organization the ability to collect donations online is a huge benefit for your cause. In times like these, the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed people to go online.

People are working from home, students are having online classes, and churches are live streaming their masses.

The more simple you make the donation process, the more donations you will receive. Why is that? It’s because when you make the donation process more available, people who live in a fast-paced world will appreciate its straightforwardness.

Furthermore, the younger generation is also more inclined to give donations online. With that, you can build a relationship with your younger members.

Ready to know how you can set up your online donation platform to your website? Here’s how you can do it.

Things you should know

There are some things to keep in mind before you can add online donation functionality.

  • First, ensure that your website allows embed codes.
  • Alternatively, you can also share your online donation link on your social media platforms. If that’s okay with you, then you can go for this option.
  • All donations go through the platform and you need to reach a certain amount before you can transfer it to your account.
  • Speaking of accounts, you need to have a PayPal account. This is where all your earnings will be sent to. When you decide to withdraw, funds will be transferred on the 1st and 15th of each month.
  • Don’t fret. Members can donate via PayPal even without an account. They can use their debit and credit cards for donations.
  • Lastly, donations are non-refundable.

If you agree to all of those, then let’s get started on the actual set-up of your online donation platform.

Powering online giving with online donations

donate

How do you add an online donation platform on your website? There are two ways that you can do it. This is the first option.

  1. Create your RumbleTalk account.
  2. Copy the embed code.
  3. Paste it on your website.
  4. Check the box for donations on Monetize Settings.
online learning chat

This online donation platform also acts as a chat. Therefore, members can chat with each other freely.

However, you can also choose if you want it to be an open chat or a membership group chat. That means that only trusted members of the church or organization can enter the chat and donate.

If you ask us, it’s better to open it for everyone so you can maximize donations. You can put out an announcement that the chat will only be used for donation purposes. Other inquiries can be asked on social media, email, or a different chat room.

If you don’t have a website for your church or non-profit organization, you can always share your online donation chat’s link on your social media platforms.

To do that, just copy the URL of your chat room. Then, paste it on your preferred social media platform. When clicked, your members will be redirected to your chat.

Allow members to donate by opening your chat to different login options.

donation

When one of your members donates in the chat, a message will appear in the chat room. It contains the member’s name, an optional message, and how much he/she donated.

donations

To make an online donation, all your members need to do is to click the button (looks like a dollar sign) on the right-hand side of the text box.

donations

Modern giving in times of crisis

Don’t let the pandemic stop you from donating to a good cause. It’s needed now more than ever.

As a part of a non-profit organization, you can still collect donations via monetary means. Then, you can convert that money to actual clothes, food, or other necessities the world needs right now.

As a member of the church, donations are a regular thing. This is how the church is running. Now that you’ve lost the ability to do a traditional mass, you’ve turned to live streaming. Live streaming equipment is not cheap and you also need to give back to the church and other causes you’re supporting.

The pandemic has changed our lives and it’s up to us how we tackle the situation.

RumbleTalk can help you in setting up your online donation platform. Learn more about it here.