Even though random chatting isn’t exactly a structured activity, you don’t have to rely on the inspiration of the moment to supply you with talking material for each chat.
Instead, take matters into your own hands by thinking up a few activities beforehand. You’ll have more fun with your chat partners, and you’ll be making each chat session even more memorable.
Make the Most of Random Video Chats
While any webcam-based interaction has its limitations, you can still do a whole lot more than just talk about how your day has been so far. In fact, you might be surprised at how many popular activities can be done via video chats.
Using a site like Camsurf, you can use the unlimited random video chats to test-drive new ideas, experiment with which games or competitions your chat partners enjoy most, and even trade ideas with anyone who already has their own suggestions.
Most of the people on random chat sites are already open to try something new, so you’re likely to get plenty of takers no matter what you suggest.
That is, as long as you aren’t trying to get people to do shots of Tabasco sauce – people have limits. Fortunately, there are plenty of other interesting ideas for random chats that will help you color outside the lines without causing pain and anguish.
Why is this possible? Well, random video chatters may all be strangers, but they’re online specifically to meet other people. If you approached a stranger for a friendly conversation in public, you’d probably get a weird look and a request to leave them alone. At best, you’d probably look misguided, and at worst, cringy. Do the same thing on a random chat app, though, and you’re likely to get a positive response. This is a pretty unique opportunity, so it only makes sense to make the most of it!
So, how can you make the most of your random video chats?
As a general rule, all you have to do is think of something you already enjoy doing, and see if it can be adapted for video chatting.
In fact, some of the ideas you come up with may not even have to be adapted – that’s how versatile video chats are! Below you’ll find a “starter pack” for your next few random chats. Use them as-is, or modify them to suit your own preferences.
Think of some off-the-wall conversation topics
Here’s an easy one to start with – you’re still just talking at this point. However, you aren’t just rambling about your mildly humorous co-worker, or the crazy weekend you had with some friends from out of town. You’ve come prepared, and your chat partner will hopefully agree that your efforts paid off.
Discuss what you’d do on vacation if you had a sky-high budget and could go anywhere in the world. Have some tongue-in-cheek debates, like “dogs versus cats”, or “does New York have better pizza than Chicago”. If you happen to be debating an Italian, though, you may want to tread lightly!
Host an impromptu karaoke hour
Most people 1) can sing, 2) think they can sing, or 3) can’t sing at all, but they can have fun trying. Whether you’re showing off your musical talents or scaring off all the neighborhood cats, you’re sure to have fun either way. You or your chat partner could even invite some friends, roommates, or siblings to take part as contestants or judges.
Switch tactics and look for something specific
The main feature of random chats is that you get matched with random chat partners (big surprise). However, you can have a bit of control over who you talk to by using two different approaches.
Approach #1
It is to take advantage of filters. Basic filters are usually either by country or by gender, which won’t give you super specific results, but still specific enough for you to customize your matches a bit.
Gender filters can be perfect if you’re feeling like getting flirty online, while location-based filters are adaptable for several different purposes.
One popular reason for filtering by country is to learn about a new culture through language. Since most random chat sites have international user bases, it’s not that hard to find native speakers of many different languages in the random chats. If you’re already learning a specific language, this is a great opportunity to practice; if not, you can swap your best puns, tongue twisters, and sayings with each other.
Approach #2
It is almost the opposite – instead of looking for a certain kind of partner, you’ll be looking for someone who’ll talk about a certain subject.
You might spend a little more time looking for a chat partner who’s interested in talking about the same thing as you, but it’s still worth it every now and again.
Use this approach if you have something specific on your mind. This could be something more serious, like an upcoming decision, or something that you just want to get right, like finding a killer dessert recipe for the next time you have a meal with the in-laws.
Go to the random chats to get some feedback on the choice you’ll be making, or to find some baking experts who can advise you on techniques and share their own special recipes.
See who’s online at 3 o’clock in the morning
If you’ve been consistently random chatting at a certain time of day, you’re probably missing out on entire time zones whose occupants are usually asleep whenever you’re online.
If you change your chatting schedule, you might actually get to talk to an entirely different mix of people.
Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Where meeting strangers is concerned, there aren’t many venues that can compare to random chats. Not only do you have thousands of people who are looking for someone to chat with, but you have the flexibility to experiment with, adapt, and invent ideas for each new random chat.
You may not succeed every time, but there’s always another chat waiting for your next attempt!