Ways Expat Teens Can Keep Engaged with Friends and Family

Expatriated teens have an opportunity that many feel envious of. They are able to travel the world and immerse themselves in other cultures and see it in a way that most of us will never be able to. As these teens move from one area to another, communication with friends and family may be difficult at times. However, the Internet is loaded with methods that any teen can utilize in order to share his or her experiences. These methods can serve to bring an even spectacular experience as they can be used to chronologically chart their lives.

1. Facebook – As obvious as Facebook is, it is one of the most utilized social media hubs on the Internet. Expat teens would be able to upload pictures, video, update their status, and more through this social networking site in order to keep friends and family apprised of what is going on. That is, if the location of the teen allows free-thinking websites such as this.

2. YouTube – Uploading videos to YouTube has filled the site with entertainment of all kinds. Using a simple webcam, the expat teen could use this social site to create video logs of their activities, concerns, and more. The Vlog doesn’t have to be geared towards entertainment as YouTube can be used to simply publish videos about any content the teen wishes to create. Friends and family could subscribe to the teen’s channel and keep updated with actual footage. This method provides more of an interpersonal feel as the subscribers actually see and hear the teen rather than read simple texts.

3. Pinterest – Pictures of the teens travels can be uploaded with ease using a Pinterest account. As one of the most aspiring social sites of 2012 on the Internet, Pinterest can allow images to be shared globally. As a short back-story can be added to each image, the expat teen would be able to create a visual journal of sorts sharing his or her experiences with the other cultures and sharing the knowledge they are gaining.

4. Google+ – Although not as popular as Facebook yet, Google+ can give nearly the same experience as all of the above rolled into one site. Images, videos, comments, posts, and more can be utilized by Google+. Friends and family that the expat teen leaves behind can stay in touch by joining the teen’s circles and possibly chatting with him or her using the Google applet to start a "hangout."

5. Blogger.com – There are a great many free blogs covering nearly every subject you can think of using the free website, Blogger.com. With a variety of themes to choose from, the teen can create a unique feel for his or her own blog about experiences of being abroad. One of the best things about blogs is that they can be opinionated and written by those who just need to share without others looking down at them. Most successful blogs are opinionated anyway and the comments of the expat teen could yield positive results.

Social media sites don’t have to be about games, chatting, or promoting websites. Many of these sites can act as online journals that the expat teen can use to share his or her experiences with the world. Through the eyes of a teenager, we can learn to appreciate diversity of culture and learn to have patience as we understand these people better from within.

About the Author:
This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of www.liveinnanny.com.She welcomes your comments at her email Id: – jdebra84 @ gmail.com.