If you live with roommates or family members, call yourself lucky to have a built-in social network during these times of social distancing — and in that case, you can play pretty much any drinking card game. But if you’re living alone, you may be feeling an urgent need to connect with friends and family, and to have some fun, while in-person visits are on hold.

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Fortunately, staying entertained and connected while at home isn’t as difficult as it may seem. And there are many ways to connect in a meaningful way, beyond FaceTime chats. Here are seven virtual happy hour ideas, plus specific recommendations for each, to try while you’re socially distancing.

And, while you’re at it, check out VinePair’s free Zoom backgrounds to add some pizzaz to your next digital drinking date or conference call.

Classic Drinking Games to Play Online

Start, of course, with a drink in hand — for more see tips on how to have a virtual happy hour here. Sign onto Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts/Meets, or your preferred video calling app with a small group of friends. Then, try playing one of the classic drinking games below.

Never Have I Ever

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Never Have I Ever is an easy game to start with. The rules: Each person starts with five fingers held up (your other hand should be free to hold your drink). Taking turns, each person says something they have never done. Those who have done that thing have to put a finger down and take a drink.

Helpful tip: Have a moderator or host call on each person to take their turn, since not everyone appears in the same order on the grid on different video apps.

Some Never Have I Ever statement suggestions to start you off: Never have I ever lived through a pandemic (everyone drinks). Never have I ever bought an entire case of La Croix. Never have I ever argued with someone in the grocery store over toilet paper.

Power Hour

A Power Hour is another easy way to gather friends near and far while socially distanced. All you need is to find a previously prepared playlist of one-minute songs (try YouTube), or prepare a playlist that one person will play and monitor over the hour, changing songs every 60 seconds. How to play: Take a drink every minute. It’s that simple.

As one Twitter user told us last week, “My friends and I did a virtual power hour last Friday, round 2 this weekend.” How did he do it? “One person in charge, dozen people from around the country synchronized over Slack.”

To get some face time into the mix, organize the game as a video call so you can see each other and chat in between — see if you can keep up!

Beer Pong

As Alyson Shontell, editor in chief of Business Insider, tweeted last week, “Virtual beer pong is possible, you just need four phones and FaceTime.” Each couple sets up two phones, one facing them and one facing the set of cups they’ll be shooting at on the opponents’ side. A little advanced, sure, but for those desperate enough to put in the effort, why not?

Possible roadblock: You’ll need to have at least 12 cups and ping pong balls on hand, which seems unlikely in an apocalypse. But maybe you’ve stocked up.

This weekend I did my first virtual hangouts and saw friends we rarely get to see for happy hours. I can also confirm that virtual beer pong is possible, you just need 4 phones and facetime – one on each couple, one on each set of cups. pic.twitter.com/Uhpz8cVP6l

— Alyson Shontell (@ajs) March 23, 2020

Virtual Trivia & Puzzle Games

People around the internet have been touting the Jackbox Party Pack, launched in 2014, as “the perfect excuse for rounding up friends, family and fellow gamers for a few hours of gaming delight.” This delightfully old millennial and generation X-era product’s resurgence is perfect for bringing trivia, drawing, and word games like You Don’t Know Jack (a trivia game like Jeopardy), Drawful (a drawing game like Pictionary), and Word Spud (a fill-in-the-blank word game like Mad Libs) into a virtual happy hour.

Although designed as “local multiplayer” games (as in, playing in the same room), they can be played virtually with remote players via a streaming service. The party pack costs a one-time fee of $24.99 for most platforms (Playstation 3, XBOX One, Nintendo Switch, Apple TV and iPad, and Amazon Fire TV), and at press time, $12.49 for a Steam Code or PlayStation 4.

Detailed directions for how to play Jackbox games remotely are available here.

If game platforms and signup fees seem like too much effort, consider using Zoom or your preferred video platform to play Charades, Pictionary, Trivia, Bingo, or Code Names. The virtual world is your oyster!

Video Game Drinking Games

Online Multiplayer Games

If you have a game system or even a really strong laptop, you might be surprised by how many video games can be turned into drinking games you can play with friends. Popular titles like Overwatch, Fortnite, and even Wii Sports have many drinking game iterations floating around the internet. All you have to do is start up Zoom, agree on your preferred game and rules, and you’re good to go.

VinePair’s director of marketing and resident low-key gamer, Jeff Licciardello, recently riffed on a Super Smash Bros. drinking game for a socially distanced version with two friends.

“While playing online with each other, we had Zoom up in front of us. We [VinePair] have a drinking game article on Super Smash Bros. on our site, so using those rules, I played with one friend on FaceTime and my roommate joined me on the couch for the drinking portion of the game. In terms of people, it’s up to you how many people you can wrangle. But basically … whenever you die you drink, when you’re waiting to fall off the platform after re-spawning, you drink, etc.”

Ideally, players will be fighting each other, but in a pinch (a.k.a. if you can’t get the private room to work), setting up Zoom in front of each player “at least provides a sense of camaraderie as you stream each other fighting random people on the internet while drinking wine,” Jeff says. “And my roommate, who doesn’t play video games but was stuck dealing with me hogging the TV, picked one of the opponents I was fighting and drank for them.”

Another pearl of Jeff’s drinking-while-gaming wisdom: “For the ultimate Mario Kart drinking game that doesn’t require a whole lot of thinking, simply drink every time you are hit by an item (shells, banana peels, lightning bolts, etc.) or every time you fall off the course.”

Online 1-2 Player Games

Although video game drinking games can be created for almost any game, try picking one you and your friends are playing right now (Animal Crossing: New Horizons, anyone?). You can set up FaceTime or Zoom on your phone, tablet, or laptop to see and hear each other while playing. And all you have to do is come up with five to 10 “rules” that will require taking a sip of your drink while playing.

To stay with the Animal Crossing example, players might take a drink every time you find a bug, donate to the museum, or acquire a new item for your house. Then, you can add a little more complexity to the rules: For finding your first bug, take three sips; for each subsequent bug, take one sip if it’s a bug you already have, three sips if it’s a new bug, and four sips for donating to the museum (it will make sense once you get going.).

This can also apply to social interactions in the game. When you receive a gift, take one sip; when you give a gift, take two sips; when you meet a new in-game friend like Bill (the duck) or Reneigh (the horse) or that crazy squirrel chick, Caroline (a personal favorite), take three sips; and when you visit an IRL friend’s island, finish your drink.

Have a Watch Party

Playing drinking games while watching movies or series is a popular choice, and an easy one to replicate in the virtual world. In March, Google Chrome launched an extension for Netflix Party, a new feature that synchronizes video playback, allowing you to stream and watch movies and shows simultaneously. It also adds a group chat so you can message each other throughout.

Choose a theme to make the experience easily repeatable. Oscar movies or zombie flicks, for example, are readily available. For groups of friends whose anxieties are assuaged by horror, now is a wonderful time to marathon appropriately themed works depicting hyperbolized disaster and trauma.

Try a topical double-feature of “Pandemic” and “Parasite”; a home invasion pairing like “The Strangers,” parts one and two; or a triple-feature of “Cube” or “Purge.” Or, make it a week-long marathon and stream every episode of the nation’s new Netflix obsession, “Tiger King” — it’s a seven-parter!

You can turn any watch party into a drinking game. For example, as VinePair’s Licciardello suggests for one of our staff’s favorite series, “Schitt’s Creek,” everyone has to drink any time Alexis says, “Ew, David!” If you’re not in virtual earshot, you can also use the group chat to direct when it’s time to drink. Along with text, the chatroom supports screenshots, emojis, and GIFs.

Another angle might be (and we’re biased here) taking turns choosing content about wine, beer, and spirits — such as the just-released “Uncorked,” which VinePair contributor Julia Coney describes as breaking new ground for black wine drinkers.

Have a Dance Party

Let off some steam and pent-up energy by hosting a virtual dance party. You can do this in any video conferencing app, or use a platform like Houseparty.

As in real life, a dance party can take many forms. Perhaps it’s a dance-off between you and one very energetic friend. For a group together, invite friends you used to go out dancing with every weekend, and recreate a playlist you would have been sloppily sipping and dancing to at a club or bar.

Crack some glow sticks (if you’re the type of person who has stocked for a dance-party emergency), sip on some easy-to-make cocktails, and dance like no one’s watching. Because chances are, even if your neighbors can see you, you likely won’t encounter them in person for a very long time.

Bingo! Team Collaboration Software Edition

Finding the best team collaboration tools can be a chore. Most organizations end up with many team collaboration software options due to user preference or inherited app from mergers and acquisitions.

As collaboration tools for business spiral out of control, we’ve created our version of an old classic – conference call bingo!

Print it, save it, share it, and mark it up when you use a phrase. Then send it to us on our Twitter or email dominic@m.io and we’ll feature you in our tweets and our newsletter!

Online collaboration tools range from the widely recognized – like Microsoft Teams and Webex – to those designed for bespoke use cases and niche audiences – like Mattermost, for example.

You probably think whichever team collaboration app you’re using is the best. That’s called personal preference – and no doubt boosts your productivity.

But, the notion that the best collaboration tools are the one you use could be the complete opposite for someone else in your organization.

To improve collaboration between departments, Mio exists to bring together the team collaboration software in use within your business.

(Mio provides interoperability between the major team collaboration software platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Cisco Webex. If you use more than one team collaboration app and would rather you didn’t have to, click here to learn more about Mio.)

Which is a collaboration tool? What is online collaboration software? What are collaboration apps?

Online collaboration tools, collaboration apps, and team collaboration software are synonymous. While the industry has matured over the last few years, no one term has stuck to describe platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.

This doesn’t help you as an IT Manager so hopefully the following does…

You can recognize a “collaboration tool” or any of its other names if it has any of the following features or qualities:

• Team collaboration apps
• Team collaboration tools
• Collaboration apps
• Collaboration tools
• Team messaging
• Messaging
• Instant messaging
• Asynchronous messaging
• Team collaboration software
• Collaboration software
• Digital workplace
• Digital workspace
• Channel-based messaging (Slack’s definition of what Slack is)
• Chat-based workspace (Microsoft’s definition of what Teams is)
• Collaboration solution (Cisco’s definition of what Webex is)

Examples of online collaboration software include:

• Microsoft Teams
• Cisco Webex
• Slack
• Zoom
• RingCentral
• Mattermost

There is also a raft of tools we’ve identified as Skype for Business alternatives. If you’re looking for a replacement and team collaboration software is on your agenda, you should check out this article:

We’ve also identified 50 apps like Slack. If you’ve heard of Slack but your company has chosen to block Slack, your next team collaboration app could be in this post:

What tools can I use to collaborate online?

You can use any of these team collaboration tools to collaborate:

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• Microsoft Teams
• Cisco Webex
• Slack
• Zoom
• Google Chat
• RingCentral
• Mattermost
• Skype for Business

And any of the online collaboration tools mentioned in any of the above articles.

If you’re unsure of which team collaboration tool is right for you, use this comparison chart to help you choose.

In some (most) cases, businesses have more than one running in tandem.

When this is the case, there are two scenarios.

1. The business suffers from workplace silos
2. The business uses an interoperability tool like Mio to allow cross-platform messaging.

Assuming the later is your preference, Mio allows you to run multiple team collaboration tools in a joined-up manner.

Users can stay in their preferred app and message other users in your organization who prefer other apps. For example, Microsoft Teams users can message Slack users without leaving Microsoft Teams.

This means you don’t have to force users of one team collaboration app onto another and your communication stack remains unified throughout your entire organization.

What are the best collaboration tools for teamwork?

If the primary goal for your team collaboration software is to improve teamwork, you need to look outside of the technology itself.

While the leading platforms like Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, and Slack (and the majority of other platforms) all excel in improving teamwork, it’s how you use team collaboration software that will improve teamwork.

For example, if you are rolling out Slack for the first time, make sure all your users know how to use it. More importantly, make sure they know how everyone else will be using it.

Take the time to create some in-house Slack guidelines.

Take inspiration from these Slack best practices.

The same is true for all team collaboration software.

Even if you’re moving from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams, the tools and features available are different. These may take some getting use to as habits change from instant messaging to asynchronous channel-based messaging.

Again, if Teams is your team collaboration tool of choice, create some in-house guidelines.

Take inspiration from these Microsoft Teams best practices.

What is the best online collaboration tool?

The answer here is dependent on your business and user needs.

There is no catch-all online collaboration tool, despite what marketing teams want you to think.

Many use cases have evolved for all of the team collaboration software options in the market today.

They span from using Microsoft Teams for sales to running marketing campaigns in Slack.

Then think about the number of Webex meetings you’ve been part of – even though Webex wasn’t in your collaboration stack.

The number of Webex Meetings users who find Webex their best choice because of the familiar layout is staggering.

In fact, 31% of people said they prefer the user interface of Webex.

With these use cases – and a ton more – appearing across the globe, there is no winner in the enterprise messaging wars.

With all this choice, it becomes overwhelming to choose a single platform and a headache to manage.

This is why Mio exists.

When a business cannot choose between two (or more) team collaboration tools, the decision is often taken to go cold turkey and force all users to use one tool.

While on paper, this sounds like the right idea, here’s what you create:

• Unhappy users
• Unnecessary migrations
• Shadow IT
• New training time and resource
• Confusion of which app to use and when
• Vendor lock-in
• Risk of lack of disaster recovery plan

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What you could do instead is consolidate your team collaboration tools to the two most popular apps in your business.

Once these are decided, join together the messaging experience by installing Mio in the background.

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For example, if you choose Cisco Webex and Slack, you can connect these two apps by syncing your messaging platforms.

Webex users can stay in Webex. Slack users can stay in Slack.

What are the best collaboration tools for startups?

It was long thought that Slack was the best collaboration tool for startups.

And that might still be true today.

But, Slack also has many large rollouts. Especially since the introduction of Slack Connect, Slack has been in use at enterprises like Zendesk. With over 3,500 members of staff, Slack has evolved past the best collaboration tool for startups.

Slack Bingo

In fact, 65% of businesses say they are using Slack somewhere in their business.

Like the answer to What is the best online collaboration tool? it again depends on your startup’s niche needs.

There is no catch-all online collaboration tool for startups.

What often happens is your business chooses a single tool. Let’s use Slack as an example.

While your startup is small, everyone uses Slack to chat for internal communication.

Then, when you need to speak with other organizations for partnerships, marketing, funding, or servicing your customers, you switch to their platform of choice.

By constantly switching between workspaces and apps, you lose time, context, and productivity.

What you could do is set up a universal channel from Slack (or whichever app you choose) and invite your contacts from other organizations to join from their platform of choice.

This way, your startup stays in Slack for internal communication. It also stays in Slack for all communication – even with other organizations that are using other platforms.

Sound good? You can install three universal channels for free here.

What is the most popular workplace collaboration tool?

While this is a question of personal preference, the are plenty of statistics available to answer this question.

Independent research shows that 65% of respondents said they are using Slack today, with Skype for Business in second place at 61.5%.

Slack Bingo

Next up is Microsoft Teams (59%) then Cisco Webex (50%).

What is most compelling about this research is the cross-section of responses who were using two or more team collaboration software options in their business.

91% of businesses use at least 2 messaging apps.

Microsoft Teams reported in 2020 that it has 115 million daily active users.

This is the largest number reported by any of the major team collaboration software vendors to date.

Now that we know what team collaboration software options are available, let’s look at where and how you should use collaboration tools.

Where should I use collaboration tools?

When your business exceeds the size where working synchronously all the time becomes even slightly unproductive.

If you’re working on a project or product and need to collaborate with more than one person outside of real-time, use collaboration tools.

Even on a one-on-one basis, collaboration tools can prove productive thanks to features like search history, persistent chat, channels, and message threads.

Collaboration tools also make for great community spaces.

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For example, Remotive uses Slack as its community tool. You can see below that members have access to other members through various channels and messages.

How to increase collaboration between teams

When you’ve rolled out a new team collaboration app like Microsoft Teams, you might think it’s job done.

But, what about that small pocket of engineers who live and breathe Slack?

Or your sales team who use Webex because they’ve always used Webex Meetings to talk to prospects?

To increase collaboration between teams, follow these three steps:

1. Let your staff choose their favorite app to use (from a list of approved apps like Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack, Zoom Chat etc)
2. Make these apps interoperable so you can message cross-platform
3. Watch as users communicate more productively than ever

How do you make these apps interoperable?

Easy! Mio does the hard work for you in the background.

You just need to sign up and choose which platforms you wish to make interoperable.

Click here to book your customized demo of Mio.

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