Don’t miss out on the life that’s going on around you! Follow these tips to feel more connected via social media after a move.

If your recent move has left you feeling lonely and a little isolated, you can keep in touch with friends from afar and find new ones right where you are.

With social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and Google+, you can access a world of connections in seconds. With these tools readily available through your smartphone, tablet and home computer, you’ll always feel connected — even in a new place.

Don’t miss out on the life that’s going on all around you! Use these tips to feel connected and make new friends fast.

Stay connected
Moving to a new place can be really exciting, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. You might feel cut off from your family and friends. When you get a case of the moving blues, it can be helpful to turn to social media to stay connected with your loved ones. With the power of Facebook and Twitter, everyone you want to keep up with is right at your fingertips.

There are many ways to use social media to stay connected beyond merely reading your feed and checking friend updates. If you’re lonely, you might want to set up a time each day or every few days to interact in “real time” via social media. Set up a Twitter party, Skype with your family, or arrange a video hangout on Google+. Set a time to chat over Facebook Messenger or G-chat with your best friend. Participate in a live chat session with several buddies during your favorite TV show, for instance, so you can all share the experience just as if you were physically close together.

Get connected
Social media can help you make and maintain friendships in the off-line world, too. When you nurture new online relationships, you might develop a digital friendship into one with a person who’ll go to the movies with you or hang out in your apartment. It all starts with making one connection online.

Try, for example, reading a local blog. Start following a person you find interesting — one with ties to your community — and engage in conversation with him or her. Post meaningful comments on his or her blog; send an email. Offer to be helpful, and add valuable information to the conversation. You may find that — with time, trust, and mutual interests — your online connection blossoms into a face-to-face connection.

Just as in real life, people in the online world respond to kindness and positivity. Use these keys as your guiding principles in online interactions, and you’ll find that you really can make actual, non-digital friends online.

Explore
When you’re making new connections online, you’ll start to learn about your neighborhood just by following others. Take note of the places they check in, the events they join and the local publications they read. In no time, you’ll get the inside scoop on great places to eat, shop, relax and meet new people. When you want to know what’s going on in your neighborhood, for instance, look no further than posts and pages about local events and landmarks.

Unplug to make real world connections
Social media can be a great tool to help you feel more connected, but it’s important to remember that it can also make you feel MORE isolated, too. And that’s why it’s a good idea to train yourself to stay away from it for at least a few hours a day. Make a conscious effort to “unplug” yourself from technology: don’t look at your computer or touch your phone — for a few hours each day. Try using that time to get out of the digital world and into the physical one!

Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Marish

Expand your mind without increasing your budget with these educational apps.

Do you want to learn something new, but don’t have the time to attend expensive classes? Whether you’re interested in picking up a new language, refreshing your grammar skills or simply curious about the world around you, the following educational apps will expand your mind without increasing your budget.

Grammar Up – Eknath Kadam

Good communication is the key to many careers and relationships. Improve both grammar and vocabulary with the Grammar Up app for iPad and iPhone. The full version costs $4.99 and features a series of multiple-choice quizzes with over 1,800 questions covering categories such as verb tense, word choice and conditionals. A free version is also available that lets you track your progress.

Paper – FiftyThree

Improve your drawing skills and release your inner artist with Paper. Winner of the 2012 Apple Design Awards for Best iPad app, Paper was downloaded 1.5 million times within the first two weeks of its release. So, what’s the hype about? Paper’s clean design, convenient tools and filters help both designers and beginners create beautiful works of art. Email or print your final creations, or use them for storyboarding or presentations. The basic drawing function is free, but additional color or brush tools must be purchased for $1 or $2 each.

Star Walk Astronomy – Vito Technology Inc.

Where can you use the latest science app? Just look up! Download the Star Walk app for iPad, point your device toward the sky and discover stars, constellations and satellites in real time. Star Walk also won an Apple Design Award, and allows users to identify over 200,000 celestial bodies with extensive information about stars and constellations. This app includes a calendar to keep you informed of upcoming cosmic events, and the Time Machine feature can be used to see star maps for years into the future or at historic moments of the past. For just $4.99, this visually stunning app is perfect for astronomy students or people who simply enjoy the night sky.

Babbel Language Learning – Babbel

One way to learn a foreign language is to continually practice reading, writing and speaking as often as you can. If you want to learn a language, a good mobile app will allow you to practice on the go. Free iPhone apps from Babbel come in seven languages: German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portugese, Swedish and English. These apps are aimed to boost your vocabulary, and provide access to 3000 words used in sample sentences and pronounced by a native speaker. Babbel’s apps compliment their web-based courses, but you don’t need to be a course subscriber to use the apps.

WikiHow – wikiHow, Inc.

Finally, if you’re unable to decide on one new skill to acquire, why not learn how to do just about everything? WikiHow contains 140,000 different how-to articles that can solve many of your DIY project questions—from knitting a scarf to replacing a flat tire. Simply type your query’s keywords into the app, and you’ll receive an article on your topic that includes descriptive steps with photos or videos, a list of supplies needed, warnings and related wikiHow articles for further investigation. This app is free for both Android and iPhone, and the iOS version also contains a “Survival Kit” with articles inspired by real-life emergency situations including self-defense, wilderness survival, home emergencies and first aid.

These educational apps are perfect for learning fun and useful information on the go. Give one a try today!

Photo credit: iStockphoto/wragg