Pick up a good book and stay connected to the outside world! While we are all practicing social distancing at home, that doesn’t mean you aren’t still able to visit and hang out with your friends and family. Blending classic habits such as discovering and reading a good book, with modern technology is a great way to host your very own book club. Now is a wonderful time to connect, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company over a night of discussion and fun.
Since this may be new to a lot of you, we have made it simple with this mini checklist to help your book club get off to the right start!
Host a Virtual Book Club Checklist:
- Decide on the Participants
- Reach out to friends and family who might be interested.
- Try to have 5-10 people commit to participating so you have some great dialog.
- Pick a date and time
- Send your friends a fun email or call and ask what time and date works for them!
- Decide on where you are going to meet:
- Here at PMD Alliance we love the virtual conference program Zoom.
- With a free account, you can host a free event for 40 minutes.
- Make sure you check the security settings so that only people with the invite can join.
- Skype is another great conference program
- If everyone in your group has an iPhone, you can use the free FaceTime feature for a group call.
- WhatsApp is also great for group call when your group is has combination of iPhones and Androids.
- Here at PMD Alliance we love the virtual conference program Zoom.
- Pick your book
- There are a lot of online resources for you to check out digital versions of a book, buy online, or buy a digital copy.
- Keep length and subject matter in mind for those that are participating. They should be able to finish the book within a couple of weeks time.
- Send the invite out!
- Send an email with the date, time, location (what service you are using online), and book they should read.
- You could even add in fun thinks like bring your favorite drink, wear your favorite slippers, or wear a silly hat!
- If you are feeling extra creative, there are free websites that you can send fun and easily designed electronic invitations.
- Evite.com is easy to use and you can set up a free account
- Send an email with the date, time, location (what service you are using online), and book they should read.
- Enjoy the Book Club Party!
- As the host, you should log on a few minutes before your friends and family are scheduled to join.
- Keep the conversation moving – maybe prepare a few questions or topics you would like to discuss before the event
- Don’t let one participant dominate the event. Call on everyone to chime in.
- Finally – HAVE FUN!
Leave a comment below and let us know what you picked for your April Book Pick! Our staff is excited to check out all of your recommendations.
