When it comes to keeping in touch with the people you love, distance is no longer an issue.

Whether you are in a long-distance relationship, your family lives in a different state, or you just want to keep in touch with old roommates and friends, there are plenty of ways to stay connected.

Download Skype, hop on Google+ or grab your phone. Here are a few ideas on how to make your long-distance interactions more exciting and fun:

Start a book club

Pick a book to read together, and then set up a time to do a group video chat and discuss it.

Watch Netflix or Hulu

Give your friend a call, and then turn on a movie or TV show at the same time, so that you can watch it simultaneously and discuss as you go.

Game apps

Download fun mobile games that you can play together. (I highly suggest Words with Friends, Hanging with Friends or Draw Something.)

Handwritten notes

Write each other letters or postcards.

Daily texts

Whether it's a joke, a quote-of-the-day, or something random, make it a tradition to send something to someone every day to give you a reason to chat.

Meaningful pictures

Send pictures of objects or places with some kind of meaning and tell them why it's important to you.

Facebook tag

It's simple, you just write, "TAG!" somewhere on their Facebook wall. You can play this with multiple friends.

Picture conversation

Instead of using words, only pictures instead. Have a common theme or conversation. (For example, when I did it, we focused on the proper way to eat, which turned into how bad of cooks we are, which turned into how grumpy the other person is...all joking, of course.)

Videos

Substitute pictures with videos! It could be something you had a discussion about, or what songs you have been listening to recently. (Laughing yoga is a good place to start.)

"It was something like this..."

My old roommate and I played this even while we were living together. Find a picture (we did strange/creepy animals), send it to the other person, and let them determine what "it" looks like.

Dance party

My favorite? Billy Joel. One person plays a song from their laptop or iHome, and then the two of you can rock out.

Q & A

It's simple. Ask each other questions back and forth, but make them as creative as possible. The rules are that you have to answer them honestly and truthfully. Whoever refuses to answer the question first is the loser.

Have fun with it. Add your own flare! Be creative and willing to try new things. Being away from the people you love can be hard, but there are still many ways to stay close.