How to Run a "Whose Post Is It?" Game Over a Video Call

The guessing game at the heart of Whose Tweet? works without anyone being in the same room. Players write short posts to a prompt, the posts are shown without names, and everyone guesses who wrote what. On a video call, you lose the pass-the-phone part, so one person takes on the job of collecting answers. Everything else stays the same.

We've seen this format work for remote teams on a Friday afternoon, for friends spread across time zones and for families who can't all make it home for the holidays. Here's how to run it.

What you need

• A video call everyone can join with their camera on. Faces matter here, since half the fun is watching people try to keep a straight face.
• A way for each player to send the host a private message. Many video tools let you message one person directly. If yours only has a public chat, use any messaging app your group already shares.
• Something for the host to display posts with. A shared screen with a blank document is enough. Bigger fonts help.
• A prompt list. You can use ours or write your own.

The host's job

The host doesn't play. They pick the prompt, collect the answers, shuffle them and run the votes. Because the host sees who wrote every post, they can't guess fairly, so switch hosts between games if people want a turn.

A good host also keeps time. Remote games stall more easily than in-person ones, because nobody can see that someone has wandered off to get a drink.

Running a round

1. Announce the prompt

Read the prompt out loud and paste it into the group chat so people can see it. "Describe your Monday in 10 words" works well as a first prompt because nobody has to think hard.

2. Collect posts privately

Give players two minutes to send their answer to the host in a private message. Remind them to keep it under 280 characters, the same limit as a post on X. Anyone who misses the deadline sits out the round as a writer but can still guess.

3. Shuffle and number

The host pastes each answer into the shared document in a random order and numbers them. Strip anything that gives the writer away, such as a signature emoji someone always uses. Leave typos alone. They're evidence.

4. Reveal one post at a time

Share the screen and read post number one out loud. Then call the vote.

5. Vote all at once

Simultaneous voting is the part that needs care online. If people vote one by one, later voters copy earlier ones. Have everyone type their guess in the group chat without pressing Enter, then the host counts "three, two, one, send." The guesses land together.

Writers vote too, for someone else, so their silence doesn't give them away.

6. Reveal and score

The host names the writer and tallies points in the document. Use the same scoring as the Whose Tweet? rules: two points for each correct guess, one point to the writer for each person they fooled, and one bonus point for the round's favorite post.

Using the Whose Tweet? page as the host

The game on our home page is built for one shared device, but the host can use it as a scorekeeper. Enter the players' names, and when the game asks each player to write, the host types or pastes in that player's answer from their private message. During voting, the host records the guesses from the chat. The page handles shuffling and points, and the final screen keeps the best posts so the host can copy them into the group chat afterward.

The host still can't vote, so leave them off the player list.

Tips for remote groups

Keep groups between four and eight. Bigger groups can work, but every extra player adds a post to read and a vote to collect. For a team of 15, split into breakout rooms with one host each and compare the winning posts at the end.

Pick prompts that travel. People on a call are often in different places and situations. Prompts about food, weather, work habits and childhood memories work for everyone. Avoid prompts that assume a shared office or a shared city.

Leave room for talk. After each reveal, give the writer a moment to explain. The explanations are often better than the post.

Watch the clock. Five rounds with six players takes about 30 minutes online, a bit longer than in person. For a work meeting, three rounds fits neatly into a 20-minute slot.

A version for chat-only groups

No video at all? The same game runs in a group chat over an evening. The host posts a prompt, collects answers by private message, then posts them one by one as numbered messages. Players reply with their guesses, and the host reveals the writer an hour later. It's slower, but the delay builds suspense, and it gives people in different time zones a fair shot.

Questions