Idiom of the Day: keep in touch with

From the Wikimedia Commons description: U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrea L. McCellan reads to her son as it is videotaped for the United Through Reading program aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) as the ship operates in the Atlantic Ocean on June 13, 2006. Iwo Jima uses this deployment program to keep parents in touch with their children. (Image is Public Domain.)

Idiom of the Day
to keep in touch with: to maintain contact, to remain current with information about a person

Context
In the image above, a Navy officer records a video for her son.  She is far from her family, but she keeps in touch with her child with videos.

"Touch" usually has a different meaning.

Ripple Effect, by Agustín Ruiz. (Creative Commons image)

Touch in this idiom has a figurative meaning.  But, when you send emails and photos to your friends and family, you can "touch" them virtually!

Example Sentences
1) "My friends and family live in different cities, but I keep in touch with them on Facebook and Skype."

• In this situation, this person keeps in touch with the people important to her (maintains contact with, stays close with), her friends and family, using the Internet.

2) "I'm so excited for you for your trip.  Send me lots of pictures.  And keep in touch!"

• Here, this person uses the idiom as a command, so "with" is dropped from the sentence.

Grammar and Usage

"Keep in touch with" is usually used as a command.  At the end of an email, you may write: Keep in touch!  But this is a friendly command, a reminder to update the ones you love about your life.

There are two other verbs you can use with this idiom: stay and be.  "Stay in touch" is similar to "keep in touch" and is usually a polite command.

"Be in touch" is usually used in the future tense.  For example, you go to an interview.  The interview goes well.  At the end of the interview, the manager may say: "Thanks for coming in today.  We'll be in touch."  This means the manager will update you about the job.

Job Interview Cartoon from Mr. Daniel Ted Feliciano.

Now...Practice in the Comments

How do you keep in touch?  Do you write letters or emails?  Do you send videos or photos?  Do you use online applications like Facebook, Twitter, or Skype?  Is it difficult for you to keep in touch through the Internet?