You Are Never Too Old to Surf!
A Book in Progress

This is a book intended for all those parents, grandparents and greatgrandparents who want to learn how to use a computer. These people may believe they cannot use a computer and so they never try. Or, they may try, but never get the full experience from using a computer. Or, they may try, have their children help them, suffer through their children’s exasperation during an explanation, and still never get their questions answered.

Why am I writing this book? Let me explain with a little story. When Internet shopping just began to be popular, my mother, who was in her 80s at the time, called me and said “I think I should come down there and see what this Internet thing is.” I replied, “Mother, they have the Internet in Chicago too.” She insisted that “no, I don’t think so, I think I need to come to St. Louis to see it.” My mother, who was never afraid to take things apart and make them work better couldn’t fathom the Internet because she couldn’t “see” it. She knew I used it a lot, but she didn’t know what it was. Unfortunately, Mother never really caught on to what the Internet is and can be. Part of that is because I, as one of those exasperated children, couldn’t figure out how to explain it to her in a way she could understand.

There are many people over 50 who cannot really fathom the Internet because it is “too magical.” They cannot see how the Internet works, they do not understand the “language” and the cannot figure out how it is similar to anything they know. They may not ever use the Internet for that reason. Or they may use the web a little, or they may use email, but they don’t feel confident in their use. Unlike younger folks, these people were raised when computers were big, scary things that were housed in special buildings with special conditions and used only by trained professionals. They find the computers intimidating. This book is written for those people, and for those who try to explain the Internet to those people.

The book is technically correct and complete, but is without the use of the normal jargon in the explanation. I have tried, instead to make the book “chatty” in an effort to engage the reader and keep his/her attention long enough to convey the concept. Further, I have tried to explain all aspects of the computer using physical analogies and practical solutions. The result is, I believe, an interesting, easy to read book that explains what is going on with their internet activities, what kinds of activities they might want to consider, and a “how to” manual to make it happen.

So, now you ask, “is there a market”? I am talking about the baby-boomer generation, of course there is a market! These folks are getting ready to retire, have grandchildren and are developing other interests. They are using the Internet (some with trepidation) more every day.

Further, there are a number of books available today that either address “senior computing” or the Internet, or both. I would put them in three categories:

1. The book that tries to do everything

      • Many of the books in this category try to provide suggestions for seniors for everything from how to purchase a computer to how to surf and use email. There is either too much information in the book so it is overwhelming, or there is insufficient detail to help the user.

      • My book is different because I look at limited activities – how to use the Internet. In this way, I can produce a shorter, tighter, less intimidating book that is still helpful.

      • Example: It’s Never Too Late to Love a Computer by Abby Stokes (New York: Workman Publishing, 2000). This particular book is easy to read and interesting but, like the other books in this category, there is just too much information in the book to provide sufficient explanation.

2. The general introduction

      • These are great books, but frequently include so much that they can be intimidating to new users. Further, since they do not focus on the baby-boom and beyond generations, they don’t teach by physical analogy and they don’t link the items to everyday needs.

      • Example: The Internet for Dummies by John Levine, Margaret Levine Young and Carol Baroudi (New York: Wiley, 2005). This is, like most Dummies books, filled with useful information. But, even the authors acknowledge, it is more of a reference book than a getting started book.

3. The scattergun approach

      • These are books that simply try to define concepts, not engage the reader. They generally are not very deep in content or instructive, and provide a superficial coverage of the topic.

      • Example: The Senior’s Guide to Easy Computing, by Rebecca Sharp Colmer (Chelsea, MI: Eklektika Press,2006). This book has many definitions, but does not provide instruction to the user.

This book is an improvement because it is focused, it is well structured and it has lots of examples.

The book draft has been evaluated by a panel of advisors including:

• two women over the age of 65 who do not use the computer at this time

• three men over the age of 50 (one over the age of 65) who have some understanding of the internet and how it is used

• two women over the age of 50 who have some understanding of the internet and how it is used

• one man under the age of 50 with some understanding of the internet and how it is used who has worked much with his parents in using the internet.

I have responded to their concerns and suggestions before providing this draft to you.

This book will have seven chapters:

Chapter 1: What is the Internet

Chapter 2: The World Wide Web

Chapter 3: The Mechanics of Browsing

Chapter 4: Navigating Special Types of Sites

Chapter 5: e-Mail

Chapter 6: Other Internet Tools such as Instant Messaging, Chat Rooms, Blogs and Wikis

Chapter 7: Security

The book takes a function approach to discussing the Internet. Chapter 1 just provides a basis for understanding the Internet. Chapters 2-4 discuss the World Wide Web. Chapter 2 provides an introduction and overview and Chapter 3 provides guidelines on how to browse and find the sites they need and want. Chapter 4 introduces some specific functionality: how to purchase, charitable click-through sites, companion sites (itunes), auction sites, and community sites. Each section describes the unique characteristics of the site and helps the reader understand how it works and why. Chapter 5 provides the parallel (to chapters 2-4) explanations for email. At this time, I expect all the content will work well in one chapter, but it may be expanded over two chapters. Finally Chapter 6 introduces “newer” web technologies that the reader may want to explore. As with the previous chapter, it may be necessary to increase this to two chapters, but it is not my current plan. Finally Chapter 7 addresses all those nasty security issues for the Internet these days. This includes updating browsers, operating systems and patches. Further, it reinforces the save internet messages that are scattered throughout the other chapters.