Thursday - May 10, 2012
Despite having a computer in the home at several points in her life, my mother still doesn’t “get” them. First we had a Commodore 64 in the ’80s, then a PC in the early ’90s. Truth told, however, it was me using them, not my mom. So when in 2007 I gave her a Windows-based computer I had built earlier in the decade, she still reacted as if an alien had been invited into the house.
“You’re going to have to write down every step to using this,” she told me, “because I’ll never be able to remember it all. It’s just too confusing.”
I patiently wrote down the basics and walked my mom through it. Today she has a newer computer and can more or less check her e-mail, search for gardening information online, and make sure her anti-virus program is still updated. She’s still far from being comfortable with it, but through education and a bit of trial and error, she’s slowly becoming more technologically savvy.
Millions of Baby Boomers, now beginning to turn 65, have found themselves in similar situations. And while some of them may have minor experience with the technology so many of us take for granted today, others struggle to even understand the basic vocabulary — words like Google, download, and URL — associated with our tech world.
“Those are terms you think everyone would know, but you have to sit down and explain them,” Patrick Bolidoro, a tech tutor, told the Los Angeles Times’ Tina Susman.
Bolidoro is a student at New York’s Pace University, earning credits participating in a “gerontechnology program” designed to help seniors tackle the technology problem. The program, while unique in its own right as a university outreach effort, certainly isn’t an isolated one, however. From elementary schools to libraries, tech training programs continue to sprout up as seniors from all walks of life want to learn more about the rapidly changing tech world around them. Whether it’s a class at the local library on finding jobs online or a three-day seminar for seniors to learn the Internet, those without computer experience are finding opportunities to learn.
But what’s driving Baby Boomers to willingly try such classes? As journalist Susan Shelly demonstrates in a recent piece for Reading Eagle, while some seniors aren’t as excited about learning the ‘net as others, there’s a fundamental feeling of being “a bit isolated and left out of society as more and more of it revolves around technology.”
This feeling continues to drive many to learn how to better integrate technology into their lives. Shelly references how Nancy Dettra, 80, has grown fond of using Skype to video chat with her grandsons, who are studying abroad. Then there’s Carl Bloss, 78, who uses the Internet to research and share genealogy information. Yet amidst the optimism and excitement many seniors have about slowly feeling more connected and less isolated, a nagging concern remains about how well versed they are in protecting themselves online, especially from online criminals attempting to prey on the elderly.
“Criminals understand that seniors are from a different generation,” Dublin, California police Detective Alan Dumatol told The Oakland Tribune. “They’re a lot more trusting. They are vulnerable because they can be isolated socially, and seniors don’t always report being victims because they’re either embarrassed or afraid.”
Of course, such words shouldn’t be meant as scare tactics; we shouldn’t be trying to drive seniors away from tech learning. Rather, educators should stress the benefits and joys of technology and the Internet while at the same time being realistic about the risks any person may face while utilizing them. Such a balanced approach to teaching seniors about technology and Internet safety should in theory promote an even greater interest in the tech that enhances the lives of people from all walks of life. And in the end, seniors may very well feel more connected to others in their lives.
“My children look at me differently,” Roz Carlin, 93, told Susman after completing Pace University’s tech education program. “I feel like one of them, and they treat me like one of them too.”
Photo via Knight Foundation, Flickr Creative Commons
Thursday - Apr 26, 2012
In light of the observance of Preservation Week, I want to shift gears a bit for this week’s post and talk briefly about a topic dear to me: saving your data.
The Internet age has brought with it many changes to how we use and share information. Rather than writing information in notebooks and letters, we now write digital books and e-mails. Additionally, media like music, photos, and videos are commonplace in the digital realm, replacing shoeboxes of photos and cabinets of VHS tapes and CDs.
What gets forgotten at times, however, is not only how easy it is to lose digital data, but also how quickly media formats change. With this digital revolution of information comes the need for a “preservation revolution,” one that allows us to easily and quickly store and convert digital media so it may live on as part of our rich digital culture.
That said, here are four groups of Internet services that are key to helping you save your digital data.
Online data storage
Relying solely on the hard drive of your computing device to securely save your data isn’t the best idea. Hard drives fail and data can become corrupted. Thus, a better storage plan is necessary to minimize the chances of losing your data. External hard drives and flash drives make for useful backup options. Another viable option is online data storage. Enter services such as Carbonite , CrashPlan, and DropBox.
The main idea behind these services is to allow you to upload your files and sync them to your computing devices. Say, for example, changes to a file on your home desktop are uploaded to one of these services. You then can go somewhere else with Internet access and access the file, update it, and have the file on your desktop at home also be automatically updated.
All three services have similar features, with some imposing different limits on file size and file type depending on what kind of account (free or paid) you have. I recommend comparing the prices and features of the services to find the one that suits your needs best. Having the peace of mind your files are backed up in an additional location is worth the effort.
Online profiles
Whether you’re new to the Internet and share information like hugs, or you’re a grizzled veteran of the online world and consciously limit your sharing habits, you’re likely to leave a digital “fingerprint” on the Web. That fingerprint may come in the form of shared photos, videos, and blog posts, or it may take the shape of anonymous posts on a private forum. And with the surge in number of social media tools, information sharing is occurring in ways previously not thought possible. Tweets shared on Twitter, conversations had on Facebook, contacts made on LinkedIn, and blog entries posted via WordPress: these all are examples of data you may wish to preserve.
Several catch-all options exist for collecting your online data from social media and e-mail accounts. Backupify allows users to back up and retrieve information via two separate plans: one for social media accounts (as well as Gmail) and another for Google Apps accounts. The social media plan has a free option for up to three accounts and one gigabyte of information, as well as several paid account options. The Google Apps option starts out at $3 per month, per user. Both plans allow users to back up their accounts on a weekly basis, browse archived content, and even download it for personal use. In some cases, data can also be restored. A competing service BackupMy offers similar services, though it’s not clear if they also allow you to download the archived information. BackupMy also adds blog and photo archiving services to the mix, with a free trial to all backup services.
Images and videos
When it comes to backing up your images and videos online — while also allowing them to be shared with the rest of the world — Flickr remains a strong option. The site is constantly evolving, allowing users to share and store their media in new ways with whom they wish. Yet even more sophisticated options exist in the form of 1000memories and LiveOn. Both sites are designed to allow users to archive their digital photos for family, friends, and future generations.
What makes 1000memories stand out is its “shoebox” feature, which allows users to group photos into definable themes, all for the low cost of free. Its downside for now seems to be that video uploads aren’t an option. As for LiveOn, in addition to free photo and video uploads, it gives users the option to create a “timeline” on their account, allowing for a more chronological categorization of content. However, I’m a little skeptical of how often they state they’ll guard your information “forever.” Nothing lasts forever, including businesses.
Legacy information
Speaking of things not lasting forever, we humans tend to have this habit of ceasing to be, sometimes without much warning. Enter online services which preserve and pass on your vital “information assets” to one or more beneficiaries. Usernames and passwords, financial information, and digital documents are all options for storing, not only for now, but also for a future when you may not be around. This also aids others who may need to tend to your online accounts after you die.
Two major online entities for these services are Legacy Locker and SecureSafe. Both have similar features and offer a free version as well as paid options. Legacy Locker seems to be somewhat less expensive though perhaps less comprehensive than SecureSafe. One interesting feature that seems to be exclusive to Legacy Locker is the “legacy letter,” one or more prepared letters or videos which can be sent to assigned recipients upon your passing. SecureSafe seems more formal, though it boasts iPad and iPhone support.
Photo via woodleywonderworks, Flickr Creative Commons
Thursday - Apr 12, 2012
Unless you’re new to the Internet — or have been living in a cave — you know that social media has been an influential part of the Web for well over a decade. As an interactive social instrument of communication, social media has shaped how we communicate with each other, all thanks to that wacky tool we call the Internet.
Social media isn’t a static tool though, oh no no no. Websites and applications that have interactive social communication tools have been coming and going for a while now, with new versions supplementing and even replacing older forms.
We’ve come a long way from the early bulletin board systems (BBSs) which allowed users to exchange messages and other data. By the time Friendster and MySpace arrived in the early 2000s, social interaction with family and friends was being taken to a new level on the Web. Then along came Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, each bringing different aspects to the world of social media. Facebook became the heavyweight in sharing information with family and friends; LinkedIn brought social media to the business world; and Twitter made microblogging fashionable for individuals and businesses alike.
But just as the Facebooks of the world have overtaken other social media sites in popularity, so shall newcomers arrive. The newest contestants in the battle to be the latest social media darling bring with them new ways to share and interact with others, including in the realm of the mobile device, an increasingly popular platform for social media.
Here are four relatively new social media sites or applications that stand a chance of making a noticeable impact (if they haven’t already).
1. Pinterest: If you’re an active female Internet user, you probably have heard of Pinterest by now. Dubbed the third most popular social media site last week, Pinterest has apparently captured the interest of the female population, boasting a nearly 97 percent subscribership from that demographic.
Pinterest gives users the ability to share images they find on the web with friends via “pinboards.” A user can have multiple pinboards, each with a different theme, featuring the ability to be commented on and shared yet again on another user’s pinboard. My Pinterest account, for example, has a mere three pinboards: one for places I’d like to travel to, another for things that “capture my imagination,” and another for writing themes. Some users have many more.
The site is very image-centric, however. While you can share news stories and other written media on the site, it can only be done through pinning an image associated with the written media. Overall, if you prefer sharing images rather than the written word, Pinterest is definitely a social media site to try.
2. Google+: Before there was Google+ there was Google Buzz. Introduced in 2010, it was met with significant criticism for its implementation. Not to be deterred, the company tried again in late 2011 with Google+. Its initial release caught some eyes, but it was slow to take off. Since then, though, it has seen a steady increase in use. Google is hoping even more jump on board with its first redesign of Google+, introduced yesterday. Built as a competitor to Facebook, Google+ has new features like a customizable navigation bar, stream of conversation “cards,” large image and video support, and “Hangout” pages.
Like many new social networking sites, there are concerns about whether or not your friends are using or going to use it. New data indicates at a minimum businesses are giving Google+ more consideration this year, and more individuals are sure to follow as Facebook continues to be an annoyance to some.
3. Instagram: Another photo sharing tool — but this time in the form of a free, purely mobile application — Instagram allows users to photograph something with their smartphone, apply a unique array of filters to the resulting photo, and then share it on Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter. Instagram doesn’t necessarily allow for social interactions, but rather it acts as an enabler for sharing photos on other social networking sites.
On April 9, news broke that Instagram was being bought by Facebook, but with the recognition it would remain separate from Facebook, at least in the short term. This raised a few eyebrows, and even some of Instagram’s most avid users weren’t thrilled by the news, resulting in a variety of negative comments. This leaves many to wonder about the long-term future of the social networking tool. Many are hoping as Facebook better defines its goals for Instagram to the public, the application’s future may become clearer.
4. Springpad: Perhaps not the most widely-known social media entity, Springpad has been around since 2008 as a place where users can save, organize, and share ideas and information like recipes, travel recommendations, and to-do lists in a “notebook.” A new update to Springpad was revealed yesterday, however, that aims to make it an even more “social” media tool. Now you can share your notebooks publicly or privately with other users. Additionally, you can now follow other people’s notebooks, which like Pinterest, can receive their own theme, allowing you to follow a user’s recipe notebook but not their travel itinerary. Images now play a heavy role in notebooks, allowing for more than just text to be shared. Springpad can be accessed via the Web or through a mobile application, making it even easier to update your notebooks at any moment. It will be interesting to see if the changes draw in more of the typical social media crowd, especially given the recent surge of interest in Pinterest.
Photo via Chris Lott, Flickr Creative Commons
