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Computer & tech help for seniors

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Lambton County’s NEW Online Newspaper

What can I say? “It is about time. Way to go Lambton Shield“

Let’s face it, now is the time to lose the ink and newsprint version and get with the times. Many magazines and newspapers are seriously looking at this concept, including the New York Times says it is going “out of print sometime” and you can bet so will the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail.

The new LAMBTON SHIELD paper is well laid out and works well with live links to reference sites, including video. It advances Social Media Marketing the way it is supposed to with adding clickable buttons for readers to share an article to Facebook and Twitter. There is also an RSS feed link. Comments online by readers sometimes make for better reading than the original article and this paper has cashed in on this new concept. All that is needed here are more active readers, but they will come and soon.

The Lambton Shield team the best media people around. J.D. Booth as Publisher/Editor, whom I have followed for many years, is well known to people in the area.

Barry Wright is an Editor/Writer and joins the team with many years of experience, both as a journalist and a radio newsroom person. Barry also has a live show on TVCogeco every Wednesday night which is a top rate interview show.

Bob McCarthy the team is a former History teacher, writer, and now a contributing editor on this new team. I have listened to Bob in seminars and he will keep us coming back for more of his extensive knowledge of our past with his amazing tales. In case you haven’t noticed,

Sarnia is quickly becoming a “centre for the arts” and in that vibe, joining this team comes Hazel Rogers. Hazel is the lead art educator at Lawrence House for the Arts, and she is editor of Arts/Entertainment/Culture on this team. Expect to be on the cutting edge of current information about what is going on in Lambton County with the arts, entertainment, and culture scene.

Expect and get the best in the current news and happenings of Sarnia Lambton. Bookmark this site NOW by clicking HERE.

“The technician set up my laptop, now what do I do?”

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE CAN BE REPRODUCED

BY GIVING ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO THE AUTHOR.

“The technician set up my laptop, now what do I do?”

By Gregory West

Ah, the wonderment of getting a new computer. No more having to watch others show off their computer skills as they demonstrate their new digital slide show, or listen about how they talk with relatives across three oceans for hours at no cost. With your new computer you are ready to join the online communities around the globe.

Three gigabytes of random access memory, five hundred gigs of hard drive, a one year subscription to some antivirus / malware protection software utility and you are “good to go,” says the clerk in the computer store.

“But does it come with a manual,” you ask?

“The manual is in the OS software,” the clerk says as he gets you to sign his copy of the credit card slip. “Have a nice day,” he hollers as you lug computer through the doors towards home.

“Ya right,” you mutter under your breath.

So many choices, too many decisions, but at least you finally got it home. Once you open the lid and go to turn on the new computer you realize that you have no idea what you are doing. In fact, you don’t know a gigabyte from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and you couldn’t care less. All you want is to on the Internet and check your email, surf some websites and maybe learn how to get those 265 photos from your digital camera.

“So now what,” you say aloud to yourself? “Where do I begin, you ask your dog in desperation as she gives you that puzzled look?

There is an easy way to learn the various computer functions you need to catch up with your computer geek of a neighbour. First, you can take a formal course at your local college. These courses usually range from beginner to advanced. You can also take online courses (courses offered over the Internet), but this takes a special skill, as many people are not used to working alone and need to get out into a classroom setup with real humans. You can also join a local computer group. Here you will find people with similar interests who provide various seminars on tech-related issues.

I have been on a computer since 1972 where an IBM System/360 Operating System was the popular system in data processing centres. Over the years I have received computer training from all methods mentioned about. In fact, today I am taking two computer courses from books that came with DVD training programs.

However, if you simply need to know one certain function on the computer, learn a software program, or how to troubleshoot a problem in your computer, I suggest Google’s YouTube videos. Computer instructors, tech companies, libraries, schools and many knowledgable individuals upload training videos to YouTube. Here you not only get free training, but targeted training. For instance, if you need to know how to install a USB flash drive in Windows 7, you simply go to youtube.com on the Internet and there will be many videos to help you through this process.

One tip for searching within YouTube for help, try using the term: “tutorials” with your search. Sometimes this will give you a full training course on the particular subject you are interested in learning. I use YouTube all the time when I need help with a particular computer program. But it doesn’t stop there either. I wanted to learn how to winterize my RV and save the hundred dollar fee, so I searched for videos on YouTube and have winterized my own trailer ever since for only the cost of antifreeze.

You can get free training from the best of both worlds. If you are new to the computer, YouTube videos will help you get an idea what you are up against, but what if you still need the help of a human. Central United Church operates a free computer drop-in training centre where you can get free help on any computer-related issue. Since September 2010 over two-hundred people have found this training centre an excellent way to learn at one’s own speed. The only cost is a food item to donate to the Food Bank. For more info: go to the website ( http://central-united-church.org/training ) or phone: 519 344-4561.

[bi-line]

Gregory West is a Mac Instructor for Lambton College.
He is also Webmaster at Central United Church, the home of Sarnia’s new
Community Computer Training Centre at: http://goo.gl/76H15.
This is free and open to the public as a community service.

Learn at your own speed.

Gregory can be reached at: prospector16(at)gmail.com

Your Parents Now Have a Laptop? Good Luck!

Santa Brought Your Parents

A Laptop! Oh No?

By Gregory West

Don’t read any further, unless you need to “Teach your parents well…”

I have always enjoyed seeing people get computers for the first time. Although it is hard to detect the look in their eyes: horror or excitement.

My first computer was in 1972, it was the size of a house, well not really, but close. It was a beast of a machine, an IBM 360 located in the data centre where I worked as a keypunch programmer. My first home computer was in 1984, a Mackintosh desktop, much smaller but not easier to use. It had no help buttons as it came with an extra box of instructional manuals. I couldn’t call others for help because hardly anyone had a home computer back then. Some people still experience huge learning curve with their first computer.

Your parents and/or grandparents may get their first computer from Santa this year…look out!  Your life will never be the same. Guess what they probably know where you live. They know your home and cell phone number. They even have your work phone number. They may have mastered the art of texting. You cannot escape from the proverbial: “How do I do this?”

I know people who literally hide. They screen calls. They turn out lights and read from the reflection of their computer screens or light candles fearing a drive-by from parents. All in an effort to evade the constant cry for tech help from relatives who want to learn but cannot figure it out alone.

Sure, we must admit it is fun at first. Seeing them slowly getting the gist of how to send and receive an email. The look in their eyes when they perform their very first Google search. This is all well and good, and even sort of healthy. But when you leave them home alone, that is when it starts. The constant queries begin like this:

Parent: “HELP me.”

You: “What did you do?”

Parent: “Nothing, I didn’t touch a thing. The computer won’t do anything.”

You: “Did you reboot the computer?”

Parent: “Do what?”

You: “Restart your system.”

Parent: “Do I unplug everything?”

You: “Never mind, I’ll be right over, AGAIN.”

It won’t stop here with one visit. Now they really start seeking you out…STOP! Wait a minute. This is our parents we are talking about. The ones who asked Santa for that computer, the same one we talked them into asking Santa. Now it is our moral duty to stand up and be counted, to come to their rescue. We are like super sons and daughters. But how can we accomplish this almost impossible task and keep our sanity?

Never fear, Google is here. Google realized this is a massive problem for many siblings and most just don’t have the time to help and designed free training videos.

Introducing: “Send your parents A TECH SUPPORT care package.” from Google. No, this is not a scam, it for real. As of this writing 13,999 parents have received this care package. Ok, I can hear the questions: ”What is it”?

Google’s TECH SUPPORT is your “saving grace”. And to be honest, you might just learn some tips and tricks yourself from these videos. Here’s how it works:

There are five categories: BASICS – WWW – COMMUNICATION – MEDIA – FINDING INFORMATION. Within each category you find real help video topics in the BASIC as Copy & Paste, Screensavers, Backgrounds, Make Text Larger or Smaller. Others such as in the WWW, as Upgrade Your Browser, Make Strong Passwords, Make a Bookmark etc. All-in-all there are 37 training videos produced by Google to assist in learning basic computer to digital photos, sound, and much more. Each video is very easy to follow along and learn at one’s own speed. One I really like is the “How to Unsubscribe to a Newsletter” sent by email subscription. It is easy. You send your parents the training video that matches their problem or program they want to learn.

I call this new GOOGLE TECH SUPPORT a “Post Christmas” must have for everyone. I will be within these 37 videos even you will find something you didn’t know or have forgotten how. Best of all, it is free with no scams attached.

For peace of mind go here to check out Google’s new TECH SUPPORT video training: http://www.teachparentstech.org

-30-

Gregory West is a Mac Instructor for Lambton College.
He is also Webmaster at Central United Church, the home of Sarnia’s new
Community Computer Training Centre at: http://goo.gl/76H15.
This is free and open to the public as a community service. Learn at your own speed.

Gregory can be reached at: prospector16@gmail.com
For more tips visit his Blog: http://gregorywest.wordpress.com

 

Google CANNED Signatures

Now you can send email with CANNED RESPONSES…

This is handy for those who have to answer lots of emails with the same subject and answer:

Rich Text Signatures in Gmail NOW AVAILABLE

Everyone uses an email signature. What, you don’t? Come on, get with it LOL.

Rich text signatures in Gmail

Now, you can write your own rich text signatures in Gmail. Add colors
or change the font size of your signature, or insert images and links.
To add your signature, sign in to Gmail and visit the Settings page.
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/rich-text-signatures.html

This works!!!!!!!

greg

O’Reilly Media HELP Website

Your Questions Answered HERE

CHECK OUT THIS COMPUTER HELP SITE

See people helping people…

You won’t regret the few seconds it will take to find yourself gaining the how tos on topics from not just computers, but also Q&A on the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, digital photography and so much more you will not have a question that cannot be answered.

Let’s say you “know it all”, why not lend some of your knowledge to this site by way of answering questions posed by users. It is a lot of fun and you will be helping out other computer users. And who knows, like myself, you may just find yourself learning more about what you thought you knew and didn’t.

CLICK HERE to give this site a TEST DRIVE.

CLICK HERE and get involved with O’Reilly’s New Program

Toronto Needs Angels – HELLS ANGELS

THE TIME HAS COME
TO HIRE THE BEST

Doing it Right the First Time

With almost 70 different shootings in the city of Toronto, we are becoming the Wild Wild West of North Amercia. In fact the killers in this city have no shame, morals, or even self care; yesterday, at a church funeral service for a 17 year old shooting victim, mourners witnessed a friend of the victim shot in plain view, in public and on the door steps of the church…The cops have surely lost the gun battle.

It is high time to bring in the experts to help clean up this town, it is vigilante time, it is revenge time, it is time for all citizens to have their city back and in one PEACE.

So, what should Mayor David Miller and Police Chief Bill Blair do? Simple, hire the pros – THE HELLS ANGELS MOTORCYCLE GANG…ones who are well versed in killing and rounding up people who have made prior offences a serious issue with the motorcycle club.

According the Vancouver Sun, the Hells Angels “maintain a fearsome reputation in the criminal underworld.” Canada has more Hells Angels members per capita than any other country so why not ask for their help…they are involved in other crimes and they would love the opportunity to round up these “driveby” scumbags who cowardly drive up, shoot and then quickly disappear, vanish like a scared aninmal in the night.