Santa Brought Your Parents
A Laptop! Oh No?
By Gregory West
Donât read any further, unless you need to âTeach your parents well…â
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 couldnât 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: âHow do I do this?â
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: âHELP me.â
You: âWhat did you do?â
Parent: âNothing, I didnât touch a thing. The computer wonât do anything.â
You: âDid you reboot the computer?â
Parent: âDo what?â
You: âRestart your system.â
Parent: âDo I unplug everything?â
You: âNever mind, Iâll be right over, AGAIN.â
It wonât 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 donât have the time to help and designed free training videos.
Introducing: âSend your parents A TECH SUPPORT care package.â 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: âWhat is itâ?
Googleâs TECH SUPPORT is your âsaving graceâ. And to be honest, you might just learn some tips and tricks yourself from these videos. Hereâs 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 oneâs own speed. One I really like is the âHow to Unsubscribe to a Newsletterâ 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 âPost Christmasâ must have for everyone. I will be within these 37 videos even you will find something you didnât know or have forgotten how. Best of all, it is free with no scams attached.
For peace of mind go here to check out Googleâs new TECH SUPPORT video training: http://www.teachparentstech.org
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Gregory West is a Mac Instructor for Lambton College.
He is also Webmaster at Central United Church, the home of Sarniaâs 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: https://gregorywest.wordpress.com
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-82.403946
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