During my research about older web users, I came across this fabulous infographic from the blog post 10 Reasons Grandpa Is Cooler Than You and I just had to share it!
What I love about this infographic are the myths it clears up. Go to the original post to view it more clearly, especially if you need reading glasses like me.
Older web users are embracing the internet in the most wonderful of ways. Retirees are actually booking their holidays online rather than merely posting pictures to drool over on Pinterest. There’s no need to scoff at “loads of love”, Grandpa will not only know the correct meaning of LOL and probably use it too with a twinkle in his eye!
Once they’ve got the grandchildren to programme their TV, older web users will be streaming their films, especially the old and better ones, left right and centre. After all, there’s only crap on the telly at the moment. My Dad watches his sexy Italian films with subtitles to brush up on his Italian – of course.
Both social and technical
Facebook is becoming more of a haven for older web users, driving the younger set out. They use it purely socially, meeting the approval of Facebook, with nobody being horrid or abusive, or showing inappropriate pictures (except ones their children find embarrassing). Many have found old friends they have lost touch with, and some have even started up new relationships!
Once they’ve sat down and read through the manual, older web users love using their smart phones and tablets. They take the time to explore the different apps and what they do, and this patience is also used to thoroughly understand what can be achieved from a web-based programme to the enth degree, using it to its fullest extent, and probably finding out much more than their grandchildren.
Grandpa may take an age to text, especially with fat finger syndrome, but at least it is readable, and probably more succinct in conveying his message. Texting is also more applicable as his hearing-aid may not be compatible with his smartphone to take calls. It certainly beats CB radio or paging.
Are there such things as older web users?
Whatever your age, you can learn how to write and keep a blog like all the other proficient older web users. It just needs a different style of teaching: slower paced, more patience, and with gentle and meaningful repetition. Such as a highly visual, step-by-step, before-and-after, screen-shot based e-course that makes no assumptions of prior knowledge and uses ordinary, everyday language to explain all that jargon and what not.
Blogging is a great way of expressing yourself online. It is essentially like writing a diary on on the web. In it you can write whatever you want, from recording your day to day activities (like Housewife 49) to putting together your first book (plenty of writers have re-used their blog posts this way).
A blog is not necessarily an extremely technical thing, if you don’t want it to be. Once everything has been set up, logging in is as easy as activating your computer. Some older web users have massed extensive followers without even trying, because what they have written has triggered a response at the right time. Other bloggers happily tap away to themselves with only next door’s cat as an audience.
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