Teach a grandparent, elderly neighbor, or other senior
citizens how to be involved in the world's largest social
networking site. Since its launch in 2004, Facebook has
become one of the most popular social networking sites on
the Internet. While many of its users are teenagers and
young adults, it's also an excellent way for all family
members to keep in touch in our busy and often
geographically dispersed lives. With 36.5 million senior
citizens in the United States alone, and 351,000 people
becoming a "senior citizen" each year,[1] seniors aged 65 to
74 make up 5.4 percent of internet users. And 35.9 percent
of seniors are regular internet accessors,[2] making
motivated senior citizens a rich source of potential
Facebook users. If you're keen to help your grandparents
stay in touch with the rest of the family, helping them to
get onto Facebook might just be one of the best things you
can do to keep them connected! Here are some suggestions on
how you can help get a senior citizen or two connected on
Facebook.
!! Steps !!
Be open-minded. It doesn't matter what age you are – you can learn
technology. The real barrier is likely to be attitude – the
younger generations believing that there is no point teaching older
generations Facebook, and in turn, the elderly believing there is no
point being a part of such online social networking.
* Focus on the reality that senior people care deeply about any
method of communication that will enable them to remain connected
with their family, friends, and other people they care about.[3]
The convenience, accessibility, and low expense of online
interaction provides adequate motivation to try something new like
Facebook provided you explain the purpose and benefits adequately.
* Focus on making it clear that there is nothing magical or strange
about Facebook. Have clear explanations ready.
* Bear in mind that older adults tend to be persistent, patient, and
enjoy seeking out intellectual stimulation.[4] In addition,
elderly people tend to be just as curious as kids.[5] Take these
positive traits and apply them to your Facebook training.
Explain the purpose of Facebook to your elderly potential convert.
Unless you've been specifically asked by your elderly friend how
to use Facebook, this may be your biggest hurdle. If you're trying
to get granddad convinced to have a Facebook account, you're
likely to be asked: "But what do I want to do that for? What's it
do for me that I don't already have?" And because all adults need
to know why they need to learn something and are most attentive
when the learning is of immediate value and relevancy,[6] you'll
have to take a deep breath and come up with some persuasive
reasons, such as:
* "It's a great way to find old buddies!" – Explain to your senior
friend how easy it is to catch up with long lost friends. Many
elderly people are reconnecting with long-lost friends via
Facebook.[7] If you have any examples, provide them, especially if
they involve elderly people.
* "It's a way that you can keep in touch with me and the rest of the
family!" – Show your senior friend photos, status updates, and
other family information that they can tap into and keep abreast
of as family grows, travels, achieves successes, etc.
* "X celebrity uses it!" – Name their favorite celebrity,
politician, poet, author, sportsperson, etc., and show them his or
her account. Explain how they can be a fan of this person on
Facebook, such as Susan Boyle.[8]
* "You don't need to remember anyone's email, let alone email them!"
– Show how they can keep up with friends just by using Facebook.
* "You can get free deals, specials, etc., from your favorite stores
and companies!" – Show them how they can find vouchers, coupons,
special deals etc., by becoming fans of certain company sites.
* "You can play games on Facebook!" – Take the time to show them
games and apps like Farmville on Facebook that might pique their
curiosity.[9] Growing numbers of seniors are enjoying Facebook
games, which has the added benefit of exercising the brain and
hand muscles.[10]
* "Facebook can narrow the generation gap."[11] - Throw this one in
to show you think granddad's as hip as you!
Explain the basics to your senior friend before opening an
account. Facebook can be pretty confusing to master for people
who are new to social networking, whatever their age. If you have
an account on the site, log in and give your senior friend a
visual overview of how to get started, using your account as an
example. Work through it slowly and methodically and be patient.
If you need to go over things again, do so.
* Repeat what you're showing them, take it slowly, and stop after
every few explanations to give them hands-on practice.[12]
* If you're getting frustrated, either take a break, or suggest that
they can contact you whenever they strike a problem or have a
question rather than repeating things too many times. Older adults
learn best by "doing" and it might be a good idea just to go and
get a cup of coffee and read a magazine in the background while
they play around with it for a bit.
* Don't use Facebook or online jargon without explaining it. For
example, instead of going on about having a good avatar, be sure
to say something like: "It's really important to make sure you
have a clear photo on your profile page. A photo is usually known
as an avatar. People look to see your photo or avatar to work out
whether or not they know you." Keep in mind that all online
related words you use must be translated to more commonly known
words until your senior friend is used to the new terms.
* Make sure your senior friend can commit to being a member of
Facebook. If your granddad is only doing this to humor you, it's
probably a waste of time. Ask if the person you're helping is able
to spend a little time now and then answering messages and friend
requests from old buddies. The reactions you receive to your
persuasive reasoning outlined above should help you to work out
their level of likely ongoing active interest.
Create their account with them. Adjust volume and font size if
necessary, before starting. Ensure that your senior friend has a
valid email address before signing up; it's required and it's useful
for receiving notifications of messages, friend requests, events,
and so on, outside of Facebook. If they do not have an email
address, create one for free using providers such as Gmail, Yahoo,
Hotmail, etc. Have them fill in all the required fields when
creating the Facebook account, and if they're uncomfortable
providing personal information, show them how to customize their
privacy settings as you go.
* Reassure them about their privacy settings. Explain the settings
thoroughly to make sure that they know what is and is not
searchable by other people online. Respect the extent of privacy
they wish to enforce.
* Don't be afraid to print out the account steps in large print.
Allowing older adults to read the instructions and explanations on
paper can be reassuring and can help the learning and recognition
process to activate more quickly.
* Show your elderly friend how to add information to their profile.
An email address and birthday is pretty bare for a Facebook
profile - help them add information such as their current or
former place of employment, old high schools or colleges, likes
and interests, contact information, and more. Remember, the
accessibility of all information can be adjusted with "Privacy
Settings".
* Help your senior friend join a school or workplace network, as
well as Groups and Pages pertaining to old clubs or interests.
This is a great way for them to reconnect with old friends,
relatives, coworkers, employees, classmates, etc.
Encourage your newly converted elderly Facebook member to add their
wisdom to Facebook. Everyone can learn from what senior citizens
have to share. Encourage your senior friend to open up and share
stories, thoughts, ideas, and wisdom with others on Facebook.
* If your senior friend really takes to Facebook, help him or her
gain a wider following of friends by telling your friends and
liking and sharing their updates.
Learn from them. The wisdom of people who have lived many decades
is irreplaceable and intensely valuable. If your newly Facebook
converted senior friend makes pertinent comments about using the
site, the way people are using the site, or even your seeming
addiction to it, then maybe they're onto something. Keep your ears
open to learn from their wise perspective about a modern way to do
something humans have always done - keeping in touch.
* Have a cup of something together and ask your senior friend what
his or her thoughts about Facebook are. Ask questions and find out
if there are any ways you can help to enhance their experience of
being on Facebook. And remember to have a good laugh to relieve
the tension built up from learning a new skill.
* Let it be. If you've tried and your senior friend has been polite
but displays a total lack of disinterest the moment you turn your
back, be understanding. It isn't necessarily because they're older
– it's probably because they're a lot wiser about how they'd
like to use their time, and it's just not for them. Stick with the
tried and true methods of keeping in touch through phone calls
and turning up now and then.
!! Tips !!
* Be sure to tell them clearly and reassuringly what they're signing
up for.
* Keep the teaching short. If it's not going so well initially, be
prepared to break up the teaching into shorter blocks over a short
space of time. In addition, don't overdo the teaching of separate
parts of Facebook at any one time. Do one thing at a time and then
take breaks, or come back to other elements of Facebook on a
different day.
* It can help if you can spend a little time doing some research
beforehand to find Facebook pages that might be of interest to
them rather than expecting your senior friend to "get it". If you
lay the groundwork, this allows your senior friend to just jump
right in and start using the site and pages already liked, giving
them the chance to spread their wings by doing.
* Areas of special interest to senior citizens include health,
leisure, and finances. Bear this in mind when looking for Facebook
pages of interest to them.
* The benefits of being a part of Facebook as a senior citizen can
help to reduce feelings of loneliness or even depression, and can
improve their ability to socialize with others online.[13][14][15]
!! Warnings !!
* Keep your impatience in check. It's quite possible they're just as
impatient with your enthusiasm to treat Facebook as the next best
thing but they're too polite, experienced, and wise to mention it.
* Be sure to explain privacy issues and activate all privacy
requirements. Older people have more experience of privacy
intrusions and are likely to be more wary (rightly so) of privacy
breaches. In the process of helping them, listen closely to their
concerns about privacy; you may learn a thing or two about the
value of being more guarded too!
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Internet access
* Facebook account
* Information on Facebook joining process and privacy issues
* Printer (optional) - if you're printing off instructions, etc.
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Make a New Facebook Account
* How to Deal with Not Having a Facebook or MySpace
* How to Create a Facebook Profile
* How to Add Friends on Facebook
* How to Get More Fans for Your Facebook Page
!! Sources And Citations !!
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
0 comments:
Post a Comment