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Internet for Seniors in Easy Steps for the Over 50's
by Michael and Sue Price
@SPL: 004.6780846 Pri

Readers will know that SPL offers an array of computer classes which become filled as quickly as we advertise them! To fill the gap between courses, here are two books whose titles say they are for seniors, but are really geared toward anyone who wants to brush up on their computer and Internet skills. (The bonus of these particular two is that they are for Windows Vista, that much maligned Microsoft operating system that many in the computing world would swear was designed to be the anti-Mac, that is to say, extremely difficult to use.) The first of these, Computing for Seniors, goes through the basics of all your computer parts, explains some commonly used jargon, and then walks you around what you'll see on your screen in different software applications (word processing etc.), and then helps you discover e-mail, how to play movies and music and view photographs on your computer, how to write, save and find documents - it even goes into creating household budget plans and putting them into an easy-to-read spreadsheet, as well as other domestic projects to help you stay organized. The second book, Internet for Seniors, begins by explaining the equipment you need to connect to the Internet, and has an excellent chapter about searching, following links and adding favourite websites to a list so you can easily find them again. The next few chapters are on the entertainment aspects of the Internet - online games (Sudoku, chess), how to watch television and radio episodes online, crafting websites, geneaology searching and making safe travel arrangements. There is a very important chapter on Internet security (which would have been better to put at the front of the book), and even a chapter on some of the more newfangled areas like blogging and RSS feeds. Both books are colourful, easy to navigate, full of tips and tricks and have well-organized indexes for quick reference. Not just for seniors by any means, these books will benefit anyone who wants or needs to improve their computer skills - the next best thing to one of our computer classes! Click here to find Computing for Seniors and here to find Internet for Seniors in our on-line catalogue.