Marsha Collier - Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for Seniors for Dummies

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram For Seniors For Dummies 3rd Edition

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Copyright 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2018962323

ISBN: 978-1-119-54141-7; ISBN: 978-1-119-54139-4 (ePDF); ISBN: 978-1-119-54143-1 (ePub)

Welcome to the third edition of this book. Im honored that I have been able to help thousands of people get online and use social media safely. Now you hold this power in your hands, too.

Ive been working and playing online since the mid-80s. I started out using CompuServe from my old Kaypro II with a 300-baud modem. Id log on to my computer in the evenings when I had some quiet time after work, after my daughter was asleep.

The online world I found through CompuServe had no fancy pages, videos, or even photos. Just phosphor-green text on a tiny screen. The early onliners didnt have any better technology, so we communicated by sending words across the country and around the world. We chatted with each other and joined groups to discuss our hobbies and our families.

Drawing an analogy here, there have been related social communities online for as long as there have been connected computers. Even though kids today may think they invented the current online world, todays social media are just the 21st-century continuation of a community weve known for quite a while.

Many people who were online then (in the early 80s) are still online now. People of a certain age may also (after a long career) want to jump back into the family feeling of an online community. So, even though this book title says For Seniors, you should know I dont like that term. This book is for those with experience.

Although a persistent rumor claims that only the youngsters go online, actually online participation is growing faster in people over 50. There are more online users over 40 than under 25. Perhaps these people were so busy living their lives and bringing up their children that they didnt have extra time for themselves then but they do now. And just as in the 60s or 70s, they dont want to be left out of anything. They want to be smack dab in the middle of the online revolution.

Unfortunately, a lot of what they encounter when they go online is unfamiliar stuff. So (naturally enough) some of the experienced, graying generation experience a feeling of trepidation when it comes to the Internet most of all, theyre a bit unsure about getting on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

I have to say: Why? Participating in social media is freeing and can bring so much into your life! You cant not be there! This book will give you the tools to stay safe and find joy sharing on these sites.

I encourage you: Join your extended family, your children, and your friends online. By participating in social media, youll find many of your old friends. In a world where people dont chat on the phone much anymore, the online arena is the perfect place to connect.

And you will also make new friends. I am blessed enough to have met many of my online friends in person. The online world has given me a whole new group of humans that I can call on for advice or, better yet, go out to brunch with in the real world.

Twitter is pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it, youll be Tweeting like a pro in no time. Instagram is sort of magical. I often browse the photos at any time of day, just to relax. But a website thats as complex as Facebook has many nooks and crannies that can confuse new users (and even experienced ones). Think of this book as a roadmap that can help you find your way around in the social media world, getting just as much or as little as you want from the trip. Unlike an actual paper road map, you wont have to fold it back to its original shape (whew). Just close the book and come back any time you need a question answered.