The document provides an overview of using a personal computer and the internet for seniors preparing for retirement. It discusses using a PC for communication via email, chat, video calls, and social media. It also covers using a PC to access news, travel information, manage health and finances, learn, play games, and pursue hobbies like digital photography. The document provides recommendations for what to look for when purchasing a PC and getting internet access, and where to go for help or more information.

1. My PC and the Web 'Computing for seniors' Seminar: ‘preparing for retirement’ Bruxelles-Luxembourg, 2008-Q4 http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

2. My PC and the Web: overview A PC - what for? Where to buy, where to go for help, which access provider? Hardware Software The PC and other electronic equipment Finding out more Questions and answers http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

3. My PC and the Web > A PC - what for? http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Communication: messaging, chat, telephony, exchanging, sharing Accessing the Institutions' intranet sites Keeping up with current events: press, news, RSS feeds Getting information on ... Internet shopping and managing your finances Travel Learning Playing Your Health Practising a hobby… e.g. digital photography

4. My PC and the Web > A PC - what for? > Communicating: e-mail A programme (MS Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird for Win, Mail for Mac OSX ) One or more e-mail addresses as appropriate Take care in setting up your e-mail address book Avoiding ‘spam’ (unwanted emails) Avoiding excessively large or numerous attachments Sending several ‘zipped’ files ( Quickzip ) Subscribing to ‘newsletters’ or notifications (e-mail or RSS a video to explain ) Do not open attachments from unknown senders… http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

5. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Communicating: ‘ chat ’ http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Online chat can refer to any kind of communication over the internet , but is primarily meant to refer to direct 1-on-1 chat or text-based group chat (formally also known as synchronous conferencing ), using tools such as instant messaging applications— computer programs , Internet Relay Chat , talkers and possibly MUDs , MUCKs , MUSHes and MOOes . While many of the web's well known custodians offer online chat and messaging services for free, an increasing number of providers are beginning to show strong revenue streams from paid-for services. Again it is the Adult service providers , profiting from the advent of reliable and high-speed broadband , (notably across Eastern Europe ) who are at the forefront of the paid-for online chat revolution. For every business traveller engaging in a video call or conference call rather than braving the check-in queue, there are countless web users replacing traditional conversational means with online chat and messaging. Like Email , which has reduced the need and usage of letter, fax and memo communication, online chat is steadily replacing telephony as the means of office and home communication. The early adopters in these areas are undoubtedly teenage users of instant messaging . It might not be long before SMS text messaging usage declines as mobile handsets provide the technology for online chat.

6. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Communicating: ‘chat’ – e.g. Google talk http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

7. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Communicating: ‘ video chat ’ – e.g. Google talk http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

8. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Communicating: telephone calls http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu http://www.skype.com Internet telephony with webcam or not

9. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Communicating: telephone calls http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu http://www.jajah.com Internet telephony or www.voipbuster.com www.voip.com

10. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Communicating: exchanging , sharing http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Exchanging views, voicing your opinion Forums ( e.g photography ) Wikis ( e.g. www.wikipedia.org , fr.wikipedia.org … Blogs (e.g. AIACE-Luxembourg , French language educational blogs , a blog on information sciences , some blogs hosted by the ‘ Le Monde ’ newspaper Sharing Your photos ( www.flickr.com , www.oustiti.fr ) Your videos ( www.youtube.com , www.myspace.com ) Your bookmarks ( www.del.icio.us ) Your documents : ( docs.google.com , www.zoho.com , www.slideshare.net )

11. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Overview of social media (1) Panorama des médias sociaux http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Tools to publish : blog ( Typepad , Blogger , Skyblog , WordPress …), wiki ( Wikipedia , Wikia , Wetpaint …), citizen journalism ( Digg , Newsvine , Wikio , Agoravox …) ; Tools to share : videos ( YouTube , Dailymotion …), photos ( FlickR …), links ( del.icio.us , Ma.gnolia …), music ( Last.fm , Deezer …), slides ( Slideshare ), product surveys ( Crowdstorm , Stylehive …) suggestions for evolution ( Feedback 2.0 ) ; Tools to discuss : forums ( PHPbb , vBulletin , Phorum …), video forums vidéo ( Seesmic ), instant messaging ( Yahoo! Messenger , Windows Live Messenger , Meebo …), voice over Internet ( Skype , Google Talk …) ;

12. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Overview of social media (2) Panorama des médias sociaux http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu General social networks : ( Facebook , MySpace , Bebo , Hi5 , Orkut …), business ( LinkedIn , Boompa …) or Ning Micropublication ( Twitter , Pownce , Jaiku , Plazes …) and ( twitxr , tweetpeek ), and also services for lifestream ( FriendFeed , Socializr …) Livecast ( Justin.tv , BlogTV , Yahoo! Live , UStream …) et leurs équivalents mobiles ( Qik , Flixwagon , Kyte , LiveCastr …) Virtual life ( Second Life , Entropia Universe , There…), 3D chats ( Habbo , IMVU …), and for kids ( Stardoll , Club Penguin …) Multiplayers games ( Neopets , Gaia Online , Kart Rider , Drift City , Maple Story ), les MMORPG ( World of Warcraft , Everquest …) or portal for casual game ( Cafe , Pogo , Kongregate , iWin …).

13. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Communicating: your own personalised homepage for your browser http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu www.netvibes.com Google, Yahoo … offer similar possibilities

14. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Accessing the Institutions’ intranet sites http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu European Parliament Commission: http s ://intracomm.ec.europa.eu Other EU institutions See www.aiace-luxembourg.eu for practical advice

15. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Keeping up-to-date with current affairs: press, news, RSS feeds http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Press International press ( Courrier International ) Newsletters , forums , blogs , surveys RSS feeds Le Monde , Le Figaro , Libération, International Herald Tribune Süddeutsche Zeitung The Guardian , BBC , The Independant , The Economist Süddeutsche Zeitung International Herald Tribune IlSole-24Ore

16. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Keeping up-to-date with current affairs: > e.g. news on Nepal http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Google Alert FAQ ( english version ) Google Alert FAQ en français

17. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Keeping up-to-date with current affairs: a RSS feed http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Google reader help

18. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Travel: Google Earth http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu For UK: ordnance survey For France, see also the site of the Institut Géographique National www.geoportail.fr Google Earth is a free programme to be downloaded to your PC or Mac Google Earth and UK Met office, global warming http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/index.html

19. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Travel: www.geoportail.fr http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu For UK: ordnance survey

20. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Travel: by air ‘ Low-cost’ airlines Ryanair , Wizzair , Airberlin , and others in Europe Airports In Luxembourg , Germany , France , the UK … Maps and hotel reservations www.maporama.com , www.viamichelin.com , maps.google.com Formalities: e-Tickets Useful addresses www.skyscanner.com www.bravofly.fr , www.flylc.com , www.easyvoyage.com , www.sprice.com http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

21. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? >Your Health The Web as a location to exchange your health concerns ( USA Online Health Search 2006 PEW ): Pros and cons Your Genome ? 23andMe , DecodeMe Websites EN: Revolutionhealth , WebMD , Medlineplus (site gouvernemental) FR: HAS , Doctissimo , eSanté , Medinet.be , Canadian-Health-network The seniors americans seniors and eHeath (an english survey) Day to day life and gerontology ( rapport Ministère Santé en FR ) F ondation Health on The Net HON@CODE as a quality label. http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

22. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Google Health http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu http s ://www.google.com/health/html/about/ Of course, you must have an account by Google http://www.healthvault.com/ b y Microsoft

23. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Finding documents and information http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu All the knowledge in the world?

24. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Finding information > Using G Y M ? http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu G oogle ( www.google.com ) Y ahoo ( www.yahoo.com ) M icrosoft ( www.live.com ) and other search engines (a list of search bookmarks can be found on del.icio.us , bookmark sharing site ) Searches must be properly defined to find relevant hits … The « Google guide » from Nancy Blachman: a must to use properly Google Information evaluation ( Berkeley University ) Browsing the web with www.wikipedia.org , fr.wikipedia.org , de.wikipedia.org as a starting point

25. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for? > Internet shopping, managing your finances http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu On-line shopping: Is it safe? Bank cards and ‘ https ’ The big players: Amazon (books) ... Auctions: eBAY the long tail Managing your finances: banking (on-line transfers and account statements etc.) on-line financial and economic information, stock-exchange etc.

26. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for ? > Learning … languages http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Honing your skills: Multilingual language tests / vocabulary exercises in … ( Goethe Institut ) BBC learning english ( BBC ) www.elearning.lu ( Uni.Lu ) www.firdaous.com/Cours-d-arabe.htm ( arabe ) Resources … Language tools – Dictionaries (in FR) Learning languages via the Internet (FR as a teaching medium) BBC languages (EN as a teaching medium) The Economist Style guide Babylon (on-line translations whilst browsing the web)

27. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for ? > Games http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Games? Happy Neuron : Scientific research proves that to stay fit and at the top of our game, our brains need exercise just like our bodies. Happy Neuron’s entertaining and challenging games are fun AND scientifically developed to keep our brains fit. Based on personal progress , Happy Neuron will also provide you new challenges. Track your progress , challenge your friends, Play Smart! Crosswords, Sudoku: example Play with your kids (and check they are doing) http://www.e-enfance.org/ http://www.filtra.info Fitness: Wii Fit

28. My PC and the Web > A PC – what for ? > Practicing a hobby… > for example: digital photography http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu image software ( Adobe Photoshop , Lightroom range) transferring your photos to your PC (USB cable or, better still, card reader) filing your photos (Adobe Album PhotoShop Elements 6 to begin with) choosing which photos to keep and which to delete (most difficult of all) correcting the images (Adobe PhotoShop Elements 6 to begin with) sharing your photos (by e-mail and or publishing them on the Internet ): an example with ultralight planes printing your photos on photo paper (expansive to buy a printer), printing an paper album concerning a given event saving your photos ( formats , media) and what if disaster strikes training ? Last but not least, an excellent address: www.ciel.lu Hi-spec equipment: CPU, RAM, graphic card, screen(s), graphics tablet, memory card reader, printer (?), CD-DVD burner, external HD

29. My PC and the Web > What and where to buy > how to connect to the Internet > troubleshooting What to buy? Portable + : mobility (relative), small size - : more expensive, performance, limited battery-life Desktop + : price, modularity, evolution, demands (graphics, simulations, games) - : size Components Processor and cards, random access memory (RAM), screen, hard disk, CD-DVD reader/burner, speakers, keyboard, mouse or touchpad, HD back-up Printer (keep an eye on consumables) Internet connection Software http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

30. My PC and the Web > What and where to buy > how/where to connect to the Internet > troubleshooting Where to buy? Local store By mail E.g. www.dell.fr , www.dell.de Pay attention to after-sales service Price vs service (the cheapest is not always best) Price, an indication Desktops from 349€ ( ? ) Portables from 499€ ( ? ) Software and peripherals http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

31. My PC and the Web > What and where to buy > how to connect to the Internet > troubleshooting How to get an Internet connection? Choosing an internet service provider (ISP) ? Life expectancy of ISP? Service? Home installation Speed? ADSL … watch out for location WiFi? (encryption to protect your line!) Troubleshooting http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

32. My PC and the Web > Hardware Keyboard, mouse, screen, speakers … Electricity (mains or battery) Central processing unit (CPU), cards … Working memory (RAM) Mass storage (hard disk - HD) CD / DVD reader/burner Printer and paper Various local connections and to the outside world … finding out more http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

33. My PC and the Web > A PC : how does it work? Software on your PC … or elsewhere Operating System Microsoft XP and Vista, Apple OS X, Linux, ‘Web OS’ Applications (software) Drafting, calculating, presenting, communicating MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Explorer) , OpenOffice - Firefox - Thunderbird , Google applications (via the Internet) Communicating with the Internet: browsers and HTTP MS Explorer 7, Mozilla Firefox 2, Apple Safari, Opera possibly other software depending on your needs Exchanging messages and files (SMTP) MS Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird Viewing or playing images, sounds, videos … Reading certain files PDF, Flash, Java Protecting your PC ( Norton Antivirus , Karpinski Antivirus, Avast ), Avoiding unwanted e-mails (spam) Other software, free of charge or not, according to your needs http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

34. My PC and the Web > A PC: how does it work? > Software … elsewhere (on the Web) http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

35. My PC and the Web > A PC: how does it work? > Software … elsewhere (on the Web) http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

36. My PC and the Web > A PC: how does it work ... With you >Ergonomy http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu Bad positions Practical guide to work at screen and keyboard (OSHA-USA) Guide pratique du travail à l’écran ( www.rh.inserm.fr )

37. My PC and the Web > A PC: how does it work? > Internet service providers (ISP) Luxembourg www.pt.lu/ , www.tele2tango.lu/fr/private/tango/ , www.coditel.lu/ France www.orange.fr , www.free.fr/ , www.neuf.fr Example: ADSL 100% Neuf Box >>> high-speed Internet up to 20 Mb/s Unlimited telephone calls - to landlines in France and more than 30 other countries including Algeria AssilaBox ( see list ) - telephone subscription included without need to change number High Definition Television - 69 channels included ( see list ) - integrated digital tv tuner - optional (paying) access to over 150 channels - digital video recorder with control over direct - access to video on demand with more thatn 1000 titles available Nine gigabytes (9 Gb) of partitionable on-line storage WiFi ‘Neuf Box’ included http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

38. My PC and the Web > A PC: how does it work ? > Internet service providers (ISPs) ISPs in Europe: further consolidation. Buyers lining up for AOL Europe's ISP portfolio. In the UK, it would appear that BSkyB and BT are best placed. Telecom Italia would seem to be interested in acquiring the French and German branches. In France, it is competing with 9 télécom which would move up to second place behind Wanadoo. Free could be tempted in order to prevent its rival replacing it as the second biggest player. It would also be a good move for Club Internet which could make up for lost time in the area of high-speed connections particularly since it is preparing to launch an innovative video service based on Microsoft technology. In Germany, Telecom Italia would have to fight it out with the Dutch Versatel group which wishes to expand its operations to include ISP. The ISP market is liable to see further consolidation since the value of Internet subscriptions should fall as a result of which it will be necessary to to develop the economic model offering more higher added-value services. These will enter into competition with on-line and the services offered by ASP software companies (Google Yahoo Microsoft aka GYM…). The squaring of the economic circle won’t be easy with the replacement of hardware, with higher prices, in order to offer ever more sophisticated services and the inevitable reduction in connection charges in relation to more and more expensive services and contents. We are entering into an uneasy period where there might well be some surprises. In this context, it is the communications groups which are best placed and in France, Free’s choice between merging or putting itself up for sale in the coming months will set the tone for the French market. By way of comparison, one need only look at the developments in the vidoe game sector. The leading game developers have seen their capitalisation reduced by 25% in recent times, in other words, some 6 billion US dollars went up in smoke. The reason for this is simple: developments in the gaming platforms lead to renewal but the new functionalities also result in an unbridled increase in development costs. Increased competition and marketing costs have at the same time left many players in a vulnerable position. The same will happen with ISPs. http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

39. My PC and the Web > How does it work ? >Internet Service Providers (ISP) http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu How many ISPs and Internet players will ther still be in 10 years’ time ? In the meantime >>> Telecoms, ISPs ISPs account for most consumer complaints in 2006 Difficult times for ISPs' set to continue. The DGCCRF, the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumption and Repression of Frauds, which is currently organising meetings with ISPs to check the quality of their customer services, has just published its 2006 assessment of complaints in the telecommunications sector. The conclusions could not be clearer: with 17 322 complaint procedures, ISPs represent the most criticized sector of activity. In total , 29 704 complaint procedures were recorded, i.e. 4.1% less than the previous year. Despite these rather optimistic results, the DGCCRF notes that "the level of the consumers' dissatisfaction remains high". Indeed, the complaints against Internet services now account for 58,3% of all recorded procedures. Their number increased by 17.4% in relation to 2005, where 14 755 complaints had been lodged by private individuals. The principal reasons for complaints relate to technical problems (29% of the total), difficulties in cancelling services (22%) and problems relating to invoicing (9.7%). Another complaint factor is that with the generalisation of total l ocal loop unbundling which enables the subscriber to have a telephone line while freeing terminating the subscription to France Telecom, technical problems which may affect the proper functioning of the Internet may also affect the telephone line.

40. My PC and the WEB > PCs and other electronic equipment Mobile phones, personal organisers ( PDAs ) iPOD ( MP3 players) GPS (global positioning system) Digital cameras (stills and video) Digital tv Computer accessories ( typically via a USB connection ): Printer (multifunction: scanner, fax), scanner, photo printer, graphics tablet , external hard disk, USB memory stick, memory card readers, Webcam , headset with microphone, video projector , joystick, speakers… Game consoles (Sony PS3 , Nitendo Wii , Microsoft Xbox 360) Networked PCs Towards a local or external ‘media centre’ http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu

41. My PC and the Web > Addresses to help understand the Web and its evolution http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu How big is the Web ? The Hidden Web A possible future of research? See the article on Freebase The stakes in the international governance of the Internet: documents Why a new Internet protocol ( IPv6 ) After ‘ DNS ’, ‘ ONS ’ towards an Internet of objects identified by ‘ RFID ’:

42. My PC and the Web > Questions and answers Want to know more? Download the presentation and the links from www.AIACE-luxembourg.eu or http://www.slideshare.net/jraybaut/slideshows Any questions? Ask them today, or Submit them in writing - on the same site (under ‘comments’) or by e-mail jraybaut@pt.lu Thank you http://www.aiace-luxembourg.eu