A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Social Networking

Seniors who may live alone, or may live far away from loved ones and close friends can benefit immensely from using social networking sites. These social networking sites may offer a welcome connection to the outside world for seniors who may not be able to get out as much as they would like. Social websites may be intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be surfing the web in no time, with the proficiency of any teenager on your block. The first thing you must do is to get over your fear of computers and social networking sites and dive right in.

Social networking sites can be great places to meet people, keep in contact with friends and family, share pictures and videos, even to make new friends all over the world. The first thing you’ll want to do is to spend some time on your computer, perhaps looking up interesting things in Google, to get a feel for your computer. Many senior citizens after a few weeks become more proficient at using the computer than any teenager or young adult, because of their extensive life experience and high knowledge levels.

Many senior citizens may feel certain apprehensions about using social networking sites due to a multitude of reasons. The truth is that the senior citizen age group is one of the fastest growing demographics on social networking sites, as more networking sites are starting to cater to an older, more sophisticated generation. Popular sites like Facebook and Myspace have gone to great lengths to make their sites more accessible to senior citizens, as well as giving them more features specifically designed to an older demographic.

Social networking is not for kids anymore, just ask the Agewell Foundation who has recently announced plans to launch InteractWell, a social networking site specifically designed for senior citizens. Not only is it a place for seniors to come together and interact, but a place for them to share their views regarding life experiences, all across the globe. Sites like these offer senior citizens a way to interact with other seniors who may feel as apprehensive about social networking as they do. It is a great place to meet other seniors who have similar interests, not to mention contact lost friends and family that may have grown out of touch. With the support of other seniors learning to use social networking sites for the first time, it will help ease your mind about using these sites and open you up to a whole new world of interaction and communication.

Most social networks are free and only require an email address and password. Once you go to the site and set up your free account you’re ready to upload pictures and start making friends as soon as possible. You can set up your profile to express yourself in any way you see fit, and interact with people from all over the world, with the same passion and zest for life as you have. All you have to do is sign up and sign on, and you’ll be an expert in social networking in no time.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention MeetingWave as the original source).
Don’t forget to check out our blog.
Kind regards
John Boyd
Social Networking

 

What a great post. I think the only problem is that most Seniors are not familiar with today's technology. That may be a problem right now, but in years to come, when people become more & more familiar with Social Networking, this type of protocol will really take off.

 

I actually think we have reached the point where a good number of seniors understand the basic concepts of the internet. When my mother signed up for Facebook I knew things were changing. My 70 year old mother in law and father in law are online every day. The only problem with them is that they don't tend to buy things online. They use it as a tool for free information on their hobbies.

 

A very nice post indeed, and I do agree that more and more seniors are understanding the internet and computers, which is great. You should post this around more though, because most people who are browsing Digitalpoint will know a fair bit about the internet and thus a high percentage of DP members will already be using social networking websites.