I have had personal computing as a hobby for nearly 30 years now, and my Mum always supported this hobby when I was a kid. But she has never shown any real interest in it until recently. She used to play the odd round of Blockbusters with me when I was a kid, and even managed some Horace goes Skiing on my old Spectrum.
Since I use the internet on a daily basis, both for work and personal use, she has heard me mention it more than a few times. My Mum had a PC that I built for her some time ago, but it was pretty low spec, even for broadband usage. She used to use it just to listen to her CD's and play Solitaire etc. Well, it finally gave up the ghost a few weeks before Xmas, so I decided to build her a new rig as a surprise. When she found out, she decided to order broadband too. I was shocked, as she has always said that she wasn't interested in it. I think it's because she is now on her own since her Fiance died last year, and it gives her something to do of an evening.
As the order was just before Xmas, we have had to wait till a week ago for the connection date. I could tell that the anticipation was building in my Mum, and she was looking forward to it. So anyway, I have spent the last few days giving her a crash course on internet usage, IM and also got her some good basic games to be going on with. She is picking it up slowly but surely and it's given her a new way to stay in touch with friends and family. My Mum is still nervous about using her new PC and being online, but that will get better with time. I even caught her comparing rig specs with my niece today on the phone
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I think that this side of IT is often an overlooked one, and we all hear about the downfalls of the internet all too often without seeing the other side of the coin. Seeing my Mum's enjoyment of learning new skills with her new PC was great, and I wish I could see that more often. Give my Mum 12 months, and she will be helping me with my business and be a google pro! Now all I have to do is convince my wife that computers don't bite
Since I use the internet on a daily basis, both for work and personal use, she has heard me mention it more than a few times. My Mum had a PC that I built for her some time ago, but it was pretty low spec, even for broadband usage. She used to use it just to listen to her CD's and play Solitaire etc. Well, it finally gave up the ghost a few weeks before Xmas, so I decided to build her a new rig as a surprise. When she found out, she decided to order broadband too. I was shocked, as she has always said that she wasn't interested in it. I think it's because she is now on her own since her Fiance died last year, and it gives her something to do of an evening.
As the order was just before Xmas, we have had to wait till a week ago for the connection date. I could tell that the anticipation was building in my Mum, and she was looking forward to it. So anyway, I have spent the last few days giving her a crash course on internet usage, IM and also got her some good basic games to be going on with. She is picking it up slowly but surely and it's given her a new way to stay in touch with friends and family. My Mum is still nervous about using her new PC and being online, but that will get better with time. I even caught her comparing rig specs with my niece today on the phone
I think that this side of IT is often an overlooked one, and we all hear about the downfalls of the internet all too often without seeing the other side of the coin. Seeing my Mum's enjoyment of learning new skills with her new PC was great, and I wish I could see that more often. Give my Mum 12 months, and she will be helping me with my business and be a google pro! Now all I have to do is convince my wife that computers don't bite
