Social Networking for Seniors

Make social networking a new year’s resolution and enjoy meeting new friends.
If you are a senior citizen or in the process of approaching the golden age, then I invite you to come with me on a journey to explore social networking. This new internet based service has the potential of helping seniors to keep their minds active and to practice healthier lifestyles than what some of the traditional retirement activities offer.
You have worked hard all your life, contributed to the wellbeing of society through paying taxes and now you are facing some new challenges under more constrained conditions than what you have been accustomed to during your “working” life. The journey I am inviting you through this and the next two articles addresses introductory, moderate and advanced level activities of social networking on the Internet. I will also cover communications via e-mails to your friends and to new social networking friends (acquired through Facebook and Twitter); accessing of information on topics such as health, life styles, healthy food, exercises, games and social issues; and getting eBooks at significantly lower costs than their printed versions.
Why should you be interested in this journey?
You should be exploring this opportunity because you are likely to live longer than your parents did. Improvements in lifestyles, food consumptions (eating healthier food), medical practices and general living conditions can translate into longer life spans. Giving up smoking, keeping a healthier body, physical fitness, controlling obesity and social drinking may also add a few years to your life. Hence, you are likely to live for 10 to 20 years longer than what you thought years ago. But children are grown up and having their own family; friends may move to a different part of the country or even leave this earth; and after spending years being busy at your work, you now have free time (maybe too much free time). You planned your retirement with physical activities such as gardening, golf and some sports; but now you are finding that your body is not able to keep up with all the activities your mind has planned. You may start feeling lonely and even depressed about how to occupy all that free time. Read on and find out how you can keep your mind active with social networking.
First, you need to get connected.
The first step in social networking is to get connected to the Internet. If you don’t have a computer, then it’s time to buy one. I recommend that you shop around and compare different options and prices. If you are planning to use your computer mainly at home, then you may opt for a desk top computer, otherwise laptop, notebook or netbook models may suit your needs better. I recommend that you visit 3 different stores and get quotes from each in order to make a comparison. Talk to knowledgeable sales representatives and ask for advice on hardware configuration and prices in terms of the most cost effective option to provide you capabilities for e-mail, high speed internet access, and basic computer processing such as what MS Office with Outlook, Word and Excel can provide. If your grown-up children or grandchildren are computer literate, ask one of them for help. You will be surprised how willing they may be to help you. Otherwise, get a computer consultant to set up a system for you.
Once you have e-mail, the world can be your oyster. Get the e-mail addresses of family members and friends and you can communicate with them fast and interactively. Next, you can start getting connected to social networking such as Facebook and Twitter and make new friends around the world.
Stay tuned to this column next week as we will explore the fun-filled opportunities that Facebook and Twitter offer.