Simple navigation vs. breadth of offerings

[Wendy Denton]

Adding links within categories makes the site more interesting to users. Too many links, however, may make the site too complex. How are we doing on this balance?

[Bob E]

Nice review of your "senior site" in the daily paper today. Checked it out and like it. Keep it up, and good luck. Age here 83+
Bob

[E Escargot]

I was stunned at your suggestion to "add numbers to your name (perhaps your birth date) in your email address (ex: [e-mail])" on the e-mail page. That's absolutely the worse thing you can do. Con artists and scammers will have a field day.

You then suggest "You will also be asked to create a password, which should be a combination of letters and numbers that is easy to remember (ex: smith0903)." Sorry, I feel like screaming "IDIOTS!" That's absolutely the worse thing you can suggest. People who follow your suggestions will be victimized, guaranteed.

Microsoft has a page at www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/passwords/create.aspx which offers suggestions on creating passwords. Unfortunately, the better passwords are also harder for us to remember and type in those "senior moments."

I've been advising seniors "don't use the Internet." My reasoning is that for now there are too many pitfalls. My parents are typical and far too trusting. They see a message that says "download and run this" and dutifully do so meaning their computers get choked with malware and worse. Today's versions of Windows or MacOS and anti-virus are not up to the task of protecting normal people.

[gdallas1]

Seniors should most definitely be on the internet. I am a senior, senior (86) and would be lost without this resource. What would I do without email, ebooks, no search engines? How could I possibly visit art museums around the world? And so many more fun things. Seniors are very capable of learning any new technology. There are learning groups at senior centers, libraries or other sites.

[red]

First visit, so far so good. Like the lay out. Not very computer savvy, but love to surf the web.
Senior female 69. Nice write up about the site in our paper this a.m. Love to stay in touch
with other folks.

[Wendy Denton]

We've had a number of very helpful suggestions since Ms. Haas' kind article ran in a number of newspapers. One suggestion today by email pointed out that the Make This Your Homepage button only works in Internet Explorer. I've not been able to find an HTML snippet for Firefox/Mozilla, but I have posted a link to the Firefox instructions for setting homepages. The directions are very easy to follow, so I hope this will help.

Regarding E Escargot's message on email addresses and passwords, she is correct to stress safety, and stronger passwords using a combination of nonsensical words and numbers is probably best, although more difficult to remember.

She is also a good friend to remind us to be very careful about downloads to our machines. I hope seniors will not be entirely discouraged from using the internet, however. I believe seniors are entirely capable of learning to use this resource, and the benefits far outway the risks.

Please keep the comments and suggestions coming! We are delighted to have so many folks taking an interest in the site!

[Wendy Denton]

Can someone using Safari as their browser let me know if the Make this Your Homepage button works for Safari? Thank you!

[tedvdmeer]

This is seniordashboard is the best thing i have seen since I started using computers 1968 ( sperry ) at Pacific Power @ light. Portland OR

[Ed L]

Simple format and a good starting point for beginners. I will use to teach Internet usage for seniors. I also use www.allmyfaves.com which provides many more links to "favorite" web sites.

[Wendy Denton]

I have added a link to Safari homepage instructions, below the Make this my homepage button. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a button that works for Safari. I hope the instructions will be helpful!

[moonvine]

I am a senior and I teach introductory computer, Internet and email classes for seniors. Unfortunately the discussion about Internet/email security and ease of use, especially for seniors, has no ironclad answers. The most secure passwords are the product of random generators. One such program is Password Safe. Its free and can be downloaded from the Internet. The passwords from this program are impossible for most people to remember. Links between password generators and Internet sites are possible. The rest of us will have to devise alternative methods.

I wholeheartedly support the use of the Internet and email by seniors. One of my students found out how to receive pictures of a new grandchild born to parents halfway around the world. Another learned to communicate with relatives in Europe and to exchange pictures with them. Their joy was all the payment I have ever needed.

Having said this, one of my class objectives is to help seniors stay safe on the Internet and avoid scams. One of my lead statements for this portion of the class is

The Internet has made more information to more people faster than anything since the printing press. In addition it has made more garbage available to more people than anything since the printing press. Users be aware.

[Pat]

The site is great, easy to navigate and for me, about the right balance of offerings. I have one suggestion: make the Dashboard Return easier to see on various pages on the site. The Home page is the only one where the text is highlighted in blue, which makes it very easy to spot. Thanks for sharing your parents' gift with the rest of us!

[Wendy Denton]

Thank you for this suggestion, Pat - and we have had this comment by email as well. I used a web.com template to build the site and I am now limited by that design. Unfortunately, the font size and colors are limited by the template. The site is doing well enough that we are looking into site design help with our local university, so this is something we will be sure to remedy in generation two! Thank you!

[jdwalker4]

I became a member only about six weeks ago, and I liked what I saw. For maybe two or three weeks I used the dashboard quite a lot but sort of drifted away. Well, recently I won an iPad in a contest. It has taken a couple of weeks to become familiar with it. If you are an iPad user, you know that jumping from one site to another is a different experience from the usual computer. That exercise has been made a bit easier by adding bookmarks to my Safari web browser. But if you haven't already realized this, I want to announce that SeniorDashboard is an excellent way to surf the web on an iPad. If you have given an iPad to a senior family member, go ahead and set up SeniorDashboard as the home page in Safari. All of those headings provide easy access to sites without bothering with tapping on so many apps, and they won't have to worry about setting up and saving bookmarks. I'll add one more comment in praise of the iPad. When I won it, I sort of thought about giving it to one of my sons. I'm surely glad that I didn't do that! What a life changer! Now my desktop computer spends a lot of time just sitting here. Plug in some stereo speakers to the headphone jack, and sit back and listen to great music, talk, or sports from the ends of the Earth!