Issue Date: May 12, 2002
Where on the Web
Take Mom for a ride on the information highway
I used to grumble that everyone but my mother had e-mail. For her alone, I had to pick up the phone. So I was thrilled when she got connected. Now we e-mail almost daily. Better still, she's turned into an expert on the online world and has reconnected with her family in England.
"There are currently about 25 million older adults online," says Ann Wrixon, CEO of SeniorNet.org. "That means 50 million are not. Older people usually get online to communicate with grandchildren, but other interests quickly take over."
Why not use Mother's Day as inspiration to get your mother in the loop?
Earthlink (earthlink.com) is offering an affordable Mother's Day promotion that can help. Sign up for e-mail at $9.95 a month and get a MailStation free. MailStation is an appliance with an envelope-sized screen that does nothing but e-mail and fits anywhere a phone does. You type on a full-sized keyboard. It even checks spelling. Among the various models, found at CompUSA, Target, Kmart and other retailers, only the 100 is "free." Send in rebate forms to recoup your cost.
Naturally, for Web access Mom will need a full-fledged computer. Seniornet.org specializes in helping older adults get started. Basic membership is free. The site offers free online training classes for people over 50. Even better, log on, click on "Learning Centers/Find a Learning Center," and see if there is a SeniorNet training center near your mother; there are 220 throughout the country, and the courses are inexpensive.
Your reward, of course, is the convenience of including Mom in your e-mail spam, to say nothing of knowing you helped her rediscover an old high school buddy online.
-- Christina Wood
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