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Executive Director's Blog
Written by 
As the saying goes,
we’re now in the ‘dog days of summer.’  Though
SeniorNet’s online community is up and running 24/7, summer is the time
when many Learning Centers either take a break or have lighter class schedules,
in order to prepare for the next ‘school year.’ Many are upgrading
their labs, some are preparing for a migration to the Microsoft® Windows™
Vista Operating system, some are readying curriculum for courses in the Fall,
others are holding summer barbecues, and Learning Centers like the  Computer
Club of Oklahoma City – SeniorNet User Group (CCOKC-SNUG) are conducting
creative fundraisers  such as their annual Rummage Sale, which was again a great
success!  
We’re especially grateful to the CCOKC – SNUG for not
only successfully pulling off such a fabulous idea, but also for the funds they
generated for SeniorNet! What’s unique about SeniorNet, a national,
22-year old nonprofit organization, is that our computer Learning Centers across
the country and our international website are run by a formidable force of
dedicated and passionate older-adult volunteers. I’m continuously amazed
by their innovative ideas and new programs, like this CCOKC – SNUG annual
Rummage Sale and our pioneering online courses in Classical Latin! 
And these
stories travel farther than the U.S., even beyond the wonderful World Wide Web,
and on to other forms of broadcast media. I recently conducted a telephone
interview with ABC Radio’s “Overnights” program in Australia.
It was a most enjoyable experience, where not only did I have the opportunity to
provide an overview of SeniorNet to the program’s listeners, but the host
and I also took calls from older adult computer users from across the Australian
continent. We addressed technology questions and even heard recommendations on
how to find the best Cauliflower Soup recipe online - these tech-savvy seniors
had a lot to say. An 85-year young woman even called in to let us know
she’s enjoyed computing for the past 8 years! At the conclusion of the
interview, I asked the show’s host how they had heard of SeniorNet.
Although we do have affiliate Learning Centers in Australia, he responded
“From your website.” I am also aware that we have many online
participants from around the world – we truly are a worldwide organization
and the stories on our website touch the lives of millions! 
So while
you’re enjoying these ‘dog days of summer,’ perhaps with a
tall, cool glass of lemonade, I invite you to share your creative ideas and
innovative programs with SeniorNet. I’m certain there are many great ones
like the CCOKC – SNUG Rummage Sale. Tell us your stories by e-mailing them
to  comments@hq.seniornet.org   and we’ll share them with the world on  
www.seniornet.org  .  
We look forward to hearing from you! 
 
Executive
Director's Blog
Written by 
Greetings SeniorNet Online Readers! 
With
summer here and many of us making use of the extra long 
days to accomplish
‘To Do’ lists, such as like cleaning out the garage 
and selling
unwanted items on eBay, surfing travel sites for the best 
deals on summer
vacations, or even taking that laptop computer with 
you and logging on from a
hotel, KOA Campground or countries abroad, 
one concern that should be at the
forefront of our minds in conducting 
each of these activities, is online safety
and security, or “Cybersecurity."
As we’ve all heard on the news,
identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S., and many of the
identity theft-related scams are now conducted online. Some of the early
examples included false e-mail alerts from eBay or PayPal asking for personal
information to correct an account and false e-mail notifications appearing to be
from banks, requesting account information (a legitimate bank will NEVER email
you for this kind of information). And the online spoofs and scams have only
grown increasingly sophisticated in the past several years, with newer
techniques such as Phishing, Spam, Spyware and Side Jacking. 
Want to find out
what these dangerous new techniques are, and how to protect yourself from them?
SeniorNet, an organization that has been bringing older adults together with
technology and connecting them to their local and global communities via the
Internet, is committed to educating older adults on Cybersecurity, so that your
online experiences are not only enjoyable and productive, but are also safe. 

Thanks to a grant from AT&T Corporation, we’ve developed and have
recently updated our Cybersecurity curriculum, to help you identify the online
dangers mentioned above, and learn how to protect against them. In addition to
offering the course at many of our local Learning Centers, we’re also
making it available here on the  SeniorNet website    for free download by all
who visit.  
At present, you may download materials for a self-paced,
four-lesson course that describes security concerns related to your computer and
the Internet, and that provides information on methods, tools and software you
can use to protect against security threats. And stay tuned, because by the end
of this summer we’ll have these materials integrated into
SeniorNet’s website, for a more interactive experience.  
Here’s to
a summer of safe computing!  
Kristin Fabos  
 
Executive Director's
Blog
Written by 
Hello SeniorNet Online Readers, 
As we enjoy the
Spring season, now is an appropriate time to brief you on some of the new things
springing up at SeniorNet… 
One of the things about which we’re
most excited, is our new offering of  online courses !  This full catalog of
courses is instructor-led, but is taught entirely on the Internet, giving you
the opportunity to learn a wide variety of subjects, including: digital
photography, computers and the Internet, health, personal finance, history,
languages, writing, literature and more, all from the comfort of your own home,
at the time of day convenient for you.  
Some of you may wonder ‘Is this a
replacement to the in-person courses offered at SeniorNet’s nearly 200
Learning Centers nationwide?’  Absolutely not – the peer-taught,
peer-mentored, in-person learning experience that a SeniorNet Learning Center
offers is absolutely unparalleled, and our 22 years of experience has taught us
(and has enabled us to teach many other senior-focused organizations around the
world) that it’s how seniors learn best. We think of the online courses as
a great complement to our in-person courses - for those of you who may now be
familiar enough with the computer to learn other subjects of interest, online.
We also believe it’s a nice option for the millions of seniors worldwide
who unfortunately do not live near a SeniorNet Learning Center. 
Another great
benefit of the online courses is that we're offering a $20 discount per online
course, only for SeniorNet members. And, if you choose to sign up for your
SeniorNet membership online, it's only $30/year. So if you sign up for or renew
your SeniorNet membership online, then take two online courses, your membership
has more than paid for itself! Learn more and check out  SeniorNet's new online
courses . 
Currently, I am perusing the catalog of courses and am looking
forward to taking an online course in the March session…so many of them
look interesting, it's difficult to decide which to take; but I'll update you on
my experience in my next blog. 
 
Executive Director's Blog
Written by

November  - Today in Northern California there was a definite chill in the
air, which, together with the changing leaves and talk of this Thursday’s
Thanksgiving holiday, makes it truly feel like Fall is upon us and the holiday
season is nearly here. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, as
it’s a time to join together with family and friends in celebration of all
that we have to be grateful for. It’s also a time to reach out and help
those who are less fortunate, in order to enable them to experience the joy and
true meaning of the holiday season.   
Reflecting upon my past 3+ years as the
Executive Director of SeniorNet, there is much for which I am grateful, and
it’s at the forefront of my mind every day.  First and foremost, I’m
grateful for SeniorNet’s volunteers: In our Learning Centers, there are
the unparalleled, truly committed group of 4,000 older adults across the country
that run our local Learning Centers in efficient, self-organized leadership
teams; the course instructors who use their tech skills and savvy to bring other
seniors into the ‘information age’; and the mentors, who patiently
work with students in the classrooms to provide 1:1 help and ensure that all are
keeping up with the specialized computer curriculum that only SeniorNet
offers.   
Unique to SeniorNet, we are truly an online community of
computer-using older adults. That online community exists, thanks to the work of
over 100 SeniorNet online volunteers! They may not live near a Learning Center
or physically go to a location to volunteer, but they spend countless hours
online every week, putting their web experience to work in moderating the
hundreds of simultaneous discussion forums available on seniornet.org, providing
technical support, facilitating SeniorNet’s online book clubs and
scheduling interesting authors to make guest appearances, or teaching Greek and
Latin online in SeniorNet’s Classics Courses, the list goes on and on...

It’s through these impressive volunteers that SeniorNet has been and
continues to be, a pioneer in civic engagement for older adults. I refer to this
group as “the ‘Magic’ of SeniorNet’ and though I realize
that hours of work and dedication go into creating that ‘Magic’,
it’s what makes SeniorNet tick. I see that ‘Magic’ in action
when visiting our Learning Centers and spending time on our website, and one of
the favorite parts of my job is showing that ‘Magic’ to funders,
sponsors, and those not previously involved with SeniorNet, then being able to
say “Isn’t that just incredible?!?” while appreciating the
awe-struck expressions on their faces. I, along with the rest of staff at
SeniorNet headquarters, am so incredibly grateful for that ‘Magic’ -
thank you! 
I’m also grateful from the support SeniorNet receives from its
funders, sponsors, individual contributors and membership dollars that allows us
to continue to deliver the SeniorNet mission of providing computer access and
education to older adults 50+. As the pictures on our homepage illustrate, just
last week we received a generous grant from the AT&T Foundation to expand
SeniorNet’s CyberSecurity curriculum! And between now and the end of the
year we’ll be working to open grant-funded learning centers in the
underserved communities of Chula Vista, California and New Orleans, Louisiana,
thanks to the generosity of the H.R.C. Foundation. 
Finally, I am truly
appreciative of SeniorNet’s Headquarters Staff and Regional Consultants.
People are constantly amazed to learn that we run a national nonprofit that has
such a broad impact, with such a small but tight-knit staff, and it’s
everyone’s dedication to the mission of the organization that makes it all
happen. We just completed an office reconfiguration here at headquarters, and it
was heartwarming to see spouses and children of staff members pitching in and
donating their time to get the job done! 
So a heartfelt “Thank You”
to everyone in the SeniorNet community for your invaluable contributions over
the years. May you all enjoy a blessed and abundant Thanksgiving, filled with
the warmth of friends and family... 
-Kristin 
 
Executive Director's
Blog
Written by 
October  - SeniorNet has received excellent press
coverage in the October 23, 2007 issue of the New York Times! In the special
‘Retirement’ section (H5), the article entitled “Out of the
Workforce and Into a Classroom” by Matt Villano discusses older adults
enjoying the benefits of technology. SeniorNet is prominently profiled, as are
SeniorNet students, Irma Morris, of San Jose California, and volunteer Don
House, of the Almaden Learning Center in San Jose. Thank you Irma and Don for
your willingness to be quoted in the article! You can   read the article online 
.  
We at SeniorNet extend our sincere condolences to all who experienced losses
in the Southern California fires, earlier this week. The worst in
California’s history, it was incredibly sad to see devastation those fires
wreaked on the lives and homes of so many fellow Californians, and our thoughts
are with them. 
Earlier in the week, I attempted to call and check in on a site
of a new Learning Center we’ll be opening in Chula Vista.  I was
immediately reminded of how technology can be so helpful in disaster situations.
On my first attempt to place the call, I received an “All circuits are
busy” message, and immediately wondered “How would individuals in
Southern California let their friends and family across the country know that
they’re alright, if they can’t get through via phone?” The
answer: E-mail. 
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I recalled stories of
New Orleans residents who, when they could not get through via phone, went to
libraries for free Internet access in order to communicate with family and
friends, as well as to find essential emergency services and to apply for
federal aid. The reverse also worked, with family and friends of individuals in
New Orleans being able to search databases and locate relatives to know that
they were safe. 
When I visited the downtown New Orleans Public Library just 8
months after Hurricane Katrina, it was still being used as a FEMA Center. At the
time of my visit, all computer stations were occupied, with residents using
technology as a tool in the process of rebuilding their lives. In both of these
examples, technology know-how becomes more than a ‘nice to have’; it
becomes a mission-critical tool for daily living. 
  
According to the New York
Times article, a September 2007 report from Jupiter Research estimates that 11.5
million older adults are using the Internet today, and that’s expected to
climb to 20.1 million by 2010. SeniorNet, now commemorating it’s 21st
Anniversary, is proud to have played a pioneering role in bringing the first
11.5 million older adults together with the empowering benefits of technology,
and we’re looking forward to playing a key role in surpassing the 20
million milestone. 
 
Executive Director's Blog
Written by 
Greetings SeniorNet Members and Online Visitors!  By now we hope you like our
new online community and are navigating the site with ease. 
We welcome your
feedback, so please feel free to send us your  thoughts and comments  related to
this blog. To date, I’ve received a few initial comments and questions,
ranging from ‘Where is your blog?’ (Answer: This is it; you’re
reading it!) to ‘I’m glad to see SeniorNet moving into the
future’. Thanks for those, and please keep them coming. 
This update comes
to you from Washington, D.C. where I’m spending the week on business
travel. In the several business trips I’ve made to D.C. this past year,
I’ve seemed to have the good fortune of selecting the weeks with
temperature extremes! Yesterday and today were record-setting temperatures of
102 and 103 respectively (with a heat index of 110!) and today, D.C. was the
hottest place in the nation. Thanks to a Midwest upbringing, I actually enjoy
humidity! I’m in town for an AT&T briefing of senior-focused organizations
(held Monday), meetings Tuesday, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) Neighborhood Networks Conference, this Wednesday –
Friday. 
The AT&T briefing was most informative. Some key takeaways from the
briefing that you might find interesting, include: 
According to research firm
The Yankee Group, 49% of older adults 65+ have cell phones. 
The U.S. currently
has 240 million wireless subscribers – according to AT&T 
Knowledge
Ventures,? of these,? AT&T has 63.7 million, Verizon Wireless has 62.1 million,
Sprint has 53.7 million, and T-Mobile has 26.0 million. 
As a result of the
recent AT&T merger with BellSouth and Cingular, a condition of 
that merger
being approved was that AT&T would have to offer affordable 
broadband packages
at rates as low as $10/month. 
AT&T has recently announced VideoShare, a service
that allows users with 3G wireless handsets to transmit live video to another
user and to have real-time, simultaneous voice communication via speakerphone!
Imagine filming your child or grandchild and transmitting it in real time (with
commentary) to another cell phone! Amazing… 
Last but not least, AT&T
Labs is working on some very exciting new technology developments and products
that will make telemedicine a very real possibility in the very near future!
Imagine remote monitoring and the transmission of your personal health
information to your doctor, without having to leave the comfort of your own
home! 
Fast forward to the HUD Neighborhood Networks National Training
Conference, held today through Friday. A little background: HUD created
Neighborhood Networks in 1995, in order to “…encourage property
owners to establish multiservice community learning centers in HUD insured and
assisted properties. Neighborhood Networks was one of the first federal
initiatives to promote self-sufficiency and help provide computer access to
low-income housing communities.” The Conference boasts approximately 500
attendees from all over the country, many of which represent a number of
Neighborhood Networks within their respective states.  
It’s really
encouraging to see so many Neighborhood Networks centers across the country that
are first and foremost, helping to improve computer access for people of all
ages and income levels. Through technology access, they’re also providing
access to healthcare information and social services, employment training and
preparation, and community building! Because many of these Neighborhood Networks
have senior populations, there has been interest in SeniorNet’s program
and curriculum (I had to replenish our stock of brochures after the first 10
minutes)!  
To these Neighborhood Networks, SeniorNet can bring our 20 years of
experience in educating older adults on computer technology and the Internet,
bringing them into the ‘information age’ at the rate and pace at
which they’re comfortable learning. And SeniorNet has its own form of
nearly 200 ‘Neighborhood Networks’ across the country –
Community Centers where like-minded, talented older adults come to learn, to
teach, to volunteer, and to build community. That’s a pretty powerful
movement, isn’t it?  
I hope this message finds each and every one of you
enjoying your Summer, staying cool wherever you may be, and I look forward to
‘speaking’ with you again in a couple of weeks. 
Best, 
Kristin

Read More of Kristin's Blogs...  
 
Executive Director's Blog
Written
by 
Welcome to the new SeniorNet Online Community! SeniorNet is proud to
unveil its new online community at www.seniornet.org, and we thank you for
joining us here!
Did you know that SeniorNet’s website was originally
launched in 1996 and now receives over 1 million hits per month? Our goal in
revamping this website for SeniorNet’s tech-savvy older adults was to
create an online environment as dynamic as SeniorNet’s audience, based on
an open-source platform that can support the new features and functionality that
our online visitors are seeking, and one that also provides a new and improved
user interface that is easy to navigate and adheres to many of the latest
accessibility standards.
 
In addition to the new and aesthetically pleasing
user interface, in the future, SeniorNet members will be able to post blogs,
share photos online, access their SeniorNet e-mail accounts, read RSS newsfeeds,
even create their own personalized landing page on www.seniornet.org!
 
And for
those of you who subscribe to the “make new friends, but keep the
old” philosophy, all of the features you’ve come to know and love on
the SeniorNet site, like the hundreds of simultaneous discussion forums, the
online Book Club, and the online Greek and Latin courses are still here, just
organized a bit differently. Like all new things, it may take a bit of getting
used to, but we hope you’ll find the new discussion forums easier to read
and to post to!
 
I also thank you for reading the first Executive Director
blog, a new feature on SeniorNet’s homepage that will be updated regularly
with insights on issues on technology and aging as well as reports on the
happenings at SeniorNet headquarters.
 
What is a blog, you ask? According to
Matisse’s Glossary of Internet terms, “A blog is short for weblog,
and is basically a journal available on the web. The activity of updating a blog
is ‘blogging’ and someone who keeps a blog is a
‘blogger’… Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in
chronological order, with the most recent additions featured most
prominently.” Visit the site often for regular updates to this blog, and
please join me in the blogging revolution and send your  feedback !
 
Finally,
I’d like to give special thanks to SeniorNet’s online volunteers and
staff that provided their input and content during the development of this site,
and especially to Tony Ellis, SeniorNet’s webmaster, who has spent months
in the development of this new online community. He has patiently and carefully
considered a list of over 165 new features proposed by SeniorNet’s online
volunteers and staff. Like SeniorNet’s former site, this website will
expand over time, as more and more of these new features are added.
 
Thank you
again for joining us; we hope you truly enjoy SeniorNet’s new online
community at www.seniornet.org!
 
Best,
 
Kristin 
 
 
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