Imagine you’ve recently signed up for new service with NineStar Connect. Congratulations! Perhaps this is something that you’ve been waiting a long time to do and now that we are finally in your area, you can’t wait to get our high-speed fiber Internet. Maybe you’ve heard your friends talk about how great the service is and how quickly you can access the Internet, download files, and stream music/movies. Whatever your motivation, chances are you are not 100 percent sure how it all works, but you can’t wait for our technician to install your service and get your devices connected. But what do you do once the technician leaves? Maybe you have an older computer, and you want to test your new high-speed Internet on that. However, you’re not sure really how. That’s why I believe it’s important for everyone to understand how to use their computer.
A basic computing class can show you how to use your mouse, and keyboard, go to websites, check your e-mail, make accounts for certain websites, and how to stay safe online. While these are all important reasons for everyone to take a basic computing class, perhaps the most important is the last one: staying safe. Websites will try to deceive you with things that pique your interest (ex. Political news articles), and once you click on them it could install some Malware on your computer. Some things you could look for are the URL of the website/link that you’re clicking on. You want to make sure that the name of the website is legitimate and shows a lock next to it (which means that it is a secured website). Here is a good article to look at that has to deal with seniors, and their safety on the Internet: https://www.safetydetectives.com/blog/the-ultimate-internet-safety-guide-for-seniors/
Unfortunately, seniors are the easiest prey for hackers who want to steal your personal information. However, this article talks about everything from using more complex passwords, what to watch for with particular scams, and what you need to do in the event that you have been scammed. The Internet is a fun and exciting place to communicate with others, enjoy entertainment and learn new things, but safety is a real concern. That’s why I believe everyone should take a basic computing class if they are not 100 percent comfortable online.
