Easy PC Tuition

Being unable to log in to a website, or emails, is the problem I am asked about the most.

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These days it can be easier for the hackers to get into your account than it is for you (please be assured I am not talking about bank accounts - I mean any websites you log in to whether financial or not).

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The password dilemma for most people is having one that's secure enough, but also memorable!  I frequently help people reset their passwords, especially when they get sent a "verification code" to check it's really them.  That extra step can be reassuring, but it can also be a pain.

I once went to see a lady who wanted help with her new phone.  She told me that she'd chosen the phone first, and then bought a book about it.  It was similar to the editions that are written for the silver surfer.

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When she produced the book and the phone, I was instantly as confused as she was.  I had to look twice at the book AND the phone, before explaining her that her Samsung phone was in no way going to work as described in a book about an iPhone.  Ah, the eternal quandary between Android and Apple!

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The lady was actually quite relieved to discover that THAT was the reason for her not being able to understand the book!

Websites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter can be a huge help to people in terms of reducing isolation.

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If you have family who live far away, it's wonderful to connect with them and see their photos, updates and stories.

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If you have a disability or other reason(s) you don't leave the house too often, it can keep you in touch with people you know, what's happening in your local area, and even help you meet new people or find new hobbies.

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It can also be a minefield of cyber-bullying, repulsive, hateful exchanges, often between complete strangers.

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Personally I love social media, but if I didn't have my settings on "super careful" it would be a different story.

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Help with settings on social media is something I'm asked about fairly often, and fortunately it's not difficult to do - it's just knowing where to look!

There are times when you need to receive or send documents, but the traditional post isn't the favourable option.

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Most email addresses will happily send or receive documents as attachments.

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This means the information you need to move around, is moved in seconds - sometimes across the world!  As long as the document is saved on your computer, it can be attached to an email.

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I've helped scan and send photos, insurance papers, emigration forms, letters and lots more.

It's time to upgrade!  But what type of phone is best?  Which handset will do what you need it to do?  What could you do if you had a fancy one, that you couldn't before?

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There are still some Feature Phones available, and this older-style, bigger-button, no-apps phone will still work for years to come.  They only send texts (SMS) or make calls, and their cameras are much lower quality than a smartphone.  But sometimes, that's all you want.  They are available with a contract or Pay-As-You-Go setup, and are usually inexpensive to buy.

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Smartphones come in lots of sizes - and prices!  They are usually all screen, with only three actual buttons (power and volume up/down).  Therefore to do anything with them, you have to be comfortable pressing the screen either with your finger or a stylus.

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Many people ask about they types of phone available and I've been out shopping with lots of people to see what's out there and help them choose.

It seems like everything is done on the internet these days.  From your Blue Badge to your driving licence, your shopping to your utilities - it's all done staring at a screen!

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Some forms are easier than others.  I have taken people through adding photos of themselves, and their ID documents, to forms that say they are easy to fill in which have proved otherwise......

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.... not to mention been able to ensure forms are filled in BEFORE the time runs out - yes, really!

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Some forms are sent to you, attached to emails.  It's one thing opening them, and sometimes it's quite another filling them in.   Ever been sent a PDF that has no boxes to type into?  (Spoiler: it's no fun!)

I've helped one lady who described being hacked as feeling like she'd been burgled.  Someone had been through her private things, and it felt horrible.

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There are lots of reasons someone might hack into your emails.  A common one is that they want to use your email address to send out adverts for products or services that don't exist, in order to elicit money from your contacts.  There have also been instances of people seemingly asking for financial help, when in fact it is not that person doing the asking at all.

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These days almost all scams are linked to money.  I hear many tales of phone calls received from unknown phone numbers, claiming there is a problem with the Sky box or the internet connection at your house.  They must fix it quickly for you, and you must pay them for the privilege.

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I've also heard several times about text messages received from an unknown number, claiming to be the recipient's close family member who is stuck somewhere and needs money to be able to get home.  These even go so far as to start with "this is my new number, please delete my old one" - just imagine if you had a text like that - would you just delete the current phone number you had?  Or would you call it first and check?

A lot of my customers are encouraged to buy, or have given to them, an iPad or a smartphone with the intention of using it to contact loved ones.

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Whilst the intentions are genuine and positive, it's often the case that the recipient of the iPad needs a bit of instruction and practice before this becomes easy!

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The two main examples of this are Facetime and WhatsApp.  Both ideal for video calling so that you can actually see the person you're talking to, but not ideal for leaping into the world of technology when it's still an alien concept.

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I've shown lots of people how these two options work, and it really opens the world up to them, which is lovely to see.  I'm not just the instructor, I'm someone to practice with too.

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This story also applies to sending text messages too.  It's all very well being able to read a message, but it's much more helpful to the person learning, when they are able to reply and see the cause and effect.

I have been to see a couple of people who were running very different small businesses.  In both cases, they wanted to be able to send invoices that looked professional, and didn't take forever to set up every time an invoice needed sending.

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Fortunately, most word processing programs are good at this.  Creating a template, which becomes a "blank", and then using it whenever you need to saves heaps of time.  Microsoft Word is ideal, and the freeware options LibreOffice and OpenOffice have similar capabilities.

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As with any invoicing system, it does  require you to learn a few processes which are often completely new to you, especially if you've not had to work with a computer system like that before.  As with any session, I left these customers with notes to follow, and made sure they had a go at the process themselves too!  Follow-ups are always available, and they're important with this type of new setup.