Twitter: Annoying but Maybe Useful

2Jour Computer Coaching for Seniors Toronto, Ontario

Karl's cellphone beeped again. It was probably another tweet from Charlie. He missed him and the conversations he had with him in Ottawa, but to follow his dear mad friend on Twitter was, well, insanity. Karl received about 100 tweets a day from Charlie and they were either about a great computer sale or the latest scoop on Céline Dion.

At this point, Karl really hated Twitter and as he entered the Toronto Metro Zoo and discovered that Dwayne the Shark was also on Twitter, he knew that the world was CRAZY.

Twitter, essentially, is a website (www.twitter.com) that allows anyone to sign up and post simple and short messages about anything which are called Tweets. If your Tweets are interesting, then people will want to follow them. Tweets can range from being mundane to being useful like transit cancellations or weather updates and they can be transmitted to your phone as text messages.

Please note, Twitter does not do any verification on their users. This means anyone can assume any identity and their Tweets can be unreliable. So bear that in mind when you follow a particular user. Although, I think Dwayne the shark is on the up and up :).

Here are some interesting Twitter links

2Jour - Tweets from us :)

Red Flag Deals - Tweets about sales within Canada

WestJet

CBC News

Dwayne the Shark - Shark News, why not?

WeFollow.com - Ideas for other Twitter links

YouTube: How to Videos

YouTube is everywhere. It is mentioned constantly, but what is it? Essentially, it is a place where anyone can transfer videos they have made or collected to this website called YouTube and you can watch these videos for free. 

There are many "How To" videos that can help you.  I have included some videos that help with accessibility

Dressing Stick

Bed Ladder

Pick up Reach

Power of Google: Exchange Rates and much more!!!

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa Canada

José was not a happy man. He thought the computer would make his life easier, provide the information he wanted in a blink of an eye or close to a blink of an eye, but all the clicking and pleading and keyboard pushing got him to places where he did not ask to be. He didn't want to stay in Las Vegas, nor did he want to find a special someone on an online dating website. He wanted to know the current exchange rate of the Canadian dollar that is it, no more no less.

With certain keywords you can use GOOGLE to get the answer you want instantly.

• 1 cad in usd finds out the exchange rate of Canadian dollar in US dollar
  
• 1 inch in cm converts from inches to centimetre
• film ottawa shows what movies are playing in Ottawa
• Ottawa weather shows the current temperature in Ottawa. Unfortunately, the temperature is in farenheit. However, you can convert it to celsius using google.
  26 farenheit in celsius
  

Happy Father's Day and Ecards

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa, Canada

A great way to wish someone a happy Father's day (this Sunday :) ) is to send an E-card FOR FREE. They are more exciting than normal greeting cards because you can choose from a variety of animation in your card.

There are many websites that allow you to send E-cards. You can just google "free e-cards" to find a list of them. You can also go to Hallmark.

Writing a Letter or a Document? What Program to Use?

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa Ontario

You want to write a letter or a document but what program do you use?

For most people, Wordpad is sufficient for their writing needs. It has several formatting options that can make your document more effective.

However, if you are are trying to create a document that is more complicated and requires a layout like a resumé or a newsletter then you will need a more powerful program.

If you have Word installed on your computer, then that would be the program to use. It has built-in templates to help you quickly and easily build letters, invitations, newsletters and any other document types.

For those who don't have Word, here are some free alternatives:
OpenOffice

Google Docs

How Much Is It To Send Snail Mail?

Computer Coaching for Seniors

You would like to send something through mail (snail mail that is) but you don't remember if a 49 cents stamp will be enough to cover the cost. You could ask your friends but then you know they will lead you down the wrong path (given the evidence from the last few weeks).

Well do not despair. Hop on down to the Canada Post website. There you will find all the information you are looking for and more.

Searching for Symptoms on the Web

Computer Coaching for Seniors

José was frantic. Charlie was visiting his daughter in Osaka so he decided to call Karl.

"Karl what am I to do? I am INFECTED!!!!!!!"

"Hello, um ahh, José?" Karl replied.

"Yes it's me. Listen I don't know what to do? I got this strange rash and I thought it may be tied to that E-Mail I got from my co-worker about the Ontario water being undrinkable.Anyway, I searched the symptoms on the web and ... KARL I HAVE WALOWALO INFECTION!!!!"

"José, now calm down. Which website did you get the information from?"

"Karl, it was www.walowalo.com."

"José, although your symptoms match, it doesn't mean you are infected. You have no idea how trustworthy this website is. I am pretty sure it was not written by a medical expert.

Book an appointment with your doctor and wait and see what he says."

Searching for symptoms on the web is pretty common. The internet is a huge resource of information. However, not all of the information is accurate. Just because it is on the web does not make it true.

Also, symptoms can apply to many ailments or diseases. Usually when you search online you get matches to the worst case scenarios which can cause anxiety. Just remember that any match you get from your search is only ONE possibility out of many. The best place to get a diagnosis is from your doctor.

Here are some websites that are well known and more reliable for searching symptoms, medications and other health related concerns. You can use these as a starting point before talking to your doctor.

Dr. Koop

WebMD

Mayo Clinic

Online Grocery

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa Canada

Imagine avoiding traffic and long line ups and having your grocery delivered to your doorstep.

Well this can be a reality through online grocery.

In Ottawa, Loeb Glebe lets you order groceries online.

In Toronto, you can try Grocery Gateway

Let your computer plan your next Road Trip

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa Canada

Your best friend Charlie has never been to Eastern Canada and wants you to go with him to visit several cities in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Since you are the one who knows how to drive, you have been given the task to create a driving route.

One easy way to do this is to use Google Maps. By clicking on the "Get Directions" link, Google lets you specify a "Start Address" and an "End Address". The website will then output a map of the driving route but will also write out the directions in text which is useful because Charlie is not very good at reading maps :).

For the weather, you can get a full report at the Environment Canada website. You select the cities you are interested in and the website will tell what the weather will be like.