Customer Reviews

Using the Internet Safely For Seniors For Dummies

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Move over seniors! This book is useful for any age. It offers specific helps and walks the internet user through the process so that you feel comfortable with each new topic. I find it works best to sit in front of my computer and practice what I read to solidify each suggestion. My only complaint is that the writing in the examples is too small and grayed. Working at the computer solves this problem, since I can now see it full screen.

I consult to businesses about online safety and one of the biggest customer communication challenges has always been how to educate people about being safe online without scaring or boring them. This book does a great job of achieving that balance. Statistically, senior internet users are more likely to be targeted by online fraudsters/scammers for a variety of reasons. What the authors do is describe the many situations that can lead to trouble and the relatively simple (and intuitive) ways to avoid it. The book covers online dating, online gaming, social networking, sharing pictures, sharing personal information, using email, using financial sites, talking to the grandkids about staying safe online, etc. What it drove home to me is that there are more minefields out there than we care to imagine and that when mistakes happen, they can be very serious. As such, I ended up buying a copy of the book for my parents because they are frequent online users, they are only aware of potential online pitfalls at a cursory level, and like many other seniors, if something were to go wrong, I would not be first on their list to call.

I found this book to be a great resource not only for seniors but also for anyone who is concerned about online safety. I liked the writing style and found the explanations to be straight forward and informative.
I also liked that the book has many illustrations and screen shots, which make it much easier to understand.

...at the age of 79 to explore the Internet, among other things. He contacted his telephone company and added Internet service to his account. But, then, the device remained essentially idle for a year or so because my husband and I don't live nearby (visits aren't sufficient for long-term learning), and he didn't know anyone else to show him how to use it effectively. He bought a couple of books, but they didn't help much; they were far too "techie." I finally purchased this book for him, together with LAPTOPS FOR SENIORS FOR DUMMIES (Laptops For Seniors For Dummies). He told me yesterday that these are the BEST books he's read! He's gotten his laptop out, and can actually understand and navigate it, now. Apparently, the authors really considered the psychology of their projected audience correctly! Thanks, bunches!

As a senior and computer and internet user though not a techie, I think this book, for fellow computer users, is a good user guide to security. I think it is up to date, being copyrighted in 2009. It seems to cover pretty much the range of subject matters needed to provide security for users. This book apparently was not meant to teach computer programming or the technical intricacies of computer security, but for what it is meant to do, I think it does it quite well.

This is a goot tool/book for seniors who need to read in big print. Bought for my Dad and he loves the big print and the ease within the pages.

Have not had time to look through the whole book. But so far it looks like there is little in it of use to me. I feel I wasted my money.

The woman on the cover of this book looks like a character out of a pharmaceutical ad for an anti-anxiety drug. The idea behind this series is good, but the image of a sad, gray-haired woman in conjunction with the word "Dummies," seems demeaning. It's no wonder that, in the reader reviews, most of the purchasers of this book are adult children of seniors and not the seniors themselves. A humorous cover would have been more effective and not as insulting.