Google site to aid silver surfers

GOOGLE has launched a new website in Ireland to help younger generations teach their parents and older loved ones how to get the most from the internet.

The new website, getyourfolksonline.ie hopes to mobilise younger people across Ireland to pass their Internet skills on to the older people in their lives.

According to ComReg’s most recent statistics, only 35% of people over the age of 50 are using the Internet. Google is calling on anyone who is in a position to help, to check out the website, which has detailed lesson plans to help teach basic computer skills in an organised way.

Sinéad Gibney, head of social action at Google said: “Older people are reluctant to ask family members for help, despite the fact that most people know someone in their own family, who would be well able to teach them. “What we have found in the internet classes we hold for older people is that they very often know how to email but the vast range of other fantastic services online — such as Street View, online banking, photo sharing or social networking — are alien concepts to them.”