Keeping in Touch with Facebook

Facebook

Twelve million Australians are on Facebook and there are some 850 million worldwide - there must be someone you know amongst those!
Facebook has long lost the image of a fad indulged in by teenagers with time on their hands.  Many families are now keeping in touch through Facebook, grandmas and grandkids, parents with children living away from home, siblings.
Unlike Skype, Facebook is a place where you can observe if you don't want to actively engage with people. You can look at your newsfeed and see what your family and friends are doing. You can drop the odd like or comment to let them know that you are interested and following what they do. It can make a huge difference to how close you feel to these people who you may not get to see on a regular basis. They can share their holiday snaps and you can follow their trip as it happens. New babies, birthdays, weddings or their latest craze, new shoes, a celebration dinner. You can dip into as much or as little as you want of the things your friends and family have shared with you. If you want it to be a bit more of a two way street then you can also post your own updates that your friends and family can see and comment on.
Facebook also has its own message service that works very like email and you can even video call people as you can on Skype and send files etc.

But Facebook is also a place where you can interact with businesses, celebrities and interest groups. By "Liking" pages you can get their latest news, competitions and offers.

And something that people forget when they complain about Facebook changes and glitches - it is a free service!

Keeping in Touch with Skype

Skype

Skype has been around for about ten years and the word has entered the language - we now talk about Skyping people. The software is free to download from www.skype.com and easy to install. To make full use of it you will need a webcam and a microphone, although if you have a laptop these are pretty standard these days.
Setting up your account is as easy as you would expect- user name, email address, password - these are all the normal things that you are asked for when setting up stuff. Then you're ready to Skype- but who? You can import contacts from your email service, even Facebook. You can search for people you know. And just as you now collect people's email addresses, you can ask them for their Skype ID and add them manually to your contacts.
Free - yes, calling Skype to Skype is free. You can talk to anyone anywhere in the world for free if you are both logged into Skype. Great for families scattered across the globe. You can also use Skype to call a phone but there is a charge for this. You can buy Skype credit much as you might for your mobile phone. The rates are generally very reasonable you are charged a local rate appropriate for the country you are calling rather than an international one.
Skype can also be used for Instant Messaging. You can send text messages to your friends when they are logged into Skype and carry on a real time conversation. If they are not at their computer at the time, they will see your message the next time they look at Skype.
Conference calling, sending files, sharing screens - this is a powerful piece of software that makes excellent use of your internet connection. If you haven't tried it- check it out. You're sure to find it a great way for keeping in touch. And there's nothing that can make you feel closer to people than being able to see and talk to them and Skype is great for this.

This Weekend

COMPUTER FAIR

Berkeley Sports Stadium ( Wollongong)
on Sunday,4th Sep 2011 at 10.00am
For those who have not been to a computer market before, a computer market is no different from any other market in that it is composed of stalls selling mainly computer gear. On sale are complete systems, hardware, software, accessories and peripherals, both second hand and new equipment.

Plenty of free off street parking is available directly outside and around the venue, and refreshments are available.

LIMERICK COMPETITION

A young man from Woollomooloo
On Facebook for an hour or two
Wrote a limerick that scanned
And got so many fans
That he won a free lesson - it's true!

Yes, write a limerick (something involving computers or IT is what we are hoping for) on our Facebook wall, and get your friends to like it, and you can win a free 3 hour training package!

TIP OF THE WEEK
Have you found an interesting article or cute picture on the internet that you would like to keep or copy?

You can highlight text and use right click to copy and paste the passage into a word processor such as Word.

Right clicking on a picture will allow you to copy the image or save it to your computer. However, some images are protected by disabling the right click. It is possible to get around this but involves accessing the page source which is another story…

We attended the ICE meeting on Saturday and were treated to a demonstration of slide/negative/photo scanners.

The group has a wealth of expertise amongst the members so why not look them up. the next meeting will be on Friday, 9th Sep at 7.30pm.

The Illawarra PC Users' Group Incorporated, commonly known as Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts, or IC

www.illawarrapcug.org.au

ON LINE TRAINING AND SUPPORT – Two for the price of one. Two 1 hour support sessions for only $80 ($75 concessions) payable in advance by PayPal or direct deposit.
These sessions require you to have a reliable internet connection and either Skype or a telephone you can use while working on your computer.
Offer available till 30th September 2011. Contact us on 02 4261 7737/0458983792 or email info@abcomputertraining.com to discuss your training needs.

ILLAWARRA WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARDS

ILLAWARRA WOMEN IN BUSINESS had their awards last Friday, 26th March. It was a packed house of some hundred and fifty people and there were four awards ranging from the Best Home Based Business to Young Business Woman of the Year.
A great networking event with business cards and literature being handed out by one and all. Some inspirational speakers and a good time was had by all. AB Computer Training were there as first-timers but I've no doubt that it will be an event we will be eagerly following, if not participating in, in future years.

MARCH NEWSLETTER

MARCH NEWSLETTER - Now available on our website at www.abcomputertraining.com. It contains lots of useful information on setting up a network and articles on initiatives encouraging seniors to get connected and even the Pony Express. Take a look!

MORE FREE LESSONS - Vouchers are out there now offering FREE introductory lessons on:-
INTERNET, EMAIL, FACEBOOK, EBAY, WORD PROCESSING, CARD MAKING.

Watch out for vouchers at a venue near you or give us a call on 4272 3559.

FREE COMPUTER LESSONS

LATEST PROMOTION - We are distributing vouchers for FREE computer lessons in selected areas. You may find vouchers at your local shops or coming directly to you in your mail box.
Vouchers entitle the holder to a choice of six "Beginners" lessons : Windows, Word, Excel, Publisher, Powerpoint or Google. Lessons arranged at a time to suit you - just give us a call - 4272 3559.
DON'T WASTE IT - PASS IT ON Should you receive a voucher and not be able to make use of it, please pass it on to a friend or family member. The offer is open to everyone - the only rule is only one free lesson per person.
For more information on lessons and courses visit our website www.abcomputertraining.com.