Attached to email

I think the biggest topic I teach my clients is email. It's certainly one of the most important for them, up there with 'looking up things on the Internet'. Most of my clients are 60+ and their children have grown up and left home. The children have persuaded the parents that they need a computer. The best-case scenario is that the parents go out and buy themselves a new one. The worst-case is where the children hand over an old one...and I have plenty of stories about that!

So using the Internet is the main thing - and using email is a regular topic for my lessons. I could go off into the topic right now - webmail vs. mail clients, spam, deleting, saving, creating/composing (why can't they just describe it as 'writing'?) - but this would make a very long posting!

When a client is very new to email I always send a mail just before the lesson to make sure that there is something in the Inbox. I sometimes send a 'spoof' too - just to illustrate that there are people out there who mimic 'banking' emails. My harmless spoof usually comes from a well-known senior politician...he's been very useful in helping me teach about emails!

Here are two other guys who continue to help me out:


I always use this picture to illustrate email 'attachments'. It always fascinates my pupils and many of them want to save the picture, which leads conveniently into another topic!

Each night for the last 8 or 9 years badgers have been coming right up to my mother's window where she lives in Dorset. Sometimes as many as four pay a visit. I took this photo with a film camera and flash, just by holding the camera right up against the glass. The badgers didn't flinch - they just kept right on chomping away. They know they're on to a good thing!

Thanks, guys - keep on coming. You've no idea how many people are so attached to you!

Colin