Still Clickin

Most of the things we buy repeatedly are bought locally. Groceries, clothes, fuel, and flowers are purchased from stores in our neighborhood. The store could be an outlet of a national retailer or a small independent, but it is local. However, many people now make their special purchases, i.e. items that are purchased infrequently or only once, from an online store.

Not too long ago, making a purchase at an online store almost qualified as an adventure. Today, anyone who is reading these words has, in all likelihood, made a number of online purchases. The intent of these comments is to provide an update, for myself as well as you, of the best shopping practices you should use.

• Check on spyware - It is tragic, but necessary to start with that comment. Spyware exists, and if you, or one of your visitors, opened an email that said, “Congratulations, you’ve just (fill in the blanks)”, spyware that can capture your credit card information may be lurking on your system. Do a scan, e.g. PCTools, and check to make sure you are safe.
• Read the reviews - It used to be that you could go to the library, find the category in Consumer Reports, and feel confident that you could discover the basic things you needed to know before making a reasonably informed buying decision. Although you can still use that approach, you can also find a fair amount of information on the Internet. Just enter ‘review (name of specific product)’ into your search engine, and any number of information sites will vie for your attention. Typically, one or two of them are quite through. For example,

1. Consumers Search can be helpful, and
2. cNet provides detailed advise on technology products.

• Find the Best Deal - Once you have identified the specific product you are after, i.e. manufacturer and model number, you can start looking for the online merchant that will best serve your purchasing requirements. Since the price comparison sites all vary slightly in their approach, it is in your best interest to try a few. Even these reviewers are reviewed, and one good comparison can be found at Smart Money. Since some online merchants will offer special deals through one pricing site and not another, it is best to search a few before you make your final decision. For example, try -

1. Price Grabber,
2. Yahoo Shopping,
3. Dealtime,
4. NexTag,
5. Shopzilla, or
6. Street Prices.

For travel deals, try -

1. Kayak, or
2. Travel Zoo

For special deals, try -

1. Fat Wallet, or
2. Finders Cheapers

• Carefully Select Your Merchant - Product price is definitely NOT the only factor. The cost of shipping can change the monetary profile of a deal. Obviously, the best shipping charge is ‘free’. Beyond that, your have to shop online just the way you shop locally, i.e. find a merchant you can trust. The price comparison sites recognize this need and most of them rate their vendors. Choosing a vendor with a high performance rating can seem like wisdom if something happens to the shipment or later to the product.

Once you click, enjoy the anticipation. Your purchase will appear at your door in just a few days.

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A couple of weeks ago, I heard some news commentators talking about Page Plus Cellular. The story-line centered upon a subscriber to their “unlimited” service whose contract was canceled because of overuse. Obviously, there was a disconnect at many levels.

Without question, the marketing crew at Page Plus should change the plan name to “universal” or “vast”, but that is all they should change. I’ve been a customer of Page Plus Cellular for nearly a year, and I could not be more pleased. Their plans are flexible and aggressively priced, and their service is rock solid. I have recommended them on this site, and I continue to recommend them to family and friends.

You have to understand the realities of their business.

Page Plus Cellular is a re-seller. They buy large blocks of time from a network operator, i.e. Verizon, create usage packages for different market niches, and then service their customer base in an efficient and effective manner. This approach allows Verizon to supply users they would otherwise never capture, and users access to services they could otherwise never afford. It is a true win-win.

This service model breaks down whenever certain users lock onto a connection for an extended period of time, because the switch is prevented from reallocating its resources. An occasional incident is never a problem, but continued patterns do upset the apple cart. At the end of the day, any re-seller can only offer as much as it has acquired.

But I continue to find the Page Plus Cellular service compelling. It is so easy to buy one of their phones at the Circle K. Using their standard plan, a senior citizen can have 300 minutes of access to a reliable network for $30 a year. That is a service that offers both peace of mind and value. Who knows how many worries it has eased and lives it has saved.

Thank you Page Plus Cellular for your outstanding service!

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If you’re reading this, you already know about the Internet. The use of the Internet by the senior community is continually expanding. And it doesn’t have to cost you anything. At local libraries, computers are siting there waiting for your curiosity and fingertips.

What do seniors do with the Internet when their fingertips start moving? According to a report by the Pew Research Center, they are involved with -

*Email - This still drives their primary usage of the Internet. Keeping in touch without the hassle of time zones and time charges, email remains the primary reason why people keep going back to the Internet. It’s especially delightful when the message is from your grandchildren. Free email accounts can be established at Yahoo and other services.

*Finding Information - Once they finish with their email, people typically switch to Google or Yahoo to find out about something. They might be planning a trip, researching a problem, or comparing different brands of toasters. Not surprisingly, Most Internet searches on health topics are performed by seniors.

*Online Shopping - Once they have completed their research, seniors are not afraid to actually make a purchase. As noted in the Pew Report, nearly 50% of the online seniors actually are making purchases. One area of particular interest is travel, both planning and booking tickets. They also are not afraid to both sell and buy items on eBay.

In addition to these top three activities, seniors also explore other facets.

*Reading News - If they’ve moved away, seniors are very likely to scan the pages of the old hometown newspaper online. They are also avid readers of specialized news topics on politics, entertainment, and other targeted sectors. Even the headlines of major newspapers, e.g. New York Times, are available online.

*Sharing Photos - Whether directly through email or via a service like Flickr, seniors love to see the latest images of their grandchildren, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

*Skype - If you are geographically removed from loved ones, skype is a treasure for everyone regardless of age. Simply speaking, skype not only allows you to talk to those you love, but to see and interact with them from many miles away. The visuals of loved ones make them feel so much closer, and it can ease the worries and loneliness that distance can engender.

*Social Sharing - Seniors have not flocked to Facebook or Twitter. They might view a My Space or You Tube link contained in an email, but they are not going to enroll. At this point in their lives, seniors are far less intrigued by the social and gaming aspects of the Internet than are the younger members of our society. Instant messaging holds as little appeal as instant gratification. They prefer to respect privacy and to savor the anticipation of a thoughtful reply. They find important items more interesting than urgent ones.

*Blogs - Because seniors have the time, there are a surprising number of blogs by, for, and about seniors. They are quite often frank, intelligent, and very thought-provoking. They can not only make for fascinating reading, but they can often make you chuckle, cry, and pray. One huge favorite blog that publishes links to many others is Ronni Bennett’s Time Goes By A visit to Ronni’s site is always worthwhile.

The Internet presents all of these facilities and more. It has become an indispensable part of our lives. You should encourage any of your friends that are not involved to take a free course at the library. They may feel uncomfortable at first, but they will thank you profusely later.

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Older citizens have seen a lot of new technology both come and go. Television, digital computers, digital cameras, digital anything, fax machines, scanners, the Internet, Betamax, VCR’s, DVD’s, cell phones, blackberries, iPods, and tweets. The list could go on and on.

Although it has changed, from party-line to private, rotary dial to touch tone, analog to digital, and wired to wireless, the old ‘home’ telephone has been one of the few constant technologies that has been with us throughout our lives. Telephones could always be relied upon. In the trade, they called it five-nines, i.e. 99.999%, reliable. There are no dead zones to break the connection of a wired ‘home’ phone, and it often still works whenever a house loses its electric power.

But mankind isn’t satisfied to leave things alone. So -

• wireless phones were introduced to the home. It was nice to be free of the cord, but now service is lost whenever you lose power.
• phone connections changed. New area codes, satellite and Internet connections, and fixed long distance charges have become the new standards.
• cell phones are replacing the ‘home’ phone. That social anchor called the ‘home’ phone is being abandoned for the ‘personal’ cell phone in many homes.
• payments for phone usage have never been more varied.

Although most seasoned citizens are keeping their reliable ‘home’ phone, change keeps intruding.

• In addition to the local telephone company, the cable company and others may offer the service.
• With an Internet connection, you can use skype or Vonage to route your calls directly over the Internet.
• Typically, long distance calling is bundled together with local calling for a flat monthly fee. How long you talk is no longer an issue.
• Now, you own your own phones, and you must buy and set them up yourself. The features and choices can become quite confusing.
• Internet and television services can also be bundled together with your phone service.

Most people don’t make a change until they must. If you must, however, what is a reasonable approach?

1. Service Provider -

• Because of the Internet, your choices have expanded. Often, you are not limited to the local franchise, e.g. Verizon, you can also consider other providers like Vonage, Earthlink, or Comcast.
• The simplest way to find out what choices your have for your home is to go to White Fence, a web site that searches the Internet for all of your options. All you have to do is enter your home address.
• Another search service is Connect My Phone, but is not as comprehensive.

2. Telephone Sets -Typically, you now have to buy your own phone. There are a wide variety available - wired, wireless, multi-line, answering machines, etc. To help with this decision, go to any of the price comparison sites, e.g.

• BizRate,
• NexTag, or
• Deal Time.

These sites can give you a sense of the variety available and their costs. However, if you want local support, don’t forget the local Radio Shack or Sears.

If you know that you’ll have to make a change at some time in the near future, don’t wait to do your research. The last thing you want to do is be without a phone!

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Selecting a computer was once a choice between an Apple and the PC. Then laptops were added to desktops. Now there are netbooks, mini PC’s, mini home theater PC’s, all-in-one’s, etc., etc.

But all these choices don’t have as much impact on the age 65+ market where an AARP poll reports that less than half of those seniors ever use a computer.

Is there any way for them to bridge that gap?

I have a relative, whom I love dearly, who does not use a computer. Her dear husband did, but he is now pushing daisies rather than pulling them. So she is left without email. Her grandchildren can’t send her photos of their latest activities. She lives “without a net.”

I suspect that we all know someone like that, and in some ways, we envy them. Computer viruses, spam, and printer cartridges are things they simply do not have to think about. They can ignore all the warnings about fraudulent vendors on eBay. Backup is what they do when they drive out of the garage. Files are only used for manicures.

But those of us that live with computers can no longer conceive of a life without them. Email is a daily affair. We are always investigating something on Google. And yet, we are frustrated to know that there are people with whom we can’t share certain things because they are not linked in. Is there any way to bridge this gap?

One low impact way to both learn about and use a computer is to visit one of your area’s Local Libraries. Most libraries today have multiple computers available for their clients. Usually there is a sign-up sheet. Although there may be a time limit of an hour or two, this restriction usually applies only after the hour that school is out.

But in addition to easily accessible computers, libraries quite often offer training. They particularly want to encourage participation among senior citizens. Inquire at your own local library, and I suspect you will be amazed at the amount of support available. For example, one library in Florida offers an extensive program of courses. And they are all free.

So if you are a senior citizen with an inch of curiosity, try a computer at your local library. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy the experience.

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You can have an American Express card and “never leave home without it.” Or you can have a Master Card because its “priceless.” To me, I think my local library card is worth more.

While Google, which is as close as your keyboard, has replaced the library as the first place to start research, your local library also has a fair amount of information and resources readily available. Unlike Google, it offers a tactile experience as you peruse the stacks in an area of interest that might have just occurred to you. For example -

• SIC catalogs for businesses
• Consumer Reports archives
• Numerous magazine archives
• Today’s newspapers, as well as last week’s
• How to manuals on innumerable topics
• A wide range of entertaining fiction
• Informative non-fiction
• DVD’s of a variety of movies and documentaries, and recently
• Downloads of recent publications for your Kindle, etc.

Of course, if you do have a Google itch that you must scratch, computers are stationed there just waiting to address that need. And for these computers, someone else worries about maintaining the anti-virus software. You don’t have to.

Our local library not only offers all these treasures, it provides quiet, comfortable niches in which to nestle and enjoy. Often, it can seem like a little vacation just to stop by for a couple of hours, browse for awhile, discover a new book or author, and park in an easy chair to devour the first few chapters. Our local library may not serve coffee, but one cozy corner does even boast a fireplace.

All these treasures, both near at hand and free. Your local library truly is a treasure. If you want a treat, discover it again this week.

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It seems like five minutes ago that digital photography was the new, expensive kid on the block. Now, digital is mainstream and film photography is becoming the oddity. As for cost, $10 bought me a small digital camera for my grandchildren six months ago, and incredibly, it is still working.

Digital cameras have matured. No longer do manufacturers promote MP, i.e. megapixels, as the be all and end all of quality. They have grown beyond that superficial measure, as noted by the press. Reasonable cameras now are available at a wide range of prices, and their operation has become simpler. There are cameras that anyone can operate.

There are a number of very good digital cameras that you can truly point-and-shoot. The biggest negative difference from film cameras is that there is a slight shutter delay of a second or two between pointing and shooting. The biggest positive difference is that you can see your picture right away and delete anything you don’t like. Overall, you travel home with better pictures of treasured memories.

Finding your camera might require a little research, but there is a lot of information waiting for you. For example,

• The Camera Buying Guide by Consumer Reports is a good place to start.
• CNET provides a wide number of reviews on individual cameras, including the point-and-shoot variety.
• DP Review is more for the hard core enthusiast, but their tracking of the best sellers and individual camera reviews can help prevent surprises.
• Steve’s Site also has helpful reviews of specific cameras.

After you do your research, go to the store and feel them in your hand. You may find that a highly rated camera is uncomfortable for you to hold or too bulky for you to carry. You’ll definitely miss the shot if the camera is home in the drawer.

Once you have your camera, you have more choices for your memories than you once did.

1. If you are adverse to computers, you can bring your chip to any number of drug and discount stores for printing, just like in the old days. There are no negatives, but you can still store your photos in the albums or shoe boxes you prefer.
2. If you do use computers and email, you can immediately share the photos by -

• directly attaching them to emails, or
• posting them to one of the many photo sharing sites like Flickr, which is free, or Kodak Gallery which charges a fee.

Once you have had a lot of fun using the camera for a few months, go back and read over the directions once again. You’ll be surprised at all the features it offers. I’ve done that review a few times, and I’m still learning. It may be a bit of a challenge, but the memories you capture are more than ample reward.

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A few years ago, when my son was in college, he took a pick-up job at a telemarketing firm selling magazine subscriptions. His description of the job was telling. He would walk in, sit at a table lined with telephones and computers, log in, and then wait for the computer to connect him to his next prospect. Whenever his sales pitch led to an order, he would get up, reach over, and ring the brass bell.

After a couple of months, his conscience started to bother him. He felt he might be selling things to people who didn’t need them and may not be able to afford them. Although the extra money really helped, he quit. He didn’t want to be part of that operation.

The blunt truth is that people who try to sell you things over the phone are NOT your friends. They simply want to ring a bell.

Now, however, the situation has gotten much worse. Thieves are out there trying to get enough information to steal from you. Some may operate in the states, but others may be connecting to you from overseas. Moreover, if their computer reconnects through a 900 number, YOU are paying for the call.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself.
*First, register your telephone number with the Federal Trade Commission’s DO NOT Call Service. This service removes your number from the lists of most tele-marketers. If you don’t wish to use the link or do not have an email address, you can register by phone at 1-888-382-1222. You should register all your phone numbers, but especially cell phone numbers.
*When you pick up and hear the dead silence of a delay (the computer is transferring the call to a worker), hang up. The computer won’t mind. It will dial the next number on its list.
*If an actual person is on the line asking you to do some sort of business, simply respond that you don’t do business, ANY business, over the phone. Tell them to mail you their request. If they do not already have your address, it is NOT a valid request.

On a telephone or on a computer, it is quite easy to mask the identity of the source. They can say that they represent some wonderful charity, or are simply trying to help you with your interests, but you have no way of validating that information. Even if it is a charity I know and the person sounds genuine, I do my business via the mails . . . NEVER over the phone.

Recently, my wife got a new cell phone with a new number. We registered the number with Do Not Call right away. After a couple of months, she started receiving computer calls from a “lawyer’s office that wanted to talk to her about a very important business matter.” Using Google to research the phone number of the Caller ID, we learned that it was a scam. I simply reported the number to Do Not Call, and they never called our number again. It works!

It is a shame that there are so many scams today, but that is the world we live in. As a consequence, “I never do business over the phone.”

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Because they can be used to call for help, cell phones often provide senior citizens with a sense of security and independence. Although I currently don’t choose to have one, my wife does, but it is old and has started to fade. To give me a project, she placed the search for a replacement into my hands. This is what I found in June 2009.

To make the best selection, I narrowed the search by first answering some key questions, i.e.
1. How is the phone going to be used? That choice determines both -

• the kind of phone you should pick as well as
• the type of billing plan you should select.

2. Of the major networks (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint/Nextel, T-Mobile), which provides the best signal in your immediate area?
3. Of the many service providers, which combines the best answers to the prior questions with stability, service, and price?

First, you need to pick your network. Despite all the ads, cell phone signals travel in a straight line between your phone and the nearest tower for your network. Hills and valleys matter. Don’t listen to the commercials; listen to your neighbors. Ask them which network they are using and how well it works for them. On the major highways, all of the major networks work well. However, at our last home, AT&T worked well and Verizon did not. Now, at our new home, the reverse is true. You can try this web site to assess the local terrain, but asking your neighbors is the best.

One improvement over the past year is that the networks in the USA have become more “open” as they are in the rest of the world. That means that you often don’t have to buy a new phone if it already has the technology (GSM or CDMA) that the network supports. CDMA is used by Verizon and Sprint / Nextel. GSM is used by AT&T and T-Mobile.

But if you don’t own a phone or have a “tired” one, how you answer the questions on usage can determine which model of telephone device you should select. Are there other things you want to do with this phone beyond telephone access? Today’s cell phones come in three major flavors, and there many additional features that you can pick to suit your taste. While their prices may vary from nothing to over $500, they allow you to do a lot more than just dial a friend. Listed by increasing cost, the categories are -

• Basic - allows you to talk and listen,
• Media - also lets you take pictures or video, play music or games, and
• Smart - acts like a mini PC for email, texting, and Internet access.

Next, you need to decide what your usage patterns will be, e.g.

• How many calls will you make per month, and how long will they last? Remember, you are charged for every minute that you are connected to the network whether you made the call or simply received it.
• What time of the day/night will you use your phone the most? Night and weekend calls are typically charged at lower rates.
• From what geographic area will you make/receive most of your calls? This choice can affect both the quality of the service as well as the cost.

The challenge is to pick the billing plans that best fit your actual usage because that will usually offer you the best value. There are two major types of billing plans -

• Contract - provides a year or two of service at a fixed monthly fee for a certain number of anytime minutes as well as a much higher number of night and weekend minutes, and
• Pre-pay - requires payment up-front for a fixed time period, and charges either by-the-minute or with a combination of daily (or monthly) access charges coupled with a lower by-the-minute fee. There is no contract. For many seniors whose usage is less than 200 minutes per month, a pre-pay usually offers the best value.

Once you have an idea of your network, phone, and billing plan, start searching for service providers. You can deal directly with the major networks or you can choose an alternate network (MVNO’s), who buy bulk time on the major networks and resell it to their customers. Often, these outfits offer more creative billing plans and solid customer service. Names you may have heard of in this group include Page Plus, Jitterbug, Consumer Cellular, TracFone, and Virgin Mobile.

My search ended with a pre-paid billing plan from the service provider, Page Plus Cellular, which uses Verizon’s network. The LG VX5200 media phone offered more features than we really needed, but at $15, the price was right.

The very next thing we need to do is enter the phone number into the Do Not Call Directory. I don’t want our minutes to be used for some tele-marketer’s solicitations.

Some links that may be helpful for your search are -

• WirelessInfo.com - provides reviews of many devices
• WirelessGuide.org - a buying guide for phones and services
• PrepaidReviews.com - extensive reviews of the prepaid plan
• CellGuru.net - nice comparison chart of the prepaid plans
• National Do Not Call Registry - critical for cell phones

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Sometimes I feel that I am committing a capital offense in today’s society. But I feel I must confess it outright and post it here today.

I do NOT have a Cell Phone! I do NOT Text! I am NOT on Facebook! I do NOT even Instant Message!

It is not that I am adverse to the technology. It neither confuses nor intimidates me. It is simply that I choose NOT to participate. I once used to pay for a cell plan that had more minutes than towers but did not provide a compelling solution to any real problem. In fact, by ringing in the midst of meetings and mealtimes, it often created a few.

When people know that they can access you directly, they seem to feel a sense of entitlement to your time. It is as if you have given them control over your priorities. You either accept their call, and risk the diversion from your priorities, or screen it out, and risk insulting them. If an issue is truly that critical, should you really rely on today’s cell phone technology?

Have you ever listened to the trivial conversations that people carry on over their cell phones? In fact, it is hard to avoid them since they frequently can invade your space in many trains, buses, or store aisles. Unfortunately, this increase in instant access seems to have become inversely proportional to the thoughtfulness of people’s answers. Is this technology really providing an enhancement?

I fully realize that my perspective is not popular. Today’s society seems to thrive on urgency, a fair amount of tension, and a high level of background noise. But does that lead to achievement? Does it lead to excellence? I think not.

It is difficult to escape the noise. People have devices plugged into their ears whenever they walk, ride, or fly. It is as if they are afraid of their own thoughts, of silence. It is as if they fear that they will be diminished if they are not constantly connected. As a result, our society seems to have lost the refinement in our thoughts that is the gift of reflection. The ‘urgent’ has superseded the ‘important’ to the point where the ‘important’ seems to get watered down to the point that it can blend with the ‘urgent’.

For example, compare two newspapers, USA Today and the New York Times. The former presents the news in sound bites, the latter with background and some perspective. Ironically, even USA Today is losing readership to the Web, which offers even briefer bullets.

My career was focused upon selecting and implementing technologies that would enable organizations to leapfrog, i.e. to do more with less. Technologies that did not provide extensive leverage were ignored or discarded.

Today, we seem to have become so enamored with what technology can do that we ignore the vital question of, “Should it?” The right answer, of course, will require some reflection . . . if anybody has the time.

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