Social Media Basics: How-To Videos
Last week I went home for my mom’s 75th birthday. While I was there, I showed her how to use the Facebook account my sister set up for her several months ago. She was thrilled to see that most of her children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews are using Facebook almost every day. She commented that it was like having her whole family right there in her living room, in spite of the fact that we’re spread all over the U.S. She was positively delighted.
I showed my mom how to connect with her family and friends, how to comment on people’s posts, and how to locate and write on walls. She even updated her own status. Even though she seemed very pleased with the ease of use, I haven’t seen any activity from her since I left. It occurs to me now how overwhelming this technology must be for some people – particularly those who weren’t introduced to it until well into their years.
As part of the series of how-to videos I create for business users of social media, I am going to include some lessons that are written specifically for my mom. They will cover some of the basic skills. While I’m creating these videos with my mom in mind, they are meant for anyone who grew up using a manual typewriter and still remembers the days when we wrote letters and mailed them in an envelope with a 26-cent stamp.
There will be a day when using social media will be no more mysterious than talking on the telephone. But we’re not there yet.
