It’s A Start

Recently I suggested to some seniors that they install Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware on their computers to make occasional checks on the status of uninvited guests. The suggestion was in an email with the further suggestion that they google on the titles of the two apps and go to the obvious sites to download what they wanted.

Days passed and I received an email message from one of the seniors who said that getting additional protection seemed like a good idea. Could I please send him the URLs and instructions?

That stopped me for a moment because I thought that I had sent him everything he needed. This is not a person who requires hand holding for each step, but the idea of entering some search words and selecting the right place to go seemed to stop him. So I wrote back to him that the idea had been for him to take it as an exercise in using the Internet to go and get the downloads knowing what they are called with no further help, but that if he tried and still couldn’t do it, let me know and I would send him the URLs - which I would have to look up in just the way that he would have to look them up because I do not keep either one in my head (although I do know to go to Lavasoft and could probably guess right how to get there directly).

This little encounter was just another example of how my use of bookmarks (favorites) has changed and might not be the same as the normal usage of my clients. Often locating a site is quicker for me by using Google as sort of a DNS rather than scanning through a long list of saved bookmarks - even when the bookmarks are neatly sorted into relevant folders. That’s me, but my client uses Google for other purposes. He generally uses it to go to unknown sites rather than revisiting ones that he has bookmarked. So when I thought that I had transmitted to him the essential information, he did not have a mental model of how to use it effectively.

Simple misunderstanding? Yes, but these little misunderstandings can be the difference between effective tutoring and inadvertently turning a student off. Things that I think are trivial can become stumbling blocks which detract from the enjoyment of learning.

The obvious next question from several clients was “How often should I run them?”

The equally obvious answer is “Depends.” However, that answer does not meet their needs. So I respond that once a week or once a month, depending on how many pests they find the second and third time they sweep. Maybe that is as good an answer as one can give.

“Are these the best ways of keeping my computer safe?”

“No, but it’s a start.”

Click here to read about my new tutorial on helping seniors. The new version has grown considerably over the original. It has more topics and anecdotes, and fewer typos. While you’re at it, check out my expanded tutorial on decision theory.

[tags]google, ad-aware, spybot search and destroy, mental model, senior learning, senior computing[/tags]