In a new survey on Internet use by older adults (over 65) the Pew Research Internet Project reported a lot of new data about Internet usage by this group. As an instructor who teaches adults of all ages how to use technology for fun and profit, this report had a lot of data that validated what I see in my classes. Here are some of the key findings:

• Two groups of older adults exist - a younger (under 75), more educated (college), and more affluent group, and an older (75+), less affluent, and often disabled group. The first group owns tech devices at a rate similar to younger age groups, and uses the Internet and it's resources more frequently. The older group is disconnected from the Internet and it's resources. 
• Internet usage by older adults has increased. In 2012, Pew reported that slightly over half of all older adults (53%) were Internet users, today that number has increased to 59%, an increase of 6%.
• Seniors as a whole lag behind the rest of the population. Of all adults over 65, a whopping 41% say they do not use the Internet at all, 53% do not have broadband access at home, and 23% do not use cell phones. However, the drop-off occurs around the age of 75, with 74% of those 65-69 using the Internet., compared to 47% of those 75-79.
• For seniors with an annual income over $75K, 90% go online and 82% have broadband at home, while only 39% go online for those earning less than $30K, and only 25% of this group has broadband Internet access.
• For those with a college degree, 87% go online with 76% using broadband at home, while the numbers are 40% and 27% for those without a college degree.
• Adults over 75 in particular face physical challenges to using new technology, often due to a disability.
• Older adults who don't use the Internet often don't think they are missing out. 35% of older non-Internet users don't feel that they are missing out on information.
• New technology is a challenge for older adults with only 18% saying they would feel comfortable learning a new technology such as a smartphone or tablet on their own and a huge 77% who indicated they would need someone to walk them through using it. For seniors who don't use social networking sites, 56% said they would need help to use these sites.

This poll points out what I see in my classes, older adults need help learning new technology, even if they want to be connected and use the Internet. With the rapid pace of changes by tech vendors, this makes the process even more challenging for older adults who want to keep up. However, once older adults are using the Internet, they find it very satisfying and informative. I think this means a constant need for teaching is ahead of me.

I found a new service on the Web that automatically converts text to video for a Web site. The service, Wibbitz, uses your RSS feed with the headline and images to create a video, complete with voiceover narration and a soundtrack. Here's one I created using Wibbitz in about 2 minutes so you can see what the results look like:

All you need is an RSS feed from a blog or your Web site. Go to Wibbitz at www.wibbitz.com, enter your email address and your RSS feed, and in a few seconds Wibbitz creates your video. HTML embed code is provided so you can cut and paste the video player on your Web site (as I did above).

All of this is completely free, and takes about 2 minutes. It's possible to customize the video to remove the voiceover, create a loop that automatically plays non-stop, adjust the size of the video player, and change the music from to a few different selections. From a conversation with Wibbitz, I learned that they use the 10 most recent RSS posts from your RSS feed to incorporate into the video.

It's important to use a graphic with each RSS post in order to get the full imact of the video, so you might want to go back and add a graphic to any text only posts you're using in the RSS feed.

For the week of July 16-21 I'm in the Orange County and Pasadena area teaching classes. Long Beach Parks and Recreation and Seal Beach Parks and Recreation are  co-sponsoring the Los Alamitos iPhones, iPads, and I'm Lost training, city residents may get a discount from non-residents. Here's my schedule for the week:

Los Alamitos Parks and Recreation (with Long Beach and Seal Beach)

Tuesday July 17 6:30-9:30 pm iPhones, iPads, and I'm Lost 

Santiago College - Tustin

Wednesday July 18 6:30-9:30 pm Facebook and Social Media Marketing

Thursday July 19 6:30-9:30 pm iPhones, iPads, and I'm Lost

Saddleback College Mission Viejo

Saturday July 21 9 am - 12 noon Blogging for Fun and Profit

Saturday July 21 1-4 pm Secrets of Internet and Social Media Marketing

This Monday I drive up to Sacramento where I'll be teaching at The Learning Exchange in the Arden area and later in the week at Sierra College in Roseville. Here's a rundown on the classes scheduled for training in Facebook, App Development, Social Media Marketing, and training on iPhones and iPads:

At The Learning Exchange

Monday July 9 6:30-9:30 pm Facebook, Twitter, and Social Networking for Beginners

Tuesday July 10 1-4 pm Facebook Pages for Business Hands-On Training

Tuesday July 10 6:30-9:30 pm iPhones, iPads, and I'm Lost

At Sierra College

Wednesday July 11 6:30-9:30 How to Start a Smartphone App Business

Thursday July 12 Facebook and Social Media Marketing

Saturday July 14 9-12 am Facebook, Twitter, and Social Networking for Beginners

Saturday July 12 1-4 pm iPhones, iPads, and I'm Lost

iPad users in my classes about what keyboard are best for an iPad. This is a product where you get what you pay for in quality. There are several high quality keyboards on the market, and the decision is based more on whether you want a keyboard integrated with an iPad case, or a keyboard alone.

Keyboards should offer your fingers good feedback when pressing on a key, be durable, and allow you to position your hands in a comfortable position for typing. Here's two of the best choices on the market now:

Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 Removable Keyboard - about $68 on Amazon

This is one of the better keyboard/case models currently on the market, because the keyboard is removeable. When using the iPad in a tilted position, the keyboard, when attached to the case, can end up being in a awkward position for typing. A removeable keyboard allows more freedom of movement and is more comfortable than a permanently fixed keyboard. This item used to sell for almost $100 and is now priced comparable to cases with a fixed keyboard.

Apple Bluetooth Keyboard - about $69 on Amazon

The Apple Bluetooth keyboard, which is included with new iMacs, is comfortable and easy to use, although a bit on the large size for carrying with an iPad. The advantage is that you'll find the feeling of the keys very good, and for Mac users the layout will be familiar.

Any cloud needs the ability to synchronize storage and files across any device, like synchronizing a file from an iPhone to a PC, or from an Android phone to a Mac, or from a tablet to phone, etc. etc., you get the idea. No one wants to be captive to a sole-source single vendor cloud and have data tied up with one vendor, and being forced to use that vendor's hardware and operating system in order to access the data.

Google did it right with Google Drive, it's got 5GB of storage for free, works on Android, PC, Mac, iOS through a browser, with an app coming in a few weeks, and provides storage of just about anything, including large video files. It also does optical cahracter recognition to make text searchable, using, of course, Google search.

Additional storage is dirt cheap, with an upgrade to 25GB only $2.49 a month, 100GB $4.99 a month, and 1Terabyte for $49. a month.

Google Drive also includes applications for opening the files stored. For example, if you have a video, the video player is included with Google Drive so you don't need an application on your PC. In addition to videos, photos, graphics, Microsoft documents, PDF files and others can be stored. Compared to Dropbox, Box.net and other third party cloud services, Google got everything right and when the iOS app comes, expect a heavy download day on the App Store.

From the Gadget, the available advertisers will appear. Select one, then publish the blog post. For blogs without an active AdSense account, an AdSense account will need to be setup. All of this can be done from the Google's Affiliate Publisher page.  

After signing up for the Google Affiliate terms and conditions and setting up your AdSense account, the Advertise Products gadget appears in the right sidebar when editing or writing a post. Clicking on the Gadget opens up a search box and window where advertisers are displayed based on the content of a blog post.

Monday March 26: iPhones, iPads, and I'm Lost - Conejo Valley Adult School Thousand Oaks

Tuesday March 27: Improving PC Performance - Santiago Canyon College, Tustin, CA

Wedensday March 28: Improving PC Performance - Los Alamitos Recreation Center

Major improvements in the purchase of apps includes drop down lists for downloading and installing apps on specific devices, so users download the correct version for their specific Android tbalet or phone. This should help Android tablet users find compatible apps. Apps can be selected to automatically update so users will never have to manually update the app themselves. For book reading, playing music, and other content, the content automatically between devices so users can stop reading on one device, and pick and read where they left off on another device, including a Web browser on their computer. 

For Social Networking, Google + is integrated into Google Play, so users can share books they are reading, music they like, movies, tv shows, and apps with their Google + Circles.

If you've ever wanted to learn from leading CEO's, technolgists, and venture investors in Southern California, this is an excellent venue to attend. I've been to several of the events and I always find them informative. If you cannot attend, the videos of the presentations are available on the CalTech/MIT Enterprise Forum Web site.

Here's a great Webinar for learning more about Facebook's EdgeRank algorthm, which determines what content is placed higher than other. Knowing as much as you can about EdgeRank will help you get more effective social activity from your posts on Facebook. No one knows you're there if they can't see you. I've used Wildfire and they are a great application add-in which I recommend to my students who take my Facebook and Social Media Marketing class. If you can't take the class, you can buy the workbook.

Did you know that no matter how many fans you have on Facebook, at any given time you're only reaching a fraction of them with your branded messaging efforts? The amount of users exposed to your branded content is dependent on a Facebook-created algorithm called EdgeRank.

Brands that know how to increase their EdgeRank scores are the ones that will be most successful at reaching more users. Want to know how to increase your brand's EdgeRank score? In this free webinar from Wildfire, together with the experts at EdgeRank Checker, you will learn all about the elusive algorithm governing your brand's presence on Facebook as well as how to take your new understanding of EdgeRank and translate it to an actionable marketing plan. 

Join us on February 28, 2012 at 10am PST for your opportunity to learn: 

• What variables control a brand's EdgeRank score
• Which content types perform best, by industry vertical
• How to engage visiting fans once you've reached them through the newsfeed
• Best practices for increasing your EdgeRank score with engagement success