If you are anything like me, you have parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents and friends that are pretty far removed from what we would consider 'technically savvy.' You know the sort: they have a hard time with the remote controls for their televisions, they have not yet mastered their cell phones, and they can barely navigate the internet beyond checking emails. When dealing with these beloved yet woefully inept family members, it can be nigh impossible to talk them through even the simplest of technical tasks.
My particular situation revolves around my mother's desire to check yard sale listings on the internet. She is a natural born bargain hunter and has learned that finding yard sales on internet listings is much more efficient than simply driving around on Saturday mornings looking for signs on telephone poles.
However, since I have moved away from home, I am no longer there to help her navigate the web and isolate these listings. Several failed attempts at instructing her over the telephone had us both frustrated and looking for a viable solution that did not include me purchasing a plane ticket home. I finally found a solution in something called remote access software.
This software allows a user to log into and take control of a computer located anywhere in the world from the comfort of their own home. After picking up this software and talking my mother through the thankfully simple installation process, I was in complete control of her computer within minutes.
My mother sat in amazement as I controlled her computer right before her eyes – from across the country! The value in this connection was that, rather than attempt to walk my mother through the process of locating her beloved yard sales, I was able to show her the process occur on her very own computer screen. She watched as I added reliable websites to her favorites folder, conducted Google searches and browsed through CraigsList postings.
Seeing me perform these tasks right before her eyes was even more powerful than doing it in person would have been She was not standing behind me peering over my shoulder, and she was not struggling to translate my words into actions over the telephone. She was sitting in her computer chair, watching her computer screen and learning the process.
Since I installed this software on her computer I have utilized it several times. Printer software installs, OS updates and some video player codec installations are just a few of the processes I have logged onto her computer and quickly handled for her. The software is affordable, simple to use and is very easy on system resources - even on a relic like mother's system.
If you have a relative, friend, co-worker or anyone in your life that can benefit from this kind of direct support, tell them about the benefits of remote access software and guide them to the download page of a free demo.
The amount of time you spend helping them out will be more than outweighed by the time and frustration you will be saving them. You will also be actively contributing to making them a better computer and internet user and, one day, they just might return the favor!
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