she uses Google+ to stay in touch with other family members online (< 10)
What I don't understand is if you want to stay in touch with a small group of close acquaintances/family why not use email? It's vastly easier to use than any "social network"
What I don't understand is if you want to stay in touch with a small group of close acquaintances/family why not use email? It's vastly easier to use than any "social network"
This is actually what we're working on at FamilyLeaf: http://familyleaf.ocm
The younger generations don't use email, so you have to encourage them to share in different ways. But at the same time, you must make it dead simple for older people to share their photos and updates. On FamilyLeaf, we've solved that by using Chute (http://getchute.com) to allow people our age to selectively share from their photos on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, etc.
And older people can just attach photos in a message to send@familyleaf.com - they're automatically emailed to the whole group and collected in your universal family album.
You think it's a big part but you are in fact making that personal connection weaker.
At the very most in the world technology, email would suffice for your family.
Most of the elders in my family - talking people 65+ - have computers, use Facebook, to keep in touch. Most of my mother's _friends_ are on Facebook for that matter. They do appreciate a phone call, but for grand-baby pictures and video, that's where the action is.
My mother is the exception. At the age of 70, she's never touched a computer. She likely never will.
Anyway - my point is that my family is not exceptional, nor especially early-adopting. We're pretty typical Americans, I think.
by the way; phones and postal mail still use technology.