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The Northumbria IT Network
Mo from Northumbria's IT Network talks about the informal network which allows u3a members to come together to share their thoughts and comments on digital matters, including problem solving technological issues together.
Each week members from several (usually about eight) local u3as wake up in time to join in with our regional meeting about technical issues. This IT network is very informal, with Zoom meetings that are only an hour long. Official business starts at half ten, after we’ve moaned for the first quarter hour about the health and welfare of mind and body rather than that of our computers.
On the stroke of 10.30, someone relates a problem they’ve come across during the past week, solved or needing help. What ideas can the rest of us come up with? Reports about last week’s suggestions and their success or failure follow.
I like the bit about gadgets best. Any random purchase, anything vaguely helpful like an anti-snoring watch, a plug that heats the room, or a mobile phone wall projector.
We sometimes tease each other about the sad amount of glee involved in setting up smart door cams (answering next door’s by mistake) or how frustrating it can be to realise something you sent off for is actually coming from China so will take 6 weeks when you really wanted it for a birthday present last week.
And then there’s scams. We could spend the whole hour telling each other about my friend the foreign prince who wants to give me money or the thrill of the scammers being foiled by the O2 AI granny that keeps them talking.
After the meeting I usually try to compile some notes of some of the bits we’ve covered, and send them out by Beacon. This networking all started years ago, before Richard and Susan wrote Sitebuilder and made life easy for spreading the u3a word and keeping folks updated with their group information.
Someone from each of the u3as in the NE that wanted a presence on the web used to have to traipse to the centre of NCL to type their piece into the one dedicated device running Dreamweaver every time they hoped to update their one page on the regional website.
What changes have taken place in these two decades! Here am I doing updates from a comfy armchair on my mobile phone and we can see each other and talk face to face from home.
However, notwithstanding all that progress, in the spring we are planning a live in-person get together combined with the special feature- bring your problem device for help to prevent you from throwing Windows out the window.
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