General tips for terrified newbies?

ficbot · 05-07-2010, 10:20 PM

After some careful indoctrination, I got my book-loving but tech-phobic mother on board with the idea of an ebook reader and nurtured her tepid interest to the point where she accepted a Kobo Reader as a mother's day/retirement gift from me. She spent about half an hour getting comfortable with using the buttons and performing basic navigation tasks while I was there, and I got ADE all set up for her so she could download books if she wanted to. But she seems unreasonably terrified of the software. After finally declaring that she 'loves' the reader and that it is adorable, she said 'well, at least I don't have to worry about buying the books for it.' Oh? 'Well, I just figure that if there are any books I want, I will tell you and you will buy them for me and put them on the reader when you come over and I'll just pay you back for them.'

I really don't think ADE is that hard, and certainly the Kobo is about as bare-bones and simplistic as they come. I don't really know how to convince her that the Adobe software is not out to get her and that buying an ebook herself is an attainable goal. If it were not for the price, I would have gotten her a Kindle and then she would never need to worry about the computer at all, but she saw my Kindle and the keyboard scared her away. Plus the Kobo is smaller and lighter and cuter.

So...next steps?

dreams · 05-07-2010, 11:13 PM

I'm glad she liked it.

For my mom, I wrote out a step by step guide in a notebook for her to follow. I also put label tags on all the cords.. (USB to computer on one end and round barrel plug to Reader on the other end - same with the wall charger)

I think that if I do it again, I would make screen shots showing arrows pointing to what should be "clicked" in the program to match with the step by step instructions. I would print it out and put it in plastic sleeves in a notebook for her.

It would save a lot of weird hour phone calls to me trying to figure out what she is trying to describe that had "messed" up.

Good Luck.

Tricorp · 05-07-2010, 11:35 PM

Good luck, one of the reasons that most of my family has a kindle is because it requires no computer at all.

lene1949 · 05-08-2010, 03:04 AM

Can you have her buy/download books, while you're there? After she's done about 10 she should be OK with a step by step piece of paper, she can refer to, when on her own...

Jellby · 05-08-2010, 03:35 AM

Tell her to visit MobileRead and just download books for free. No need to fiddle with ADE, authorizations, upgrades, PIDs, PINs, credit cards...

Ea · 05-08-2010, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jellby

Tell her to visit MobileRead and just download books for free. No need to fiddle with ADE, authorizations, upgrades, PIDs, PINs, credit cards...

She still has to get the files on the e-reader. At leastt with ADE she won't have to figure out how to find the files on the PC and transfer them manually.

GhostHawk · 05-08-2010, 08:35 AM

Let her get comfortable with the reader first. Once she has that under her belt, then she may be less terrified about learning to load books for it.

Small steps

mrscoach · 05-08-2010, 08:48 AM

I agree with GhostHawk, let her get used to using the reader. Then when she wants you to buy her a book go to her and talk her through it, step by step. Teaching by doing helps people remember much more than just explaining. It also shows that there is nothing to fear. If she is tech-phobic then small steps are definitely the way to go. She will learn that it doesn't bite, and mistakes can be fixed fairly easily.

Good for you, getting her a reader.

cfrizz · 05-08-2010, 11:12 AM

Agree with the others. Let her get comfortable with the reader first. And since it isn't really a big deal to download the books, just do so at her house buying them with her credit card & get them on her reader for her.

Make sure she is observing while you do it. When she see how easy it is, she'll want to do it herself.

SameOldStory · 05-08-2010, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ficbot

After some careful indoctrination, I got my book-loving but tech-phobic mother on board with the idea of an ebook reader and nurtured her tepid interest to the point where she accepted a Kobo Reader as a mother's day/retirement gift from me.
So...next steps?

Before retirement did she use "real" computers (as opposed to point of sales computers etc.)?

It sounds like she is grudgingly accepting the reader but balking at the use of a computer. If so then (assuming that she has a computer) download the books that she wants while she watches, but don't try to show her how to do it.

After a while it will look familiar to her. By then she will, hopefully, have gotten in to reading on the ereader. Now start to teach her to download the books that she wants.

pholy · 05-08-2010, 12:40 PM

Good for you to stick with ADE - the Kobo software seems to be tailored to the multi-device person. Much more complicated and tiresome to use than the ADE software. And she can still buy epub from Kobo and d/l to ADE before putting it on the Kobo. I hope your Mom enjoys her reader!

05-07-2010, 10:20 PM	#1
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	General tips for terrified newbies? After some careful indoctrination, I got my book-loving but tech-phobic mother on board with the idea of an ebook reader and nurtured her tepid interest to the point where she accepted a Kobo Reader as a mother's day/retirement gift from me. She spent about half an hour getting comfortable with using the buttons and performing basic navigation tasks while I was there, and I got ADE all set up for her so she could download books if she wanted to. But she seems unreasonably terrified of the software. After finally declaring that she 'loves' the reader and that it is adorable, she said 'well, at least I don't have to worry about buying the books for it.' Oh? 'Well, I just figure that if there are any books I want, I will tell you and you will buy them for me and put them on the reader when you come over and I'll just pay you back for them.' I really don't think ADE is that hard, and certainly the Kobo is about as bare-bones and simplistic as they come. I don't really know how to convince her that the Adobe software is not out to get her and that buying an ebook herself is an attainable goal. If it were not for the price, I would have gotten her a Kindle and then she would never need to worry about the computer at all, but she saw my Kindle and the keyboard scared her away. Plus the Kobo is smaller and lighter and cuter. So...next steps?

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05-07-2010, 11:13 PM	#2
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,112 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	I'm glad she liked it. For my mom, I wrote out a step by step guide in a notebook for her to follow. I also put label tags on all the cords.. (USB to computer on one end and round barrel plug to Reader on the other end - same with the wall charger) I think that if I do it again, I would make screen shots showing arrows pointing to what should be "clicked" in the program to match with the step by step instructions. I would print it out and put it in plastic sleeves in a notebook for her. It would save a lot of weird hour phone calls to me trying to figure out what she is trying to describe that had "messed" up. Good Luck.

05-07-2010, 11:35 PM	#3
Tricorp Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 40000 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Kindle	Good luck, one of the reasons that most of my family has a kindle is because it requires no computer at all.

05-08-2010, 03:04 AM	#4
lene1949 Wizard Posts: 1,952 Karma: 213930 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Middelfart, Denmark Device: Kindle paper white	Can you have her buy/download books, while you're there? After she's done about 10 she should be OK with a step by step piece of paper, she can refer to, when on her own...

05-08-2010, 03:35 AM	#5
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,516 Karma: 18512745 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	Tell her to visit MobileRead and just download books for free. No need to fiddle with ADE, authorizations, upgrades, PIDs, PINs, credit cards...

05-08-2010, 08:35 AM	#7
GhostHawk Data Privateer! Posts: 586 Karma: 62887 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Fargo ND Device: Ectaco Jetbook& Jetbook Lite	Let her get comfortable with the reader first. Once she has that under her belt, then she may be less terrified about learning to load books for it. Small steps

05-08-2010, 08:48 AM	#8
mrscoach Guru Posts: 763 Karma: 4837659 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: San Angelo Texas Device: Samsung Galaxy tab	I agree with GhostHawk, let her get used to using the reader. Then when she wants you to buy her a book go to her and talk her through it, step by step. Teaching by doing helps people remember much more than just explaining. It also shows that there is nothing to fear. If she is tech-phobic then small steps are definitely the way to go. She will learn that it doesn't bite, and mistakes can be fixed fairly easily. Good for you, getting her a reader.

05-08-2010, 11:12 AM	#9
cfrizz Wizard Posts: 1,531 Karma: 34583358 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Quincy, MA Device: Samsung 54A, Kobo Libra H2O, Samsung S6 Lite	Agree with the others. Let her get comfortable with the reader first. And since it isn't really a big deal to download the books, just do so at her house buying them with her credit card & get them on her reader for her. Make sure she is observing while you do it. When she see how easy it is, she'll want to do it herself.

05-08-2010, 12:40 PM	#11
pholy Booklegger Posts: 1,801 Karma: 7999816 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Device: BeBook(1 & 2010), PEZ, PRS-505, Kobo BT, PRS-T1, Playbook, Kobo Touch	Good for you to stick with ADE - the Kobo software seems to be tailored to the multi-device person. Much more complicated and tiresome to use than the ADE software. And she can still buy epub from Kobo and d/l to ADE before putting it on the Kobo. I hope your Mom enjoys her reader!

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