Articles

Making the internet easy for all 

Thousands of people who think the internet isn’t for them are getting online the easy way – thanks to myguide and UK online centres. 

The internet can help people save time, money and hassle, help them keep in touch with family and friends, access community or government services, and find whole libraries of information at the click of a mouse or tap of a key. 

The problem is that not everyone is taking advantage of it.  UK online centres research shows 39% of adults still aren’t online, can’t, won’t or don’t use computers and the internet.  What’s more, those already at a social or financial disadvantage are three times more likely to be on the wrong side of the digital divide, and missing out on the benefits computers and the internet can provide. 

Helen Milner is Managing Director of UK online centres.  She says:  “There are often complex factors at work in exclusion – age, culture, disability, income, confidence, education and attitude to name but a few.  Overcoming those barriers and helping the offline get online is key to creating a fairer and more equal 21st century society.  That’s the goal UK online centres and myguide are working towards.”

The myguide website – www.myguide.gov.uk – offers free, easy-to-use email and web-search tools from a simple, banner-free website.  myguide allows people to personalise and save settings, change colours, font size and even choose to use a built-in ‘hear it’ function which reads the text on screen.  Because myguide is for absolute beginners, it’s designed to be supported, so people’s first steps onto the internet are supervised and so positive they’ll want to keep on using it. 

myguide is now the main tool used by UK online centres across England to help web-novices get to grips with the internet.  Often the free email account is enough to get people through the door, and the support and encouragement they receive enough to make them stay to find out more.  For other centres myguide forms part of general ICT or basic skills classes, fuelling research and communications tasks.  For a few, it’s proving particularly useful in breaking down learning barriers for more vulnerable customers. 

One centre using myguide regularly is the Newcastle Clubhouse in Fenham, who work with people enduring long term mental ill-health.  Caroline Lillie is a tutor at the Clubhouse specialising in lifelong learning, and myguide is now integral to her work. 

She adds:  “Adults enduring mental ill-health are one of the most under represented groups in education.  They often have complex needs and face multiple barriers.  I use myguide in classes from day one, helping people set up their email account as part of their induction process.  Because it’s so easy to use, it allows people to be quite independent online quite quickly.  That sense of achievement is really important. 

“It’s written in very clear language, so it’s very easy to understand and very un-threatening.  The screen in uncluttered and easy to navigate and it saves previous internet searches, which is excellent for customers whose concentration levels may be poor.  It also helps personalise their sessions and gives them a sense of ownership, because they can control what their account looks like, and set it up so it’s familiar and comfortable each time they log in.  I’d particularly recommend myguide for use with learners who have been outside of education for a long time and are lacking in confidence.”

Helen Milner concludes:  “Making the internet inclusive means it can make a real difference to people’s lives.  It’s not just an email, or just a website – for some people it could be independence, a lifeline, or a whole new world.  For others – often the excluded or nervous - it’s a start, and that shouldn’t be underestimated.  57% of those taking part in the myguide pilot wanted to go on and do a further learning course, 64% said it made them think about looking for a different job.  Connecting people to the internet can connect them to skills, aspirations, information, services and opportunities, and it’s vital those benefits are extended to as many people as possible.”

Those outside the UK online centres network can tap into its expertise and even directly into myguide for use with different client groups or customers.  If you would like to harness either or, please don’t hesitate to get in contact on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit www.ukonlinecentres.com , or www.myguide.gov.uk .