Case studies

From technophobe to IT enthusiast...

Colm Donaghy has turned from confirmed technophobe to self-confessed IT enthusiast, with a little help from his local UK online centre.

Colm, 67, has been a regular fixture at the Greenwich online centre based at Greenlawns Sheltered Housing unit for a little more than two years. But before that, he was determined to withstand the IT invasion...

"I resisted the computer revolution for some time," confirms Colm. "I said that it wasn't for me, that there were more than enough young folk to use all the computers in the world! I certainly never thought I'd be doing it myself, let alone that there'd be somewhere like this UK online centre where I could go and do it. And I never, ever thought I'd enjoy it so much.

"In my pre-computer days I thought IT was the killer of conversation and of correspondence - two of my favourite things. But that simply isn't true. I'm emailing people all the time all over the place, and I'd never get the time to hand write and send that many letters. And it certainly hasn't killed conversation because I'm always talking about it!"

"Sometimes I worry that I might bore the new people that come in here because I'm such an IT fanatic. I do help people out a bit when they get stuck on something, but I'm by no means an expert. There's just so much to learn and so much to do!"

"Take today for instance. I've spent most of the time checking my email - it's like a compulsion! You can't wait to see what's in your inbox. But then I've wandered onto the BBC website and found this wonderful Belfast radio station. And I've been listening to it online in the middle of Greenwich. How amazing is that?"

"I find the whole thing absolutely fascinating. I mean there's so much out there on the internet that you could never look at it all - pages and pages of information. I think it's brilliant! The only things that worry me are how I'm ever going to see as much of it as I want to, and where it all goes when it switches off at night!"

"I'd say to other technophobes to just give it a go - it might surprise you. It's certainly still surprising me."

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