In this issue...
Welcome to Members' News 24 May, 2010
Last week was a great one for us at UK online centres, which culminated in Silver Surfers’ Day on Friday. 700 UK online centres across the country held events to encourage the over 55s to get online, and this was backed up by some great media coverage. It was lovely to hear all your stories about what happened in your centres, and the enthusiasm shared by your Silver Surfers.
I was also encouraged this week that the new government recognised the huge impact the third sector plays in bringing positive change for individuals and communities. I know this includes many of our UK online centres, who can increase the contribution many can make to their communities through the use of ICT. David Cameron’s commitment to the Big Society is encouraging for all the work we are all doing in helping to get people online.
Best wishes
Helen Milner
Managing Director, UK online centres
Face your online fears - campaign update
Our big media launch for the Face your online fears campaign took place on Friday to coincide with Silver Surfers’ Day. We had some great media coverage, with a full page in the Daily Express and Kim Woodburn talking about her experience of getting online on both GMTV and Working Lunch. You can view all the coverage on our website.
We also launched a report which revealed some great statistics about the fears older people have about getting online. Incredibly, 38% of people over 55 would rather hold a spider than go online, and 13% said they would rather bungee jump! The report was a great way to get the interest of the media, but also helps us understand the motivations of those who are offline. You can read it here.
Face your online fears game
Even if you didn’t sign up to take part in the Face your online fears campaign, you can still get your learners to play our great engagement game on myguide. It is a great way to get people started with computers and the internet, and will teach them basic mouse and keyboard skills, online security and online shopping. Why not try it out now?
UK online centres and Jobcentre Plus
We would love to hear from any UK online centres that work closely with jobseekers and their local Jobcentre Plus.
If you have any examples or case studies of how a UK online centre works with JCP to impact positively on jobseekers, please email ukonlinecentres@ufi.com as soon as possible.
Use your centre ID!
When you register your learners with myguide, please remember to use your Centre ID. Using it means we will be able to attribute registrations to your centre, which will help if you want to apply for funding in the future. We will also soon be providing you with myguide statistics on a regular basis, and if you use your Centre ID you will be able to see just how many people you’re signing up each month. If you’ve forgotten your centre ID, please email ukonlinecentres@ufi.com.
myguide technical specification
We’ve updated our technical specification for myguide, which is the information you will need in order to support myguide in your centre. We will no longer be recommending Internet Explorer 6, in line with Microsoft’s withdrawal of technical support for the product, and we will also be recommending that you have a higher amount of RAM than previously. You can read it here.
Marketing toolkit
When we launched our new Centre partners site, we also updated our Marketing toolkit. It now includes lots of new downloadable resources, including posters, invitation flyers and recommend a friend cards. There are also screensavers and desktop backgrounds which you can use in your centre, along with some great guides on how to make the most of marketing and PR. Have a look today.
Become a Race Online 2012 partner
Race Online 2012, which is led by Martha Lane Fox and is a national challenge to help everyone get online by the 2012 Olympics, wants to encourage all UK online centres to became an Official Partner. You can then make a promise, big or small, about how you are helping people get online. We’ve signed up, and so can you! Visit the Race Online 2012 website to find out more.
Your Questions...
...answered
Q.
I am a Champion centre – is there anywhere I can go to find resources especially for me?
A.
We have set up a page on Centre partners especially for Champion centres, which will include all the news you will need as well as some great resources. Have a look here.