The presentations and content of the speeches held at the workshop day are available here (language of the presentations: German). They can also be watched as video clips on the youtube channel of ZAWiW.

Markus Marquard (ZAWiW | University of Ulm): “How ageing can be enriched by online communities”
How can the diverse needs and motives of the heterogeneous group of older adults be taken into account concerning their use of the internet and how can we connect the virtual online communities with the reality of older users so that it enriches their personal life?
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The delegates from organizations coming from Norway, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, identified common problems, best practices and addressed volunteer management strategies. Volunteer management was of particular interest since online communities and learning centers for senior citizens rely so much on volunteers.

All the organizations represented, despite their geographical differences and various business models, were able to exchange their own experiences and learn from each other. The workshop gave them the chance to hear about other organizations’ successes, developments and approaches to providing services for older adults, as well as offering participants the chance to network with counterparts from across Europe.

For more information:
Short video interviews with the organizers and participants can be viewed here or e-mail to Stijn Bannier .

Unsere Gesellschaft wird immer mehr von den technischen Entwicklungen der neuen Medien beeinflusst. Viele ältere Menschen benötigen Unterstützung um von den technischen und gesellschaftlichen Entwicklungen nicht abgehängt zu werden, sie wollen auch im Alter Teilhabe praktizieren. In Baden-Württemberg gibt es dafür an vielen Orten „Senior-Internet-Initiativen“ (sii), in denen ehrenamtlich Senior-Internet-Helfer/-innen (sih) mit großem ehrenamtlichem Engagement ihr Wissen zu den neuen Medien an ihre Altersgenossen weitergeben. Sie helfen nicht nur beim Einstieg ins Internet sondern wollen auch neue Nutzungsmöglichkeiten aufzeigen. Dieses Seminar dient der Qualifizierung von Senior-Internet-Helfer/-innen und unterstützt das vielfältige Bürgerschaftliche Engagement im Kontext der neuen Medien. Gleichzeitig gibt das Seminar Raum für Austausch und weitere Vernetzung der Senior-Internet-Initiativen.

Es ist zurzeit nicht mehr möglich sich für dieses Seminar, das vom 5.-7. Juni 2013 in Bad Urach stattfindet, anzumelden. Falls Sie mehr Informationen hierzu wünschen, wenden Sie sich bitte an Sandra Stecker oder rufen Sie an: +49 7315023194.

The communities’ practical experience was complemented with findings from Project TAO. Markus Marquard (Zentrum für Allgemeine Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung, Universität Ulm) showed how online communities are helping study participants to deal with the aging process. Rüdiger Glott (Maastricht University, MERIT) explained the relationship between changing demographics and future orientated business models for websites catering for older adults.

Further intensive exchanges of experience and information contributed to the workshops. A range of themes were discussed, including: successful strategies for PR, motivating new members, managing volunteers, the development of business models and the user-friendliness of online platforms. The conclusions from these workshops are soon to be published in the TAO-Handbook.

The workshop was organised by the Ulm Zentrum für Allgemeine Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung and the Bern University of Applied Sciences, with Thomas Gehrig, TAO Project Manager, chairing the event.

For further information please contact Sandra Stecker

Source: Internet goes Ländle

“These social media courses are not in ‘computer-Chinese’, they are more a step-by-step cook book. That’s why I like them.” A Swiss lady told us at the beginning of the TAO-project, some two years ago.

From the very beginning, it was clear to the TAO-team that we did not merely want to talk about older adults –we especially wanted to talk with them. So the team actively went to older citizens, we met in shopping centers and organized courses at local evening schools and community centres. We wanted to hear directly from older adults and what they thought about online communities, why they chose not to use them and what support they wished for. Together with them, we brainstormed better services and products.

This research approach resulted not only in academic papers and conference presentations, but also in an online “Handbook”. This Handbook, which is available to everyone, gives generally applicable guidelines to bring older citizens and online communities closer together. Also, some of the activities that started within TAO are already planned to continue afterwards; so even when the TAO-project officially ends this autumn, we are optimistic that its initiatives and products may benefit the Third Age for some time to come.

Want more information about the TAO-project? Have a look at the website or mail the project coordinator Thomas Gehrig.

Europe is ageing. Senior citizens represent an increasingly vital and active part of our societies. Yet few organizations have recognized this demographic shift; fewer still have reached out to this group to ensure their social inclusion, via new technologies for instance.

New technologies play an increasingly important role in all our daily lives, and offer senior citizens many opportunities for socializing and communicating, particularly via online communities. However, many elderly people fear or misunderstand technology, preventing them from engaging online with friends, peers and services.

This workshop aims to gather a range of concerned organizations to identify common problems and best practices. It will develop new strategies to promote, brand and market online communities for senior citizens, and will address strategies of volunteer management, since online communities and learning centres for senior citizens rely so much on volunteers.

Additionally, the workshop aims to network with various organizations and participants that offer IT learning or online communities for senior citizens. We welcome registrations from both non-profit and for-profit organizations, as well as practitioners working in the area of senior communities, online platforms, healthcare organizations and all other organizations and companies that offer products and services for older customer groups.

This workshop will be held entirely in English and is organized by the Third Age Online (TAO) project, which is funded by the Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) programme of the European Commission.

Registration for the workshop
Workshop: 22 May 2013; venue: UNU-MERIT (Maastricht, The Netherlands), conference room. Attendance is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use the registration form

Feasible and lasting strategies to integrate and engage the “50+” age group will be the topic of a workshop on the 15th May 2013 at Villa Erberhard in Ulm (Germany). Representatives from well-known online communities, organisations representing older adults and community groups will come together to discuss how older generations can benefit from online communities and actively take part in them. The workshop aims to develop measures which can be put into practice.

Online communities allow people of all ages to widen their social sphere and engage in the creation of valuable content. However, various studies have shown that older people do not take full advantage of these opportunities. Additionally, they often under estimate the benefits of online communities. This means, those running these communities are faced with the twin challenges of encouraging more of the 50+ age group to take an active role and, equally important, making the most of older people’s skills and experience.

During the workshop, presentations will introduce successful solutions and projects, including “seniorbook.de” and “Silver Knowledge”. Workshop topics will for instance include “the role of volunteers in the success of communities”, and experts from Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands will present their latest research. As well as all this, the workshop is the perfect opportunity to exchange ideas and expand your professional network.

Videoclips and presentations can be viewed here.