TAO Handbook

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Articles

Introduction 1 TAO 1 Handbook Overview 2 Welcome to the Handbook 5 How to Contribute to the Handbook 6 Description of the Idea 9 Examples of Users and Communities 10

Background Information 12 Target Groups of Online Communities 12 Fostering Older Adults' Online Participation 16 Older Adults and Online Communities 19 Usability 21 Accessibility 25 What is and Online Community? 27 TAO Survey Among Older Adults - Wave 1 31 TAO Survey Among Elderly - Wave 2 34 Context Analysis 37

Activities 48 Initiation and Meaningful Use 48 Working with Volunteers 49 Facebook Activities 54 Free Cruise on the Internet 55 Online Learning Activities 58 Silver Knowledge 60 Silver Knowledge: Comparison of Different Locations 65 Silver Knowledge: Information for Cooperation Partners 69 Wikimedia Seniors' Outreach 72 Online Co-Creation 76 SeniorWeb NL's Online Contact Services 79 Activities at Seniorweb.ch 85 terzLivingLab 87 Online tools 89 Online Tools 89 Online Collaboration 92 Web Conferencing 93 Virtual classrooms 96 Online Tools for people 50plus 97

General Conditions 99 Public Relations 99 Communities of Practice 101 Business Models 104 Sponsorship and Fundraising 108

Methods and Practical Tools 112 Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities 112 Co-Creation with Older Persons 116 Methods for Cooperation and Seminars 120 Accessibility Tool 127

Problem-oriented access 128 TAO/Handbook/Problem Motivation 128 TAO/Handbook/Problem Funding 128 TAO/Handbook/Problem Volunteers 128 TAO/Handbook/Problem Communities 129 TAO/Handbook/Problem Usability Accessability 129 TAO/Handbook/Problem Evaluation 129 TAO/Handbook/Problem Research 130 References Article Sources and Contributors 131 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 133 Article Licenses License 134 1

Introduction

TAO

TAO is about engaging older adults in online activities...

TAO Handbook TAO Community of Practice You're looking for information on how to involve older adults in your You want to meet and exchange with other people community's activities?' who work with online communities and older adults? In our handbook, you'll find background information, descriptions of best We're building up a community of people from various practices and other things you need to know if you want to make your backgrounds who are ready to share their experiences online community a great place for older adults and tap into older people's and to provide mutual support. experience and collaborative energy. And you can add your own Join us for common learning, research and innovation experiences! activities in order to promote the active participation of For community managers, managers of educational institutions, teachers, older people in online communities and online volunteer co-ordinators, instructors, moderators, facilitators, consultants, collaboration projects. and other people interested in getting older people to play an active role in the web2.0 world.

People&Learning Activities

Contents

Choose your Entry Point

For staff members in a For teachers, instructors, For people who would like to You don't fall in one of those managing or co-ordinating moderators, facilitators support the community categories? function Tell us about yourself TAO 2

TAO is both a placeholder for the Chinese ideograph 道 (Pinyin: Dào source), meaning way or method, and an acronym for Third Age Online. The main target of the project is to highlight the ways in which the access of older persons to the opportunities offered by online communities can be facilitated. At the same time, the project aims to profit from the growing number of older persons to advance charitable projects of online communities. - Learn more about the project by checking out its official website [1]. TAO consortium members: You can still access the outdated version of this start page.

References

[1] http:/ / www. thirdageonline. eu/

Handbook Overview

For expanding the list click "show". You can also download a “ready for printing” version of the handbook, it always represents the current state of the work done on these pages.

Introduction Learn about the Handbook concept, how to read and edit the Handbook.

Welcome to the Handbook

Sharing your know-how with others - How to contribute

Examples of users and communities

Description of the Idea

Definitions Clarification of some important terms and concepts.

Target groups

Online communities Handbook Overview 3

Background Information General information on older adults' internet use, online communities etc.

Fostering older adults' online participation

Older adults and online communities

Volunteer Management and Motivation

Mutual Benefits of Volunteer Work

Usability

Accessibility

TAO Survey Among Older Adults - Wave 1

TAO Survey Among Older Adults - Wave 2

TAO Context Analysis

Activities Case studies of activities involving older adults and online collaboration

Some notes on different types of activities:

Activities initiating older adults to meaningful use of the internet

Activities with volunteer instructors: practical experiences

Examples of activities:

Facebook Activities (online community, workshops)

Free Cruise on the Internet (online skills, online collaboration, workshops, volunteers)

Online learning activities (online collaboration, intergenerational, reading)

Open TAO Workshop (community building, workshop)

Silver Knowledge (Wikipedia, mentoring, workshops)

Wikimedia Seniors Outreach

Online Co-Creation (online collaboration, workshops)

SeniorWebNL's online contact services (online collaboration, workshops)

Seniorweb.ch (e-Learning from Seniors for Seniors)

terzLivingLab

Online tools Some tools that will help you implement your activities

Online tools: general remarks, approach and requirements

Collaboration: working together, online and in real-time

Web conferencing: communicating over the web

Virtual classrooms: remote teaching

Online tools and people 50+ Handbook Overview 4

General Conditions Information on how to organize events, projects and find appropriate funding

Business Models

Public Relations

Sponsorship and Fundraising

Communities of Practice

Methods and Practical Tools Strategies for evaluating, implementing and planning seminars

Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities

Co-Creation with Older Persons (online collaboration, mentoring, workshops)

Geragogical methods for cooperation and seminars

The CAC Accessibility Tool

Problem-oriented access

Where can I read some general information about online communities?

How do I get members to participate?

How do I manage volunteers?

How do I develop a sustainable business model?

How can I increase usability and accessability?

How do I evaluate the current status of my online community?

What are current findings of research on participation of older adults in online communities?

You want to contribute? Find Tips on how to work with Wikiversity and on Technical Issues here: • Idea: What the TAO handbook is about • Contribute: How to edit pages in the TAO handbook and what to consider when you're contributing • Languages: How to handle the different language versions of this project • Overview: List of pages belonging to of in focus of the project • Templates: Collection of templates recommended for use Choose your Entry Point

For staff members in a For teachers, instructors, For people who would like to You don't fall in one of those managing or co-ordinating moderators, facilitators support the community categories? function Tell us about yourself Welcome to the Handbook 5 Welcome to the Handbook

Welcome to the TAO Handbook! The TAO [1] Handbook is a collection of practical and background information on how to involve older adults in online communities and online collaboration. It was conceived primarily for two types of users: •• managers of online communities and people in charge of online collaboration (in an educational setting or other); •• trainers and multiplicators in online communities and collaboration. A special characteristic of the Handbook is that it still can be edited by anyone. As it was created within the Wikimedia project Wikiversity you possibly hold in your hands a printed edition of the Handbook, however there may already be a version containing additional material available on the web.

If you want to go on online right now follow this link http:/ / en. wikiversity. org/ wiki/ TAO/ Handbook''. We would be glad to also benefit from your experience!

Contributing Our Handbook was set on a collaborative platform for a purpose. We think that you have a lot of relevant experience. Help us make this Handbook better, and add your own information! Find out how in the next module.

Contents The Handbook contains several chapters that treat different types of information. We start out with a chapter containing background information on several relevant topics. To start with, the chapter outlines features of the group targeted by the Handbook users: older adults. Information is given on their internet use, motivation to join an online community and how they may benefit from it. Different strategies to foster their participation are outlined. Then, the important role of volunteers and a general information on usability issues are presented. The chapter closes with a definition of online communities and communities of practice, giving ideas on how to manage both types of communities. The following chapter presents activities that have been implemented by partners of the TAO project and evaluated within TAO. Introductory remarks are given on different types of activities. Behind the name of each activity, you will find some key words that will help you see right away what the activity was about. A chapter on online tools presents some basic properties of tools for online collaboration and aims to give hints for evaluating their usefulness according to the needs of a online community. In “General Conditions”, you will find some information on how to organise projects and activities, as well as hints on how to build a financially sustainable community and raise funding. "Methods and Practical Tools” contains concrete methods you can use during activities, to teach older adults, evaluate activities or solve problems. You've found a mistake or think something is missing? Don't hesitate to edit or add new elements! Welcome to the Handbook 6

Links Learn more about the project the idea for this Handbook came from. The Handbook is part of the AAL project Third Age Online (TAO). Read more on the project's website. [1] Read more about the Ambient Assisted Living programme on its website [2].

References

[1] http:/ / www. thirdageonline. eu

[2] http:/ / www. aal-europe. eu

How to Contribute to the Handbook

The Handbook needs your input! Our knowledge is limited. Help to make this Handbook more useful for others! – The Authors who already contributed The TAO Handbook aims at giving useful information on older adults and online collaboration. Its initial contents are based on the research results of the project it sprang from, Third Age Online (TAO). The consortium has done its best to do research from various angles. Besides desktop research, focus groups and surveys, it has evaluated many different activities. But despite the consortium’s thorough work, the research results cannot possibly involve all relevant information in an ideal way. We know that the readers of this Handbook have experience that could help others a lot. Maybe you have organized a workshop on an online community that targeted older adults – here, you can share your experiences! Maybe you have been working online with (other) older adults for years – many people will be interested to find out how you keep them motivated. This Handbook is set on a collaborative platform so that you can contribute. Anyone may add their own articles, comments or amendments – and anyone can correct mistakes or make improvements to existing texts. Editing is actually very simple. Find out how to do it in the next section.

How to contribute: Technical issues These are very brief instructions on some basic technical issues of contributing. For more details, see the Wikiversity support pages [1].

Registration: You choose You can edit the Handbook as a registered or non-registered user. If you are not registered and logged in while making the changes, your IP address will be saved and shown next to the changes. If you register, you can choose the user name that will appear next to your edits. You’ll find the link leading to the registration form in the upper right-hand corner of the page. There are different aspects to consider when choosing a name. Under the following links, you'll find more information on… … some good reasons to create a user account. … which user name to choose. How to Contribute to the Handbook 7

Editing an existing text

As you open an article in the Handbook, you will first see a text in which you cannot make changes. Click on the tab “Edit” on the right side above the text. You will now see the editable version of the text in a box (see picture on the left). Apart from the actual text, the text elements that regulate the appearance of the writing will also be visible. This can seem a bit confusing at first. Don’t let it worry you.

Once you have identified the parts of the text you want to adapt, you Editable version of Wikiversity article can simply make changes directly in the box. Should you want to change styles, you can use the buttons above the box. Just before saving the page click on “Show Preview” to see the changes you have made as they will appear for other users. This gives you the opportunity to correct mistakes (especially in formatting) before they are put online. Once the preview satisfies you, click on “Save Page”. That's it, your edit is now online! All edits are recorded! All versions of the page or section that have ever existed are saved in Wikiversity, along with a list of changes. This list shows when a change was made and by whom (user name or IP address). See the screenshot on the right for an example of such a list. You can access this list by clicking on the "View History" tab above the text, right next to the "Edit" tab. This comes in very handy as you will not be able to “destroy” anything by accident.

Editing history of an article in TAO Wikiversity

Creating a new module Creating a whole new module is only a bit more complicated than editing an existing one. Find a detailed instruction on how to do so on the Wikipedia support pages.

Structure of articles When editing a text or adding a new article please take account of the general structure of the texts published in the handbook. To assure a certain consistency, all of the articles are structured like this: 1 Introduction 2 Recommendations 3 Examples 4 Backround/Theory 5 Further Information/ References How to Contribute to the Handbook 8

How to contribute: Writing for your target group The texts for the Handbook should be useful for the target group, that is stakeholders in online communities working with older adults. When you drafting contents, it is important to keep them in mind. One strategy not to lose sight of your target group is working with personas. In marketing and user-centered design, personas are fictional characters created to represent different user types within a targeted demographic, attitude and/or behavior set that might use a service or product in a similar way. Personas are useful in considering the goals, desires, and limitations of costumers and users. Their use fosters empathy among the authors, and help them to avoid structuring their product according to their own needs and expectations. Furthermore, by making assumptions about the users transparent, they allow for an open discussion and questioning of stereotypes, based on empirical research. The TAO team has created several personas that you may consider before and while drafting your contents. There's a useful overview of the different groups the Handbook targets including personas that you'll find intersting. Individual personas include the following persons: •• Heiko, manager at a community center •• Marianne, volunteer instructor for new media courses for older adults •• Simona, a consultant for an adult education association •• Bernhard Hofer, researcher in Zurich •• Guillaume Jacquemin, project manager at Wikimedia France You can also create your own persona, corresponding to the needs and difficulties that you or some of your colleagues may have. A module on creating personas explains how to do so.

Links Editing an existing module (in Wikiversity) Creating a new module (in Wikiversity) Wikiversity Help Desk Target groups of the Handbook (including personas)

References

[1] http:/ / en. wikiversity. org/ wiki/ Help:Editing Description of the Idea 9 Description of the Idea

What’s this Handbook about?

Topics This Handbook gives information on how to involve older adults in your online community or projects of online collaboration. It includes background information, practical examples of activities and some principles of organisation and business planning. Participating in online communities is an interesting opportunity for older adults and the communities themselves – the authors hope that this Handbook will encourage their inclusion.

Target groups This Handbook is a tool for anyone working with older adults in the context of online communities or collaboration. Specifically, it includes information for...... managers and staff of online communities; ... people in charge of of online collaboration (in an educational setting or other); ... trainers and multiplicators in online communities and collaboration.

Creation of the Handbook This Handbook is open to your experiences and ideas! Set in Wikiversity, it is drafted in a collaborative manner – this means that anyone can edit any part of it and add new information. You’ll find more information on this in the chapter “Sharing your know-how with others - How to contribute”. Its first contents are the results of the project Third Age Online (TAO). TAO’s main target is to highlight the ways in which the access of older persons to the opportunities offered by online communities can be facilitated. At the same time, the project aims to profit from the growing number of older persons to advance charitable projects of online communities. The main focus of the project is on two important challenges that pertain to the enhancement of older persons’ participation in online communities: • To develop effective methods and measures for motivating older persons to participate in online communities and fostering the intergenerational integration of these communities. • To adapt the design of the user surfaces and the functionalities of online platforms to the specific needs of older persons (all the while considering the needs of the existing community). TAO lasts from 2010 to 2013. The project is co-funded within the European Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Joint Programme.

Links How to contribute to the handbook Website of the project TAO [1] Website of the AAL programme [2] Examples of Users and Communities 10 Examples of Users and Communities

Statements

“The growing number of active older persons, their life experience and their knowledge are a potential that the online encyclopedia Wikipedia should make better use of.” – Pavel Richter, executive director, Wikimedia Germany Link to Wikimedia Germany's project Silberwissen (Silver Knowledge) “Approximately one half of Swiss citizens above the age of 65 believe that the internet would be used more frequently by older persons if it was more age-appropriate.”

– Hans Rudolf Schelling, executive director, Centre Pavel Richter, Foto: Die Hoffotografen, Berlin, for Gerontology, University of Zurich CC-BY-SA 3.0 Link to some characteristics of older adults and their use of internet “Together with older persons we want to find out how the internet can open an additional window to the world and how it can help to retain freedom and independence in older age.” – Markus Marquard, research associate, Centre for General Scientific Continuing Education (ZAWiW), University of Ulm Link to a survey on older adults' use of internet and their benefit from it “Joining an online community is an excellent opportunity for making new contacts, learning, finding interesting tasks, involving yourself, and finding out about new technologies that facilitate and enrich one's everyday life.” – Alfons Bühlmann, Seniorweb Switzerland Link to the activities of Seniorweb CH: the project Free Cruise on the Internet and e-learning activities “Online communities let people learn from each other and help each other. They can expand their social network and get to know people they wouldn’t have met otherwise. All this enriches their daily lives.” – Kai Grabenhorst, SeniorWeb The Netherlands Link to seniorweb.nl's activities: Online contact service and online co-creation

Testimonials Wikipedia (e.g. Silver Knowledge) “I include my know-how of 25 years of university lectures in nature sciences to the Wikipedia. Initially I only improved some articles, meanwhile I also could publish a number of new articles.” “My start in the Wikipedia community was simply a coincidence. I had heard about this »encyclopedia to write along« and liked the idea. My first contribution was the correction of a spelling error and I haven't stopped contributing ever since.” Senior author, Ulm 2011, Photo by Elvira – Statement of a 60 year-old woman Schmidt, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Examples of Users and Communities 11

Facebook “About two years ago I took notice of Facebook. I can learn more about new friends, I'm interested in their profiles and their friends. I also can rediscover old, forgotten contacts. The registration process is not so pleasant, one also needs to get acquainted to Facebook's structure. I often feel mislead, sometimes I needed a lot of time only receiving an unsatisfactory result if Facebook tells me that »friends« expect me. What is meant by friends in Facebook? Would this kind of Facebook friends be ready to help me if I would move house? I miss specialized fields or rather subjects to start with. If Facebook is used goal-oriented I don't want to go without it!” – Frank L., AK Media of ZAWiW [1] Seniorweb Switzerland “I stumbled upon Seniorweb while surfing the internet. I was intrigued by the announcement of an excursion to the museum of communication in Bern. After meeting members of Seniorweb in real-life, I joined the regional Seniorweb group in my home canton. We have regular offline get-togethers. As I got to know the other members of the group I became more interested in meeting them online as well.” – Statement of a 69 year-old active user of Seniorweb [2]

References

[1] http:/ / www. forschendes-lernen. de/ media

[2] http:/ / www. seniorweb. ch/ 12

Background Information

Target Groups of Online Communities

Take care! There is a difference between the ‘target group of the research activities’ or the ‘research subject’ (which are the older adults) and the ‘target group for the research findings’ (which are staff of online communities and course instructors). In this chapter, the ‘target group’ is defined as the ‘older adults’. The ‘target group for the research findings’, or in other words the expected readers of the Handbook, are defined in the Handbook introduction.

Introduction & overview of chapter The target group of this research project consists of older adults (mostly 60-70 years), who are interested in participating in online social communities (e.g. Facebook, Seniorweb) and online collaboration projects (e.g. Wikipedia). Via these online initiatives, older adults (which until now have been underrepresented on online platforms) can use new possibilities for social interaction and participation. This Chapter first describes the target group into more detail (in 2), then clarifies the current situation, the (non) internet use by older adults (in 3), explores the possible benefits for older adults who actively participate online (in 4) and finally makes some suggestions as to how online communities can encourage these benefits for older adults (in 5, also linked to the Chapter ‘Usability’).

Target group: Older adults interested in participating in online communities The general target group of older adults (mostly 60-70 years) can be divided into three subgroups: passive visitors of online communities (the so-called ‘lurkers’), participants of internet-courses, and older adults in existing clubs (e.g. hiking clubs) who have only used offline communication until now. For every sub group, the goal of the TAO-project is to make them aware of the benefits that participating in online social interaction can have for them. Below, each sub target group is described in greater detail.

Sub target group 1: Older passive users of online communities and/or their products (‘lurkers’) This group consists of older adults that visit online communities or collaboration-websites (e.g. reading the information on Wikipedia), but who do not actively contribute to these websites (e.g. not writing on Wikipedia themselves). Many of them are overwhelmed by the broad range of activities and content on online communities. When trying to contribute themselves, new users may get frustrated by the communities’ complicated rules, technical hurdles or the sometimes harsh communication style.

Sub target group 2: Older participants of internet courses This group consists of older adults who have shown their interest in learning to use the Internet by participating in corresponding classes. However, many of these course participants are not aware of the existence of (and the opportunities provided by) online communities. Moreover, even when they know the online communities, they may lose their interest if these communities do not provide offline (real life) social interactions, as e.g. a monthly dinner with the other community members. Target Groups of Online Communities 13

Sub target group 3: Older adults in existing social clubs that rely on offline interactions This group consists of older adults in existing clubs of which have until now mostly relied on offline interactions (e.g. ornithological clubs, hiking clubs, etcetera), but who are interested in using online communication as well. Such clubs may need specific incentives to maintain online activities, as they do not necessarily rely on them. Very diverse target group As is shown above, the targeted group of older adults is highly diverse. This diversity holds consequences for online communities who want to focus on this group of older adults. As addressing this group is non-trivial, online communities have to consider who they exactly want to reach (age, gender, level of education, profession, etcetera), what they have to offer as an online community, and how this offer matches the addressed target group.

Older adults & Reasons for non-use of internet & online communities

Current situation: use of the internet by older adults The share of older adults who are online has risen sharply in the course of the last ten years. Nevertheless, older adults continue to use the internet and online communities far less frequently than younger age groups . It is important to note that the use of online technologies does not only differ according to age; also gender, physical challenges, marital status and level of education play an important role. In the case of older adults some of these factors may come together, which makes the barrier to use the internet greater for them .

Reasons for non-use of the internet by older adults • Misconceptions about internet: Many authors see the main reasons for older adults’ non-use of the internet in “misconceptions” about the internet. The internet is viewed as being dominated by pornography and illegal activities . Moreover, there is a widespread attitude among older adults that the internet should be left to the younger generations . • Anxiety & impairment: Internet non-use can also be rooted in perceptions of inadequate efficacy and computer anxiety . Obviously, functional impairments (e.g. reduced view) can also be a reason for non-use of the internet . • Problems of sociability & usability: Concerning online communities, most barriers are related to problems of sociability or usability . Sociability includes the purpose of the community, the ways in which people are allowed to interact and, finally, community governance, which is characterized by formal and informal policies. Usability, on the other hand, refers to the easiness and intuitiveness with which the technology of the online community can be learned and used. • Doubt about meaningful exchanges: In addition, many older adults have reservations against using the internet as a place for meaningful social exchanges .

What’s in it for me? Possible benefits for older adults of active online participation When older adults actively participate on the internet or in online communities, they are expected to profit in terms of social capital and human capital (health and well-being, but also skills and knowledge), improved possibilities for online activities, and a larger array of online content which is targeted at their needs.

Concrete benefits of online participation for older adults Online social communities (e.g. Seniorweb) and collaboration projects (e.g. Wikipedia) offer a large palette of possibilities for meaningful activities and social interactions; both online and offline. People can choose in which activities they engage, and how fast and intensely they want to do this – which is often appreciated by older adults. Activities in online collaboration projects stimulate social interactions, the sharing of ideas and access to new knowledge. It is expected that the participation in online activities has a positive impact on the mental and social Target Groups of Online Communities 14

health of older adults. Furthermore, the possible intergenerational exchange may help people of different ages to broaden their horizon and to profit from improved relations.

Research findings about the benefits of online participation How an older adult is affected by the internet depends not only on age but also on a number of other factors, including socio-economic status, level of education, personality, experiences of self-efficacy and personal biography . Results of studies on the positive effects of internet use are mixed. There is evidence that the use of online communities can help cope with stress . Moreover, computer and internet usage by older adults has shown various positive effects, namely an expansion of connections to their social network, a better integration into the current social discourse and an orientation towards the future, and a frequent attribution of human traits to the computer, i.e. a perception of the computer as enabler of “good things”. On the other hand, randomized controlled studies could not prove that computer training and internet use have measureable effects on cognitive functioning, wellbeing and autonomous living.

How can online communities encourage these benefits for older adults? Online communities could take policy measures to promote the inclusion of older adults. This should ideally be done in such way that it enhances their physical, psychological and social well-being and improves their skills. At the same time, this could have a positive impact on the quality of the content and the interaction) within the online community. By developing user interfaces and functionalities adapted to the special needs of older adults, online communities could enhance the access of older adults to the Internet, and allow them to master new tools faster. Following this line, it is expected that older adults who regularly use the Internet will develop the necessary internet skills to also stay in contact with family and friends when they become (in a later life phase) physically less mobile.

Links Other Handbook chapters: Older Adults and Online Communities Chapter ‘Usability’ Fostering Older Adults Online Participation TAO Survey Among Elderly - Wave 1 Initiation and Meaningful Use of Online Communities External links: Link to the study of the TAO project on "Older Persons and Online Communities: Motives, Incentives and Barriers" [1]

References • Adams, N., Stubbs, D., & Woods, V. (2005). Psychological barriers to Internet usage among older adults in the UK. Medical Informatics and the Internet in Medicine, 30(1), 3-17. • Blit-Cohen, E., & Litwin, H. (2004). Elder participation in cyberspace: A qualitative analysis of Israeli retirees. Journal of Aging Studies, 18(4), 385–398. • Dickinson, A., & Gregor, P. (2006). Computer use has no demonstrated impact on the well-being of older adults. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 64(8), 744-753. • Eastman, J. K., & Iyer, R. (2004). The elderly’s uses and attitudes towards the Internet. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 21(3), 208 - 220. Target Groups of Online Communities 15

• Godfrey, M., & Johnson, O. (2009). Digital circles of support: Meeting the information needs of older people. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(3), 633-642. • Kurniawan, S. H., King, A., Evans, D. G., & Blenkhorn, P. L. (2006). Personalising web page presentation for older people. Interacting with Computers, 18(3), 457-477. • Lehtinen, V., Näsänen, J., & Sarvas, R. (2009). “A Little Silly and Empty-Headed”–Older Adults’ Understandings of Social Networking Sites. Proceedings of the 2009 British Computer Society Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 45-54). British Computer Society. • Lenhart, A., Horrigan, J., Rainie, L., Allen, K., Boyce, A., Madden, M., & O’Grady, E. (2003). The Ever-Shifting Internet Population. A new look at Internet access and the digital divide. Downloaded on the internet: www.pewinternet.org (29 May, 2011). • Mosler, S. (2010). “Alt ist nicht gleich alt” – Zur Ausdifferenzierung der älteren Generation. In E. Oehmichen & C.-M. Ridder (Eds.), Die MedienNutzerTypologie 2.0. Aktualisierung und Weiterentwicklung des Analyseinstruments (pp. 253-270). Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft. •• Preece, J. (2001). Sociability and usability in online communities: Determining and measuring success. Behavior and information technology journal, 20(5), 347-356. •• Slegers, K. (2006). Successful Cognitive Aging: The Use of Computers and the Internet to Support Autonomy in Later Life. Maastricht: Neuropsych Publishers. • Slegers, K., van Boxtel, M., & Jolles, J. (2007). The effects of computer training and internet usage on the use of everyday technology by older adults: A randomized controlled study. Educational Gerontology, 33(2), 91-110. •• Wright, K. (2000). Computer-mediated social support, older adults, and coping. Journal of Communication, 50(3), 100-118. •• Zickuhr, 2010; Initiative D21, 2010; European Commission, 2010

References

[1] http:/ / www. thirdageonline. eu/ project-tao-2/ research/ older-persons-and-online-communities/ Fostering Older Adults' Online Participation 16 Fostering Older Adults' Online Participation

Introduction Even though the number of older adults participating in online activities, online social networks and online communities has been growing in the past few years, the representation of older adults in these areas of internet usage remains sub-proportional (Zickuhr, 2010; Initiative D21, 2010; European Commission, 2010). Our activities and research in the TAO project show that many older adults have strong reservations against online participation. Apart from fundamental problems of access and technology we also find security concerns and often a lack of support from persons‘ social environment. Moreover, many older persons cannot imagine what personal benefit for their everyday lives they could draw from a participation in online communities. An online community is relevant to an older person’s life if it helps to fulfill a certain desire, is in line with personal beliefs and values and serves to attain goals and plans (Bishop, 2007). Some “young-old” persons have the image of an online community as being useful only for socially disintegrated, immobile, “old-old” persons. It is interesting that many older persons do identify a concrete benefit for the “older old”, for instance for preserving independence in case of limited mobility. Many “younger old” state: “When I am older I can imagine using online communities but there‘s still time!” (Sourbati, 2009). Therefore, a central challenge for persons in charge of an online community or for online community trainers and multiplicators is to demonstrate the potential personal benefit to be gained from online collaboration and online communities. While the benefits of online participation and collaboration may be obvious to digital natives they must be explicitly communicated to older adults who did not grow up using the internet. Work carried out in the TAO project indicates that using or not using online communities is less a question of technological barriers (usability) but rather a question of motivation and the expected benefit, especially concerning social integration in older age. For this reason, working with role models and good examples is crucial.

Recommendations

Address older adults' resources Regardless of the specific approach you take when addressing older adults, your focus should be on older adults’ resources (knowledge, competences, skills) rather than on their possible lack of experience with using online media. Ask yourself: What can we offer older adults? You will find that in order to answer this question you will need to know more about the values, interests, needs and activities of your target group. In that respect it is important to remember that older adults are far from being a homogeneous group of people. Rather, the diversity of lifestyles and interests tends to increase among older adults because older adults today enjoy many more years of life in good health and independence than was the case 20 years ago. It is important to note that this diversity includes the experience and skills in using the internet. In other words, it is all but impossible to address older adults “in general”. This makes it all the more important to define your target group more narrowly.

Use collaborative methods of learning and online community development If you are intending to have older adults collaborate actively in your online community or other online social networking site it is beneficial to view older adults as stakeholders. In order for older adults to integrate easily into your online community or to become more active you probably need to innovate. Rather than teaching or instructing older adults on how to use your existing online product you instead focus on initiating a mutual learning process. The goal in using so-called co-creation methods is to create a user-driven open innovation ecosystem which enables users to take an active part in the research, development and innovation process. You allow members to share, combine and renew each other's ideas, opinions and findings through forms of interaction and learning and you Fostering Older Adults' Online Participation 17

involve members in innovating the existing and developing new services and applications.

Involve older adult volunteers Integrating new users into your online community can be very time-consuming. This is one of the reasons why many online communities work with older adult volunteers. These volunteers are members of the online community and can serve as interesting examples for the target group. Volunteers can be active in a number of different roles, namely as course instructors or tutors, as user supporters, as ambassadors at promotional events, etc. Working with older adult volunteers has a number of advantages. It allows for taking a peer-to-peer approach which avoids the situation where “competent” younger adults instruct “incompetent” older adults on how to use online media. It makes use of the fact that in many online communities there are older adults who are willing and able to work as multipliers and disseminators of the benefits of online communities. Volunteers who organize community “group activities” help facilitate the identification of new community members with the community. Group activities also foster the empowerment of older adult community members. Managers of online communities choosing to work with older adult volunteers should be conscious of the fact that they are initiating a bottom-up process that has the potential of changing the culture of the online community and they should be willing to support this process. Moreover, with an increased number of volunteers, online communities need to focus more on questions of volunteer management.

Use appropriate language for manuals and handbooks Using manuals and handbooks remains an important channel for disseminating information about interesting Web 2.0 offers and their usage. In order to be easily accessible, manuals should be written in a practical language that is tailored to the older adult. A method used in the framework of the TAO project is the Visual Steps Method (or Visual Steps concept). In using this method attention is paid to the special needs and requirements of the target group. For example, the Visual Steps publications contain easy to understand, visually oriented, step by step instructions and feature practical, useful information, tips and helpful hints (cf. www.visualsteps.com).

Theoretical Background An important methodology related to the recommendations made in this handbook is ‘Design Thinking’, which was developed at Stanford University by Larry Leifer, Dave Kelley, Terry Winograd. Design thinking is primarily understood as a step-by-step learning process during which the goal is for stakeholders and developers to interact for the sake of generating new knowledge and to take this knowledge as a starting point for the development of improved solutions (see figure 1 for the distinct phases of the Design Thinking process). The Design Thinking approach allows to clearly distinguish the different phases of an innovation process, to consciously alternate between concrete and abstract thinking and to put humans at the center of attention. It is particularly suited for design challenges that focus on developing empathy, promoting a bias toward action, encouraging innovation, and fostering active problem solving. In the TAO project, the design thinking method is used for the development of e-learning modules. Design thinking is also the method of choice for developing the handbook that you are looking at right now. In a similar vein, online communities willing to innovate in order to become more attractive for older adults can work with a co-creation Figure 1:Design Thinking Process: The blue lines approach called Living Lab. A Living Lab is a user-driven open represent the possible iterative backward steps, innovation ecosystem which enables users to take an active part in the the red lines the solution cycles for each phase research, development and innovation process of a company or Fostering Older Adults' Online Participation 18

organisation. These co-creation sessions might result in discovering new and emerging behaviours and user patterns, while involving all relevant players of the value network. Thus, the Living Lab approach provides managers of online communities with important insights on how to adapt the online community in order to be better equipped for attracting older adults. Notice that these kinds of collaborative methods are especially suitable for problem solving and innovation, in which all participants have an equal say. Participating older adults are regarded as competent stakeholders and not mainly as learners of particular online media skills.

Links to other handbook chapters Target Groups Older Adults and Online Communities Usability Volunteers TAO Survey Among Elderly - Wave 1 Online Communities

References Bishop, J. (2007). Increasing participation in online communities: A framework for human-computer interaction. Computer in Human Behaviour, 23, 1881-1893.

European Commission (2010). Information society statistics. Downloaded on the internet: http:/ / epp. eurostat. ec.

europa. eu/ portal/ page/ portal/ information_society/ data/ main_tables (12 June, 2011). Initiative D21 (2010). (N)Onliner Atlas 2010. Eine Topographie des digitalen Grabens durch Deutschland. Downloaded on the internet: www.initiatived21.de (15 June, 2011). Sourbati, M. (2009). “It could be useful, but not for me at the moment”: older people, internet access and e-public service provision. New Media & Society, 11(7), 1083-1100.

Zickuhr, K. (2010). Generations 2010. Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http:/ / pewinternet.

org/ Reports/ 2010/ Generations-2010. aspx Older Adults and Online Communities 19 Older Adults and Online Communities

Older Adults and Online Communities: Motives, Incentives, and Barriers

Introduction Target groups of this handbook chapters are Intermediaries: Persons operating online communities and wishing to attract a greater number of persons aged 60-75 years. Teachers: Persons wishing to point out how online communities can become more attractive to persons aged 60-75 years. Older Adults: Older adults wanting to learn about the potential benefits of online communities. The aims of this chapter are •• To identify the dominant obstacles for persons aged 60 to 75 years in using online communities. •• To infer how online communities could become more attractive to potential users of that age group. • To describe solutions for promoting older persons’ use of online communities.

Recommendations A model of action: attracting and retaining (senior) members of online communities: In order to turn potential users of online communities into active ones, it is necessary to take action on three levels. Firstly, users have to be attracted and activated by attractive content and clearly framed and communicated benefits. Secondly, they have to be guided through the process of registration and familiarization with the online community. (User-centered design is an approved process for reaching these aims.) Thirdly, new members have to be rewarded swiftly for their first contributions and efforts in the community. A good moderation of the online community is needed in order to deal swiftly with conflicts or rough discussions that might intimidate beginning users. Success through collaboration of different stakeholders Making use of online communities for social integration requires efforts from many different actors. Community operators face the challenge of developing an attractive platform by investing in high quality content for the target group, by providing a proven-to-be user-friendly application and by building trust through adequate, well-tailored communication. Current community members, offline organizations, businesses from the private sector and the media will be in charge of creating a supportive

framework for the development of online communities and their A model of attracting and retaining older adults in contributions to social integration. the context of online communities

Quality guidelines needed It is essential that quality guidelines for effective online communities are set, legal protection of privacy is ensured and that quality improvement in services offered by non-commercial and commercial stakeholders is promoted. This can be achieved through establishing and promoting a database of user-friendly communities and by initiating regular checkups and incentives (e.g. awards) for existing online communities. Older Adults and Online Communities 20

Theoretical Information

Where is the knowledge about this topic derived from? Knowledge about the topic was gathered by conducting a qualitative empirical study [1]. The study was carried out with 18 internet literate persons aged 60 to 75 years from the German speaking part of Switzerland. The sample included 6 active users (3 f, 3 m) of online communities, 6 persons (4 f, 2 m) expressing an interest in joining an online community (intenders) and 6 persons (3 f, 3 m) not showing an active interest in online communities (hesitators). A group of 6 skeptics (refusers; 1 f, 5 m) were interviewed by phone. Means for age were 64.5 (SD=3.8) for active users, 65.7 (SD=2.2) for hesitators, 70.0 (SD=5.1) for intenders and 65.0 (SD=2.1) for refusers. The participants were diverse with regard to place of residence (German-speaking Switzerland only) and concerning professional and educational background. Since the sample consisted of “younger” seniors, access to the internet was not an issue. Two participants each worked with either seniorweb.ch, facebook.com or de.wikipedia.org. Active users were treated to one usability test session while intenders and hesitators went through two usability test sessions. Each test session included a series of tasks (scenarios) and was preceded and followed by a semi-standardized interview. A semi-standardized telephone interview conducted four weeks after the second test session marked the end of the study.

Key Findings Usability problems are abundant: The tested online communities all had considerable usability problems leading to unsatisfactory user experiences. Usability issues included unattractive content, lengthy and complex registration processes, insufficient overview of the whole website and the specific community features as well as difficulties contributing to and thus becoming involved with the online community. At the root of these usability problems is a lack of user guidance and fundamental explanations. Active users have found their niche: Users of online communities have found a particular niche, i.e. the participation in the online community fulfills a particular need or desire, corresponds with important beliefs or values and is accordingly perceived as beneficial. Active users entered online communities either by introduction through close family members, by “ideological affiliation”, i.e. contributing their knowledge to a cause in accordance with their values or beliefs, or in order to be informed about social real-life activities with people sharing their interests. All of them derived a personal benefit from using a certain online community. They were either very motivated to overcome any hurdles in joining the respective communities and/or were supported by family members in doing so. Link to everyday life decisive for further community usage: In spite of the mentioned difficulties, 5 out of 12 community beginners (3 intenders and 2 hesitators) decided to keep on using the tested online communities after the study had ended. They had managed early on to establish a link between their everyday lives and the respective communities and were able to focus on a limited number of tasks within the community offers. Others did not find content that made them want to return or held perceived risks, such as possible loss of control or privacy and security breaches, accountable for not continuing to use online communities. A lack of reciprocity as well as a general dissatisfaction with the contacts established in the online community were also among the reasons for discontinuing usage. User profiles: Age not the decisive factor: Users of online communities are not a homogeneous group. Motivations, interests and hobbies as well as real-life social network activities differ as strongly between persons aged 60 to 75 as they do between members of younger generations. Only a small number of participants appreciated a community focus on older age groups. Many perceived risks were similar to those mentioned by younger user groups and discussed by ICT professionals. Thus, online communities do not simply appeal to one particular type of senior user. Rather, online communities are a means to an end and its users benefit from specific domains. Opportunities for social integration through online communities: Persons having a hard time making social contacts in the "real world" may also find it more difficult to participate in an online community than persons who Older Adults and Online Communities 21

are socially well integrated. Nevertheless, online communities can contribute to social integration by helping to organize and structure everyday life and by assisting to maintain social integration after retirement. Online communities can also motivate to engage in certain (offline) activities and connect people with similar interests. In addition, successful participation in an online community can strengthen one’s self-efficacy and self-esteem.

Links to other Handbook chapters Target Groups Fostering Older Adults Online Participation Usability Volunteers Online Communities

References

[1] http:/ / www. thirdageonline. eu/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2012/ 02/ TAO_Expl-Study-60plus_v1-0_2012-02-10. pdf

Usability

Introduction The term usability is a combination of the verb "to use" and the noun "ability" and is usually employed to refer to the user-friendliness of an application (Göbel, 2009, p. 39). The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) defines usability as "[t]he effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which specified users achieve specified goals in particular environments." According to Nielsen (1993) usability comprises •• learnability, •• efficiency, •• good memorability, •• error tolerance and •• satisfaction. Another important aspect is the emotions of the users: Is the use of the application pleasant or even enjoyable?

Recommendations: What Can You Do to Make Your Online Community More Usable for Older Adults? Excellent usability is the essential prerequisite not only for a satisfactory user experience but also for an initial buildup of trust in the online community. Keep in mind: Basic usability rules apply to users of all ages. So check your communities concerning: • Quality of content: Choosing the right topics is useless if the quality of the content is unsatisfactory. Many “one topic” online communities suffer from outdated content, a lack of contributions and insufficient quality assurance. Only content of quality can attract quality contributions from users. Thus, less will often turn out to be more. •• Coherent information architecture: The basis of a usable online community is a stringent concept for the structure of the site in order to allow users to get an overview of content and functionalities easily and to facilitate orientation. This is achieved by choosing the right classification of content and distinct labels as well as providing the adequate navigational features. The core community features must be highly visible and must not be buried under piles of other information and features. Usability 22

•• Sufficient user guidance: It is very important that users are guided intuitively. I.e. they have to know at all times where they are, what their options for action are and how they can get where they want to go. Steps that require previous knowledge have to be explained to the users. Finding out about those needs implies that community operators know their target group well. •• Elaborated processes: All processes have to be thoroughly defined. I.e., it must be clear to users how to start, where in the process they are currently standing, which steps are optional and which ones are essential and how the process will be completed. •• Good graphical design: A suitable graphical design is needed that supports the usability of the online community in an optimal way. •• Applying user-centered design for creating user interfaces and processes in an online community is a promising strategy of designing online communities for everyone. The operator will involve users in the development process. This approach has a high probability of creating community features and processes, which guarantee that persons regardless of their age will be able to use community features successfully. • Building trust through communication: Media reports about privacy breaches in certain online communities influence users’ expectations of online communities in general. Thus, communities have to address the perceived risks, in particular concerning privacy. Users should easily be provided with transparent information concerning the data that are visible to others and on how they can change respective settings. The default settings after registration should be restrictive. •• Tell us about you: Persons are motivated to participate in an online community if they feel that this community is congruent to their own values. Thus, in order to create a clear profile, an online community should be able to communicate its values. Vice versa, administrators of online communities should know something about the values of their target group. • Moderation and motivation: Once a person starts to contribute, they will return to see how other community members have reacted. It is thus of great importance that new members start contributing as quickly as possible – even if their contributions are only minuscule – and that they receive feedback. • Talk about benefits: Persons will continue to use the online communities if they see a very clear personal benefit in doing so and if this benefit is greater than the perceived “cost” of contributing. Clearly communicating this benefit is mandatory for online communities aiming to attract new members regardless of their age. Moreover, it is important to point out that online communities are not only about getting to know new people, but that they provide manifold other possibilities (e.g. simplified communica-tion, an agenda for joining offline activities, an opportunity for sharing knowledge with others, etc.). •• Promote active users in the target group: Target well integrated senior users and their networks first, in order to attract the necessary number of members from that particular age group. Probably, the most promising approach in this respect is using models or positive examples, i.e. by demonstrating how persons who are similar in important respects (personality, interests, age, level of education etc.) profit from their participation in online communities. This, however, requires a detailed definition of the target group so that the persuasive messages can be tailored fittingly. Usability 23

Examples: What Are Typical Usability Problems That Older Adults Experience? Registration processes are difficult to manage Lengthy and complex registration processes are bound to set back even the most highly motivated user right from the beginning. A Lack of orientation for new users An insufficient overview of functionalities and central community features can put a swift end to older persons’ beginning involvement in an online community. These problems tend to be rooted in missing or unclear process indications especially concerning the different possibilities of taking action (e.g. imprecise naming, poorly perceivable links, suboptimal design of error messages and references, poor marking of optional action steps, complex password requirements, non-readable “CAPTCHA”). A lack of coherent information architecture and user guidance is also a common problem. This refers to the clustering and labeling of content, the characteristics of navigation, the use of orientation aids, and the integration of specific functionalities. Fundamental Features of the Online Community Are Difficult to Use It should go without saying that in a community all functions of social exchange (e.g. contacting other community members, sharing content, answering others' requests) should be easy and inviting to use. However, the upload of content such as photos or the creation of blog entries is often experienced as difficult by older adults. Participants lose interest due to insufficient quantity and quality of the content This is especially true of online communities with a low level of activity and slow or even missing responsiveness. Sometimes these problems are worsened by poor graphic design and an unclear separation of paid-for and user-generated content. Lack of a clear concept for providing different modes of access Quite frequently, too little thought is given to the different pathways through which various target groups should be able to access the online community. In addition, the different stages of the process that new users of the online community will have to go through are often not addressed sufficiently well (e.g. finding the online community, comprehending its content, deciding on whether to participate, taking action, sharing content).

Theoretical Information

Usability in the Context of Online Communities Preece (2001) argues that most barriers to using online communities are related either to usability or sociability. Usability refers to the easiness and intuitiveness with which the technology of the online community can be learned and used. Sociability includes the purpose of the community, the ways in which people are allowed to interact and, finally, community governance, which is characterized by formal and informal policies. Good usability is widely understood to be crucial for the success or failure of an application or service. However, because of their very nature as virtual social spaces, questions of sociability may be more relevant for participation or non-participation in online communities than questions of usability. Preece (2001) proposes four main usability issues for online communities. 1. Dialog & social interaction support, 2.2.information design, 3.3.navigation, 4.4.access. Dialog & social interaction support refers to all aspects of the used surface that promote interaction. How easy is it to execute commands? Can avatars be moved without difficulty? Information design deals with whether the community information is readable, understandable and aesthetically pleasing. A good navigation will allow the user to move Usability 24

easily and to find that which he or she is looking for. Many online communities face problems of insufficient compatibility between imported software modules and the website housing the community. Access to the online community is dependent on the prerequisites of a full usage of the community software. This includes questions of required bandwidth and state-of-the-art hardware and operating systems. Text versions of community information should be available as alternatives. If certain prerequisites are essential, it should be made clear how they can be fulfilled (Preece, 2001). In the framework of the TAO project (cf. Bennett & Loetscher, 2012) a broad concept of usability was applied: •• Are the planned functions really useful (utility)? •• Do users accept and use them (user acceptance)? •• Are the business model, contents, terms used within a site as well as its name understandable and credible (branding aspects)? •• Is the user satisfied with the possible options? •• Do users feel intimidated by unexpected or unwanted contents and functionalities? •• Is the user's image of the brand being distorted by the experience he has? Rubinoff's reasoning (2004) is similar and includes content, branding and functionality as parts of a satisfactory user experience.

Do Older Adults Have Particular Needs With Regard to the Usability of an Online Community? There is evidence that older adults take longer when using typical functions of online communities or simply when surfing the internet than do younger persons (Buss & Strauss, 2009). This is not because older adults are per se slower than younger adults. Rather, the reason for this is that younger persons tend to have more knowledge about and more specific experiences with online communities than do older adults. So what in fact many older adults need is a very clear navigational framework, easily interpretable error messages and unequivocal terminology (Buss & Strauss, 2009). When asked directly, beginning older adult users may not name very many particular usability problems. It would, however, be short-sighted to conclude from this that they did not encounter any such problems. Because of their limited knowledge about online communities it is difficult for beginning older adult users to pin down verbally their experiences so that they can be categorized easily. Rather, they often express a kind of general uneasiness or insecurity about their dealings with online communities. It does not seem far-fetched to assume that usability problems play an important role in creating these feelings even if they are not voiced in a concrete manner.

References Bennett, J. & Loetscher, S. (2012). How Online Communities Can Make a Contribution to the Social Integration of

Persons Aged 60 to 75. An Exploratory Study. Available online http:/ / www. thirdageonline. eu/ wp-content/

uploads/ 2012/ 02/ TAO_Expl-Study-60plus_v1-0_2012-02-10. pdf (02/22/2012). Buss, A. & Strauss, N. (2009). The Online Communities Handbook: Building Your Business and Brand on the Web. Berkeley, CA: New Riders. Göbel, K. (2009). Das Web 2.0 unter dem Aspekt der Barrierefreiheit. Untersuchung der Webanwendung XING. Hamburg: Diplomica Verlag. International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO; 2008). ISO 9241-151:2008 Ergonomics of human-system

interaction - Part 151: Guidance on World Wide Web user interfaces. Available online http:/ / www. iso. org/ iso/

home/ store/ catalogue_tc/ catalogue_detail. htm?csnumber=37031 (09/17/2012). Nielsen, J. (1993). Usability Engineering. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Preece, J. (2001) Sociability and usability: Twenty years of chatting online. Behavior and Information Technology Journal, 20 (5), 347-356. Usability 25

Rubinoff, R. (2004). How To Quantify The User Experience. Available online http:/ / www. sitepoint. com/

quantify-user-experience/ (03/12/2012).

Links to Other Handbook Chapters Chapter on "Target Groups" (gives an overview of older adults as a target group for online communities) Older Adults and Online Communities

Accessibility

Introduction In general Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service, environment or in our case a website is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity. The concept often focuses on people with disabilities or special needs and their right of access, enabling the use of assistive technoligy. Existing online community platforms often do not offer the best possible accessibility/usability experience for elderly users or new users in general: user interfaces are not always as clear and intuitive as they should be, functionalities are sometimes hard to understand at first sight, assistive functionalities for people with disabilities may be absent, while help pages may be hard to find or badly structured. There have been a few major movements to coordinate a set of guidelines for accessibility for the web. The first and most well known is The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), which is part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This organization developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 and 2.0 which explain how to make Web content accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Web "content" generally refers to the information in a Web page or Web application, including text, images, forms, and sounds. (More specific definitions are available in the WCAG documents.) The WCAG is separated into 3 levels of compliance, A, AA and AAA. Each level requires a stricter set of conformance guidelines, such as different versions of HTML (Transitional vs Strict) and other techniques that need to be incorporated into your code before accomplishing validation. Online tools allow users to submit their website and automatically run it through the WCAG guidelines and produce a report, stating whether or not they conform to each level of compliance. Adobe Dreamweaver also offers plugins which allow web developers to test these guidelines on their work from within the program.

Recommendations Examples of website features that can help to make it accessible include the following: •• At least WAI-AA (preferably AAA) compliance with the WAI's WCAG •• Semantic Web markup •• (X)HTML Validation from the W3C for the pages content •• CSS Validation from the W3C for the pages layout •• Compliance with all guidelines from Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act •• A high contrast version of the site for individuals with low vision, and a low contrast (yellow or blue) version of the site for individuals with dyslexia •• Alternative media for any multimedia used on the site (video, flash, audio, etc.) •• Simple and consistent navigation •• Device Independent Accessibility 26

While WCAG provides much technical information for use by web designers, coders and editors, BS 8878:2010 Web accessibility - Code of Practice has been introduced, initially in the UK, to help site owners and product managers to understand the importance of accessibility. It includes advice on the business case behind accessibility, and how organisations might usefully update their policies and production processes to embed accessibility in their business-as-usual. Another useful idea is for websites to include a web accessibility statement on the site. Initially introduced in PAS 78, the best practice for web accessibility statements has been updated in BS 8878 to emphasise the inclusion of: information on how disabled and elderly people could get a better experience of using the website by using assistive technologies or accessibility settings of browsers and operating systems (linking to BBC My Web My Way can be useful here); information on what accessibility features the site's creators have included, and if there are any user needs which the site doesn't currently support (for example, descriptive video to allow blind people to access the information in videos more easily); and contact details for disabled people to be able to use to let the site creators know if they have any problems in using the site. While validations against WCAG, and other accessibility badges can also be included, they should be put lower down the statement, as most disabled people still do not understand these technical terms.

Theoretical Information Accessibility in the Context of TAO In the framework of the TAO project a broad concept of accessibility was applied: Usability and accessibility improvements from a technical point of view have been developed for the CMS that the Wikimedia Communities and the Seniorweb CH Community are running – MediaWiki and Drupal. The assessment of the platform of the German Wikipedia (de.wikipedia.org) and recommendations for improvement are the central issue of this sub-project. The tests have been carried out by a group of blind and multiple-handicapped individuals according to the WCAG 2.0 guidelines of the W3C consortium. During the test period, test tools such as WAVE, Web Developer, CCS2.0 (a color contrast analyzer), script code analysis and end user tests have been applied. For many drawbacks found, recommendations are given for authors and authoring tools. The most important accessibility recommendations for de.wikipedia.org are: •• Accessible CAPTCHAs, which provide alternatives to visual verification (e.g. audio CAPTCHAs) •• Better semantic structuring through structural headings, WAI-ARIA landmarks and appropriate usage of HTML 5 •• Linked Images, which must inform the reader about its contents, and the fact that they link to the media file page •• Improved Keyboard-Operability, which allows for easier navigation through a web site •• Correct markup of data tables, which facilitates orientation

In order to establish an ongoing improvement process, an “Accessibility Tracking” Group Page (https:/ / www.

mediawiki. org/ wiki/ Groups/ Proposals/ Accessibility_Tracking) has been developed and brought to life within the Wikipedia resp. Mediawiki ecosystem. he «Accessibility Tracking» group welcomes everyone to support Wikimedia in bringing forward its accessibility. Members are advised to convince decision-makers/programmers in Wikimedia (the core MediaWiki software as well as the different chapters) to solve known accessibility issues and to promote considering accessibilty when writing articles in the community. The core element of the group page is an interactive table summarizing the results of the test report. Every single issue is represented with its WCAG 2.0 test criterion number, a traffic-light-like symbol indicating whether problems could be resolved or by whom they best get tackled, a short description of the problem and a column for additional information. The original test report is directly linked. The group page will be open for editing to everybody. Issues can independently be resolved and traffic lights can be changed accordingly. We expect new accessibility issues to be added and we hope that also issues from other than the German chapter will be entered. Besides the tracking system, an accessibility checklist for authors and publishers has been developed and integrated, as well as an assistance tool (CAC – Content Accessibility Checker) which Accessibility 27

analyzes accessibility issues on MediaWiki based websites. The CAC tool is also published on GitHub under the

Creative Commons Licence (CC BY 3.0 CH): https:/ / github. com/ Access4all/ ContentAccessibilityChecker

References

http:/ / www. w3. org/ WAI/ Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

http:/ / www. w3. org/ TR/ WCAG20/ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

https:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Accessibility

https:/ / www. mediawiki. org/ wiki/ Groups/ Proposals/ Accessibility_Tracking

https:/ / github. com/ Access4all/ ContentAccessibilityChecker

Links to Other Handbook Chapters Usability The CAC Accessibility Tool Chapter on "Target Groups" (gives an overview of older adults as a target group for online communities) Older Adults and Online Communities

What is and Online Community?

Introduction An online community enables persons with common interests and values who use the internet and other communication technologies to share thoughts or work on joint projects on a regular basis and independently from their place of residence. Members of online communities may develop mutual attachments (Döring, p. 12, quoted from Schaffert & Wieden-Bischof, 2009, p. 11), leading to personal empowerment, increasing social inclusion, or resulting in improved psychological wellbeing (i2 media research, 2010, p. 44). There is no commonly agreed on definition of online community. A broad definition by Preece (2001) defines online community as "any virtual social space where people come together to get and give information or support, to learn, or to find company. The community can be local, national, international, small or large" (p. 3). Online communities are virtual communities because they use the computer as medium to carry out the activities that define their community. From Preece's definition we can derive that what all online communities have in common is: •• The provision of a virtual social space where people come together •• The possibility to engage in multipersonal social communication Today's online communities provide users with the facilities to produce “significant social activity” (Butler, 2001, p. 346). Ideally, the activity of a critical mass of users leads to organic growth of information or even collective intelligence. Persons with information needs can pose fully phrased questions to a community. This clearly differs from the search process applied to a search engine where frequently the format of the required information must be defined beforehand (Godfrey & Johnson, 2008, p. 638). What is and Online Community? 28

Recommendations Please insert findings of TAO [1] or other projects.

Established practices in online communities •• '''Attracting''' older adults for the membership •• Leverage interests of existing social groups with an urge to communicate/collaborate/participate online •• Communicate the benefits of the membership clearly •• Make joining up easy •• '''Motivating''' older adults to participate •• Make participating easy •• Follow guidelines on accessibility and usability for older adults •• Bridge intergenerational gaps in knowledge or norms •• '''Retaining''' older adults as active members •• Provide a constant stream of useful information •• Nurture social reciprocity

Solutions to common challenges •• Disparity in main interests between generations •• Disparity in social norms between generations •• Inadequate ICT infrastructure in country of origin •• Low ICT skill among new members

Examples One criterion by which online communities can be distinguished – at least to a certain extent – is their function. Accordingly, one could ask for the main purpose that an online community is supposed to fulfill. • Community of business: Information about products, business partners and customers is the focal point of communities of business. They provide value for both clients/customers and businesses and thereby facilitate communication between the two groups. Common examples revolve around customer support, product information, product usage, or marketing campaigns. • Community of interest: Exchange of information and/or support usually takes place inside the boundaries of specific topics in which the members of a community share a common interest (e.g. health). Hagel & Armstrong (1997) used the term community of interest for communities with that kind of main purpose. While learning is certainly an aspect of communities of interest it need not be their main function. • Community of knowledge: Communities of knowledge (Bürbaumer & Mellacher, 2009), on the other hand, can be defined as just that, namely communities who engage in communication in order to acquire and provide knowledge – usually about a specific topic. • Community of practice: Communities of practice (Wenger et al., 2002) can be localized at the borderline of online communities of interest and online communities of knowledge. Their main purpose is, on the one hand, to provide information and support among a like-minded group of persons (often professionals) and, on the other, to facilitate mutual learning. The term "practice" indicates that members of the community engage in a common – usually rather complex and frequently professional – activity. • Community of relationship: What draws members to online communities of the mainly socially interactive kind is the possibility to get into and stay in contact with persons they know and like and to meet new persons who appeal to them. Often members are offered the chance to follow up and comment on each others' activities. Hagel & Armstrong (1997) would call these "communities of relationship". What is and Online Community? 29

Type of Main function Predominant Content Examples online form of community communication

Business Creation of value Professional; Information about smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/index.jspa for businesses and client-customer products, business [1] customers communication partners and customers

[2] [3] Interest Exchange of Informal; personal Advice, reports mostly progressiveexchange.org haustiercommunity.de information and based on personal support concerning experience; potentially a specific topic or unreliable a cause

[4] Knowledge Collection and Formal; expert; Structured, reliable, community-of-knowledge.de retrieval of impersonal factual information information; knowledge management

Practice Exchange of Formal; expert How-to-information; myplan.com/careers/chiropractors/community-29-1011.00.html information and discussion instructions, guidelines; [5] support and mutual best practices learning concerning a profession or a practice

[6] Relationship Staying in touch; Formal; expert; Personal information; facebook.com making new social impersonal conversations; contacts potentially unreliable

• Online social network: Some communities of relationship are limited to specific societal groups. For instance, there are online communities aimed specifically at older persons. This relationship-oriented type of online community is sometimes also referred to as an online social network. Online social networks are online communities that emphasize affiliations of its members (geographical, shared background, common social interests) more strongly than their topical interests. Online social networks can also be characterized in terms of their form of information exchange. It is “ad hoc, informal, personal, often anecdotal, largely unregulated and potentially unreliable” (Godfrey & Johnson, 2008, p. 638). Nevertheless, Godfrey & Johnson (2008) believe that online social networks have the “potential for empowering individuals and citizens and developing and strengthening communities...” (p. 638).

Theoretical Information Omoto & Snyder (2002) define a community as a psychological entity or conceptualization, rather than a geographically bounded area. An important feature of such a psychological community is the existence of a sense of community, which can be described as a feeling of belonging, connection, confidence and esteem that is attached to a psychologically identifiable community or grouping. Although the academic debate about what defines a "sense of community" is ongoing, it is advantageous to consider communities in such a psychological way. This conceptualization comprises the aspects of membership (sense of belonging), influence (refers to mutual influence among members), integration and need fulfillment (the community fulfills members' needs, including need for status, success and protection) and shared emotional connection (value of shared experiences). The sense of community contributes to individual and collective action: members tend to feel obligated to work on behalf of the community, and to be good team players. Moreover, a sense of community increases people's readiness to engage in volunteer activity (Omoto & Snyder, 2002). McMillan & Chavis' (1986) model of Sense of Community has sparked a large What is and Online Community? 30

amount of research and is empirically well validated. Recently, Peterson, Speer & McMillan (2008) delivered evidence through confirmatory factor analysis for the four dimensions of the model, which include needs fulfillment (the community meets members needs), group membership (best characterized as a feeling of belonging), influence (the sense, on the one hand, that one can make a difference and, on the other hand, that the community is important to its members), and emotional connection (a feeling of attachment, which is based on members‟ shared history and experience). In a reappraisal of McMillan & Chavis‟ (1986) model, McMillan (1996, p. 315) mentions the following four elements as characteristic of a sense of community. 1.1.a spirit of belonging together, 2.2.a feeling that there is an authority structure that can be trusted, 3.3.an awareness that trade, and mutual benefit come from being together, and 4.4.a spirit that comes from shared experiences that are preserved as art. Art, in this sense, symbolizes a collective heritage (e.g. in song and dance). The spirit of belonging together is dominated by a feeling of friendship between members of the community. This creates a setting which allows community members to express unique aspects of their personality (McMillan, 1996, p. 315). Members of a community can be themselves and can see themselves mirrored in the eyes and responses of others (p. 316). McMillan (1996, p. 316) believes that “the first task of a community is to make it safe to tell “The Truth””. This is dependent on a number of preconditions, namely community empathy, understanding, and caring. In a community that is built on trust there exists a certain order (McMillan, 1996, p. 319). It is a community that has norms, rules, or laws. This order allows members to predict, plan, and commit. In fact, a sense of personal mastery (McMillan, 1996, p. 319) is only possible if one knows a community's norms and laws. McMillan (1996, p. 321) makes it clear that communities establish a “social economy”, which is based on shared intimacy. The unit of exchange in this economy is self-disclosure. The value of a trade can be measured according to the personal risk involved in self-disclosure. McMillan (1996) is convinced that this risk is only taken on if community members feel safe from shame.

References Bürbaumer, C. & Mellacher, D. (2009). Virtuelle Communities: Identifikation von Erfolgsfaktoren und Prüfung ihrer Bedeutung. Hamburg: Diplomica Verlag. Butler, B. S. (2001). Membership size, communication activity, and sustainability: A resource-based model of online social structures. Information Systems Research, 12(4), 346-362. Godfrey, M., & Johnson, O. (2009). Digital circles of support: Meeting the information needs of older people. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(3), 633–642. doi:doi: DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2008.08.016 Hagel, J. & Armstrong, H. (1997). Net Gain: Expanding Markets through Virtual Communities. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

i2 media research (2010). Next Generation Services for Older and Disabled people. Available online: http:/ / www.

ofcom. org. uk/ files/ 2010/ 09/ ACOD-NGS. pdf McMillan, D. W. (1996). Sense of community. Journal of Community Psychology, 24(4), 315–325. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1520-6629(199610)24:4<315::AID-JCOP2>3.0.CO;2-T McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of Community - A Definition and Theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23. Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (2002). Considerations of community - The context and process of volunteerism. American Behavioral Scientist, 45(5), 846–867. Peterson, N. A., Speer, P. W., & McMillan, D. W. (2008). Validation of A brief sense of community scale: Confirmation of the principal theory of sense of community. Journal of Community Psychology, 36(1), 61–73. doi:10.1002/jcop.20217 Preece, J. (2001). Sociability and usability in online communities: Determining and measuring success. Behavior and information technology journal, 20(5), 347–356. What is and Online Community? 31

Schaffert, S., & Wieden-Bischof, D. (2009). Erfolgreicher Aufbau von Online-Communitys: Konzepte, Szenarien und Handlungsempfehlungen. Salzburg: Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft m.b.H. Wenger, E., McDermott, R. A., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge. Harvard Business Press.

Links •• Facebook Activities •• Communities of Practice •• Older Adults and Online Communities

References

[1] http:/ / smallbusinessonlinecommunity. bankofamerica. com/ index. jspa

[2] http:/ / progressiveexchange. org

[3] http:/ / haustiercommunity. de

[4] http:/ / community-of-knowledge. de

[5] http:/ / myplan. com/ careers/ chiropractors/ community-29-1011. 00. html

[6] http:/ / www. facebook. com

TAO Survey Among Older Adults - Wave 1

The purpose of this survey was to get insights into the motivations of not using the Internet and to assess how non-usage in this age group affects social inclusion and well-being. This first wave survey provides us baseline data for the assessment of mobilizing opportunities and barriers, e.g. in terms of differences between groups regarding Internet skills, preferences and usage patterns. The TAO onliner survey targeted Internet users at an age of 50 or more years. The geographical scope has covered the countries of the TAO consortium members, i.e. the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. The purpose of the survey was to get insights in Internet usage patterns and motivations and to assess how Internet usage in this age group affects social inclusion and well-being. With the TAO offliner survey non-Internet users at an age of 50 or more years were targeted in the same geographical scope.

Methods & data The online survey was set up via the Web-Application ‘Survey Monkey’. Survey languages were Dutch and German. Due to subtle differences in the wording and differences in the educational systems two German versions were developed, one for Germany and one for the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Several Dutch, German and Swiss Internet- and gerontology-related organisations were asked to distribute the surveys’ URLs to their members and to their wider networks. The offliners paper and pencil survey was distributed via personal relations of the research team. The BUAS team in Switzerland, for example, asked faculty and staff members to distribute the questionnaire to relevant persons. Additionally, elderly residents of care facilities were approached. However, it became obvious that recruitment of elderly offliners becomes a more and more difficult issue due to the widespread Internet use in this age group. The questionnaire was developed by the use of different sources. It was intended to rely on well-known and tested questionnaires and instruments as far as possible (e.g. Mental Health Index 5[1], the Psychosocial Consequences Scale (PCS)[2], the GVU WWW User Survey[3]). TAO Survey Among Older Adults - Wave 1 32

Limitations The results of the TAO-survey need to be interpreted keeping several limitations in mind. First, and most important, the sample is a convenience sample which is certainly biased by the channels through which the URLs were distributed. However, the respondents were also recruited without any organisational link. Second, a lot of difficulties were faced while recruiting offliners. The offliners’ sample size is surely not optimal in comparison to the large onliners sample.

Socio-demographics

Onliners Overall, 2912 persons participated in the online survey by the beginning of March 2012. The share of Swiss and Dutch respondents was approximately 20% each, respectively 561 and 426 respondents, while the share of German respondents makes up 60% with a total of 1925 respondents. Overall, the respondents are on average 68.57 years old and 60% are male. As expected in this age group, the overwhelming majority of the respondents are married (70%). 12% are divorced and 12% are widowed. Over two thirds of the respondents live in a two-person household, roughly one quarter in a single household, and 7% live in a household with more than two persons. The largest share of respondents (40%) has a university degree (including university of applied sciences). Compared to the results of the European Social Survey we see overlap with regard to our results of the questions on gender, marital status and living situation. With regard to education we see that our sample has a higher education.

Offliners The offliners’ sample size is surely not optimal in comparison to the large onliners sample. The offline respondents tend to include more female respondents, that are older, have a lower educational level, that live more frequently outside big cities and that are more often widowed or divorced than the online respondents of our survey. On the other hand, the offliners show no differences from onliners with regard to the frequency of meeting friends. The offliners even indicate more often than onliners that they meet friends and that they have a person to talk to about personal issues. The offline respondents seem to be less involved in clubs, associations or non-profit organizations (charity activities) compared to online respondents. Something that does stand out is the mental health index, which is slightly lower.

Beginners Beginning Internet users (less than 5 years of Internet use) seem to have specific characteristics that differentiate them from longer-term Internet users. They differ on many sociodemographic characteristics, social inclusion, mental well-being and Internet use patterns from those who have used the Internet for more than five years. In several sociodemographic regards, beginners are more similar to offliners than to other groups of Internet users.

Online Survey: Well-being and Social Inclusion The mental health index consists of five items which mainly cover emotional states (e.g., feeling happy, down or nervous). In general, the sum score is positively skewed. Across the countries the mean score seems to be very positive, too. There is only little variation between the three countries. Our analysis reveals that the survey’s respondents are socially well-included and have on average a good mental health. In order to investigate further what intentions are behind the respondents’ Internet usage they were asked to assess the importance of the Internet with respect to aspects relevant for the well-being and social inclusion. The sum of the scores on a 5 point Likert scale across the 18 items ranges between 18 and 90. Higher scores indicate that more positive psychosocial consequences are experienced. Overall, the ICONS score for all respondents is generally high, TAO Survey Among Older Adults - Wave 1 33

and there are only little differences between this overall value and the country-specific ICONS scores (Clark & Frith, 2005), as the score for the Swiss sample is 63.03, the score for the German sample is 62.63, and the score for the Dutch sample is 61.17. In general, our respondents have on average made very positive experiences with using the Internet.

Conclusions The TAO onliner and offliner survey has revealed a number of interesting insights into Internet usage and its impact on social inclusion and well-being. This first wave survey provides us baseline data for the assessment of mobilizing opportunities and barriers, e.g. in terms of differences between groups regarding Internet skills, preferences and usage patterns. In stylizing words, onliners are about 69 years old, rather male than female (ratio: 60:40), usually live in a two-person-household and have a relatively high educational degree. Offliners are more likely to be female, older, and show lower levels of educational degree. Offliners are also more often divorced or widowed than onliners, but they are not at all isolated, as indicated by their contacts to friends and other social aquaintances. Another distinction that turned out to be meaningful in our survey is between Internet beginners and long-term Internet users. Regarding many sociodemographic features, social inclusion and mental well-being Internet beginners seem to have more in common with offliners than with experienced onliners. Apparently, their characteristics seem to shift from offliner to onliner attributes. We could observe different Internet usage patterns between the respondents, though they are difficult to explain by differences with regard to the respondents’ social inclusion or state of well-being. These causal relationships have to be examined and answered in the second wave of the survey. Overall, our findings suggest that reluctance towards active Web 2.0 usage is widespread among individuals at the age of 50+. However, we also found that those persons within the target group that are active Web 2.0 users seem to form what we call elite users that have a lot of expertise to share and are willing and able to spend above average shares of their time on these activities. With regard to predictors for Internet and social media use, we identified age, gender and educational degree as the factors having the highest impact on these activities, whereas the impact of social inclusion and well-being factors is inconclusive, most likely depending on overall context conditions of the respondent’s living situation. Taking these results together, the TAO survey has found a number of aspects that deserve to be considered when the “silver market” is targeted by – commercial or not-for-profit – activities that aim to tap the potential of this group. These aspects provide a number of suggestions for segregating this target group into meaningful subgroups that obviously differ significantly with regard to their expectations and needs and their capacities and preferences to interact and collaborate with others. This is of particular importance because interaction and collaboration, namely in form of ‘co-creation’, is considered to be the most promising way to adapt society and economy to the fundamental changes induced by the demographic shift towards ageing populations.

References • D5.1 – Survey Among Elderly Beginners: Questionnaire and administration completed and the intermediate report [4] • Berwick, D.M., Murphy, J.M., Goldman, P.A., Ware, J.E., Barsky, A.J., Weinstein, M.C. (1991). Performance of a five –item mental health screening test. Medical Care, Vol. 29, 169-176. •• Clark, D.J., Frith, K.H. (2005) The development and initial testing of the Internet Consequences Scales (ICONS). Comput Inform Nurs. 2005 Sep-Oct; 23(5):285-91. •• Friedman, B., Heisel, M., Delavan, R. (2005). Validity of the SF-36 five-item mental health index for rmajor depression in functionally impaired, community-dwelling elderly patients.Journal of the American Geriatric Society, Vol. 53, 1978-1985. TAO Survey Among Older Adults - Wave 1 34

• Schlosser, A., Pirolli, P., GVU’s WWW User Survey (http:/ / www. cc. gatech. edu/ gvu/ user_surveys/

survey-1998-10/ questions/ use. html; accessed 12 July 2012). [1] The ‘Mental Health Index 5’ (MHI-5) (Berwick et al., 1991) is part of the SF-36 (Short Form 36), one of the most used Quality of Life-instruments in health sciences world-wide. This instrument has been tested with elderly respondents and has revealed sufficient psychometric quality (Friedman et al., 2005). The MHI-5 has been validated as a screening instrument for depression in elderly, so the results may hint at whether the respondents in our sample have a more positive or negative emotional state. Because the MHI-5 has previously been translated and tested in Dutch and German as part of the SF-36, there was no need for translation. In our sample, the scale’s internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was good (0.8121). [2] The Psychosocial Consequences Scale (PCS) is an 18-item subscale of the Internet Consequences Scale (ICONS) (Clark & Frith, 2005). This scale covers possible psychosocial effects of Internet use, e.g., isolation, self-esteem and frequency of communication. The PCS has been translated and has been cognitively tested with elderly respondents. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was excellent in our sample (0.9018). [3] The questions on the Internet use were based on several questions and aspects of the Graphic, Visualization, & Usability Center's (GVU) WWW User Survey , developed by Schlosser and Pirolli (n.y.).

[4] http:/ / www. thirdageonline. eu/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2012/ 07/ D5-1_Survey_First_Wave_v1-0. pdf

Links to other Handbook chapters Target Groups (N)Onliner & Offliner Older Adults and Online Communities Usability

TAO Survey Among Elderly - Wave 2

The issues of the psychosocial consequences of Internet usage in the elderly as well as the consequences of seniors’ participation in online communities have produced a considerable amount of research in the recent decades. At the start of TAO, the literature on these issues was vague and revealed conflicting results. Other problems of the research at that time were small sample sizes which have a high risk of selection bias and cross-sectional study designs from which one cannot draw causal inferences. Furthermore, data from the countries that participated in TAO were nearly not available.

Methodological considerations Therefore, the TAO survey utilized a rationale which tried to facilitate a comparatively strong research design which allowed drawing causal conclusions. Methodologically, the claim of causality requires high standards. Within health research or epidemiology, causality is given – among other criteria – when: •• there is a clear temporal relation (before/after), •• the relation is plausible, •• the relation is strong, •• the relation is specific, •• the relation is consistent with the current knowledge, •• the study results can be replicated. In order to secure many of these criteria, the main features of the TAO survey research design were •• a large sample size, •• a longitudinal data collection in two waves, • the utilization of well-known and – if available – tested questionnaires and instruments, •• the application of multivariate statistics. TAO Survey Among Elderly - Wave 2 35

The main outcome domains were defined as mental well-being and (real life) social inclusion. The data collection was carried out via the Web-platform Surveymonkey(R) for elderly onliners and simultaneously with a paper and pencil questionnaire for elderly offliners. The questionnaire contained the following contents: •• Sociodemographic characteristics (including social inclusion variables; mainly taken from the European Social Survey Questionnaire) •• Computer- and Internet use (e.g., intensity, duration, contents; mainly taken from the GVU WWW User Survey) • Mental well-being (Mental Health Index – 5) • Psychosocial Consequences of Internet Use (18 items subscale of the Internet Consequences Scale – ICONS)

Wave 2 Results The results of our second wave survey can be summarized as follows: •• The Internet usage of the participating seniors in our survey remained stable during the 12 months between measurement point 1 and measurement point 2. •• Real-life social inclusion patterns did not change significantly between the two survey waves, but the slight changes that could be observed suggest that for older adults the importance of information about ongoings in the world and the Internet as a tool for pleasure (games etc.) decreases over time, while its importance for staying in touch with other people and socal activities in Web 2.0 areas grows. •• Quality of life as measured by the Mental Health Index-5 remained stable on a very high level. The psychosocial consequences of Internet usage as measured by the Psychosocial Consequences Scale of the Internet Consequences Scale (ICONS) deteriorated significantly, though still remains on a comparable high level. These results should be discussed methodologically and in terms of seniors’ living situations. Methodologically, the 12 months time frame was possibly not suffiicently long to find any major changes either in the Internet usage or in terms of social inclusion. Another drawback was that we were unfortunately unsuccessful in recruiting enough beginning Internet users for the first wave to allow us to to find any effects of Internet usage on other variables. A more general issue relates to the differences of cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, which are well-known in social and medical research. When conducting the cross-sectional analyses we found many associations between Internet usage and our main outcome variables, quality of life and social inclusion. Against our working hypotheses from D5.1, these associations did not turn out to be causal. In our sample, Internet usage and Web 2.0 usage as such do not lead to better outcomes in terms of quality of life and social inclusion. We can preliminarily conclude that the reason for this lies in processes of self-selection. In other words, the reason for the positive cross-sectional correlation between Internet usage and favorable outcomes could also be that persons with a higher quality of life and higher levels of social inclusion are more likely to be using the Internet. Certain seniors employ a given usage pattern due to their lifestyle and due to sociodemographic characteristics. Besides methological issues, one can conclude that the Internet has become an integral part of seniors’ lives. Being on the Internet does not change anything in terms of real life, neither for the good nor for the bad. From this point of view, one can see Internet usage as a broadening of the social sphere. Being on the Internet, however, does not lead to negative consequences either, as some commentators have assumed (Dickinson, 2006; Gilhooly et al., 2009; Hoogeboom et al., 2010; Xie, 2007). We cannot explain with our data the slight, but significant, deterioration of scores in the Psychosocial Consequences Scale. One could hypothesize, however, that the public discussion about dangers on the Internet (privacy breaches, fraud etc.) had an impact on our participants. Overall, this two wave survey was an interesting study and proved to be useful getting insight into Internet usage patterns and motivations and to assess how Internet usage in this age group of the so-called ‘silver market’ affects social inclusion and well-being. TAO Survey Among Elderly - Wave 2 36

General conclusions To sum up the results from Wave 1 (W1) and Wave 2 (W2), we found interesting associations between low as well as high social inclusion with Internet usage, an association between good mental well-being and Internet usage, and we also found an association between high social inclusion and social media usage. These associations, however, did not turn out to be causal relations when W1 data were matched with W2 data. In the light of these results, we conclude that Internet and social media usage in our survey do not enhance well-being and social inclusion. Contrary to many assumptions, we assume that Internet and social media usage are rather ‘selected’ by seniors according to their needs and according to their mental capabilities. Thus, socially well included seniors, which build the majority of onliners, use the Internet to broaden their communication pathways. In our survey, only few socially isolated seniors used the Internet for staying in contact with others. From a psychological perspective, the ‘selection’-hypothesis makes more sense than the ‘causation’-hypothesis. Using the Internet and social media is ambitious and challenging to elderly beginners. The prerequisites are rather high in terms of self-esteem and self-efficacy; computer anxiety, on the other hand, needs to be low. Being online and using social media is much easier when the mental well-being is high, social inclusion is strong, and – not to forget – one is used to use the computer. Many predominantly male participants in our survey have started using the computer in their working life and have maintained the use of a computer after retirement.

References • D5.2 – Survey among Elderly Beginners from SeniorWeb [1] •• Dickinson, A., Gregor, P.: Computer use has no demonstrated impact on the well-being of older adults. Int J Human-Computer Studies 64 (2006) 744-753. •• Gilhooly, M.L.M., Gilhooly, K., J., Jones, R.B.: Quality of Life: Conceptual Challenges in Exploring the Role of ICT in Active Ageing. In: Cabrera, M., Malanowski, N. (eds.): Information and Communication Technologies for Active Ageing: Opportunities and Hogeboom, D.L., McDermott, R.J., Perrin, K.M., Osman, H., Bell-Ellison, B.A.: Internet use and social networking among middle aged and older adults. Educational Gerontology 36 (2010) 93-111. •• Xie, B.: Using the Internet for offline relationship formation. Social Science Computer Review 25 (2007) 396-404.

References

[1] http:/ / www. thirdageonline. eu/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2013/ 07/ D5-2-Survey-Second-Wave-2013-06-28. pdf Context Analysis 37 Context Analysis

Context Analysis The context analysis aims at finding out how different kinds of organizations in different European countries master the challenges that are aligned with organizing and collaborating with older adults online. We basically differ between Wikimedia Chapters and community organizations like SeniorWeb NL or Seniorweb CH. In addition, we differentiate between profit and non-profit / not-for-profit organizations; local, regional, national and international scope of the organization; and key purpose of the organization (e.g. communication platform, collaboration platform, participation platform). Before the context analysis started, we created a common analysis framework that describes for each type of organization what information we search for and how we interpret this information. Subsequently we identified relevant organizations in twelve countries outside the TAO consortium’s home countries (the number of countries is relevant for the sustainability and internationalization goals of TAO) that suit best as a case study for TAO against the background of the relevant conditions in each country, as is explained in the European and National Policy Context. To carry out the case studies (one per country plus Wikimedia chapters that appear useful to examine, based on their activities or strategies targeting older adults), we collected data and information via phone interviews. The interviews shall were recorded and summarized. The analysis below focuses only on the relevant aspects of the conversation for our context.

European and National Policy Context In May 2010, the European Commission adopted e-Inclusion as one of the main topics of the ‘Digital Agenda for Europe’ and consequently, the concept entered the debate on aging populations in full force (EC, 2010a). E-inclusion is, according to the EC, a possible strategy to achieve active aging. The concept is strongly related to other European policies on social inclusion, for example, and is conceptualized as a “focus…on participation of all individuals and communities in all aspects of the information society” (EC, 2010a). According to the EC, e-inclusion is the solution to the gaps in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) usage, and moreover, will improve quality of life and social participation and thus will reduce social exclusion (EC, 2010a). The EC furthermore claims that e-inclusion methods are an effective way of reaching vulnerable social groups such as older people (Stegeman et al., 2012). A multitude of programs specifically designed for older people therefore focus on creating opportunities to make them increasingly active online. It is also stated that these programs decrease dependency and increase responsibility, thus leading to living more active lives as people age (Stegeman et al., 2012). However, most critical e-inclusion and innovation policy studies argue that the concepts 'access' and 'usage' are on the one hand too techno-deterministic and on the other hand insufficient as policy terms to get people involved online and informed about e-inclusion (Maier-Rabler, 2002; Golding and Murdock, 2001; Light, 2001; Burgelman, 2001; Cammaerts and Burgelman, 2000; Warschauer, 2002). Besides our focus on the EC, there are plenty of national initiatives of this – too techno-deterministic – kind, too. In this chapter, we will present an analysis framework for e-inclusion and innovation policy in Europe, applied to several case studies to highlight national policies and explain how similar or different they are from the EC’s e-inclusion policy. The link between e-inclusion and innovation policy was best described by Maier-Rabler (2002), when she coined the concept of e-policy as “the strategy for the introduction of ICT in a certain social environment.” With her model of new e-policy, she proceeds from infrastructure-oriented measures, linked to bridging the digital divide, to identity-oriented measures to close the knowledge gap between different generations (Martinson and Minkler, 2006). This model should “make people understand how they are affected by the new media and which individual choices they have” and “eventually lead to the acquisition of the desired capabilities in order to develop a self-determined Context Analysis 38

style of utilization of the new information and communication technologies” (Maier-Rabler, 2002 ). Describing the new e-policy model, Maier-Rabler sees a shift between policies on the technological/infrastructural level of (technical) access and (technical) skills, to policies about more individual-based aims focusing on capabilities and understanding of new media and digital technologies (2002). These e-inclusion and innovation policies, both focusing on access, literacy, and cognition as capabilities are top-down, since the policy makers decide on which strategies to aimed at and to what extent a country focuses on e-policy on a infrastructural, technological, capacity or ability level. Besides these top-down approaches, e-inclusion and innovation policy can also be emulated by smaller or other national initiatives or organisations that choose to pursue e-policy and to close the knowledge gap bottom-up. To assess the directions and degree of successful e-inclusion and innovation policy in Europe that has been pursued, we apply both the bottom-up initiatives as the top-down approaches to the e-policy model. To see overlaps between e-inclusion and aging policies in Europe we The predominating information-culture follow the approach of Sapir (2006), clustering Europe according to constitutes current e-policy practice. The shift socio-economic situation and care model zones: suggested by Maier-Rabler (2002) is from infrastructure-oriented to identity-oriented •• The continental welfare state (Belgium, France, Germany, measures. Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria)

•• The Scandinavian welfare state (Sweden, Denmark, Finland) •• The Anglo-Saxon welfare model (UK, Ireland) •• The Mediterranean welfare state (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece) And, as added by Ivan (2009), with the accession of the new 12 EU member states (in 2004 and 2007): •• The Eastern European welfare state (Eastern European countries, such as Romania, Bulgaria, former Yugoslavia and the Baltic countries). However, together with describing the e-policy-model of several European countries, Maier-Rabler also clustered European countries and labelled them, differentiating “between e-strategies and e-actions” and categorising “strategies and actions into access, skills/literacy, cognition/awareness, and capability driven policies” (2010). This led her to create the following clustering with labels “drawn on the main characterizing element of the cluster” (Maier-Rabler, 2010): •• Nordic Openness: Denmark, Finland and Norway •• Anglo-Nordic: United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden •• Stuck-in-the-Middle: Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, and Malta •• Traditional National Individualists: France, Belgium, Portugal, Poland and Hungary •• New Achievers: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic •• New Uncertain Conservatives: Greece, Cypress, Bulgaria and Romania •• Little Princesses: Luxembourg and Switzerland With several overlapping countries, many similarities can be seen between both Sapir and Ivan’s (2006; 2009) and Maier-Rabler’s (2010) approach, but “even when the goals of policies are the same for a number of countries or regions, or sectors, the difference in specific contexts may call for different policy solutions” (Wintjens and Nauwelaers, 2008). Context Analysis 39

For our research, we not only elaborate on political, economic, technological and demographic trends in Europe, but also on social and innovative trends, and we attempt to label and cluster the bottom-up initiatives and approaches in Europe. Maier-Rabler created a matrix in which information cultures are assigned to two axes (see Figure). On the one hand the axis of either individual-centered or collective-centered societies and on the other hand the axis of information-friendly (open, transparent) or information-restrictive Information cultures and e-policy (Maier-Rabler, (gate-keepers) cultures. 2002) Where top-down national policies are considered as information-restrictive and most of the times collective-centered, opening up these policies for more social innovation is considered as information-friendly. These bottom-up initiatives and approaches are an example that e- policy does not “lead automatically to the well-known either or not, connected or not-connected, haves or have-nots, but to a variety of patterns of involvement” (Maier-Rabler, 2002). The varying national e-policies are hence illustrated in the figure, where the European information cultures are mapped, according to the earlier mentioned labels.

To illustrate that bottom-up involvement might give a different character to a country’s e-policy, we will elaborate different case studies, such as several European Wikimedia Chapters and Online Senior Communities in the following chapters.

Mapping European information cultures (Maier-Rabler, 2010)

Nordic Anglo-Nordic Stuck in the Traditional National New New Uncertain Little Openness Middle Individualists Achievers Conservatives Princesses

WikiMedia Sweden Spain France Romania Chapters

Senior Norway, Slovenia Belgium Latvia Greece Luxembourg Communities Denmark

Wikimedia

Wikimedia Foundation •• Wikimedia Foundation •• San Francisco, California, USA

• https:/ / wikimediafoundation. org •• charitable, not-for-profit, membership-based association • 170 employees – 6500 volunteers •• develop and maintain open content, and providing it to the public free of charge •• public donations, fundraisers, sponsorship, brand merchandising Key activities with adults aged 50+: Wikimedia Foundation is currently not targeting adults aged 50+ specifically. Including 85-year-olds in Wikimedia projects doesn't matter more than including 16-year-olds. What matters to the foundation’s goals is including people who are knowledgeable and want to contribute, for example to topics the Context Analysis 40

collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia, the foundations' most well-known project with more than 280 multilingual editions. Strategies to encourage people to participate in national editions of Wikipedia include: Engage people in real life activities around free knowledge, offer the opportunity to support chapters’ activities on a local level, and finally, offer affiliation for people living in regions where there are no chapters yet or where chapters might not be feasible. In addition to Wikipedia, there is a family of currently 13 other Wikimedia projects, including the dictionary Wiktionary, the educational resource Wikiversity or the free knowledge base Wikidata. Key revenue streams: Wikimedia Foundation relies on public contributions and onsite fundraisers to fund its mission. Wikimedia Foundation also increases its revenue by alternative means of funding such as grants, sponsorship, services and brand merchandising. Access for search engines and similar businesses to Wikimedia databases in exchange for fees used to be a revenue stream, but is no longer offered to new customers. In 2012, the Wikimedia Foundation launched the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC), which disseminates funds to eligible entities, including national Wikimedia chapters. Challenges: Getting more people to edit Wikipedia is among Wikimedia’s current goals. The number of people who contribute five edits or more each month to Wikipedia has fallen from 8800 authors in 2008 to 6500 authors in 2013. This means between 2008 and 2013, 2000 active members, about 25 percent, have left the community. One of the factors contributing to this development is an increasingly less inclusive community of contributors with complex norms and policies. Another important factor is the competition of Wikipedia with newer high-profile like Facebook. A third factor is the continually improving quality of articles on Wikipedia: It is difficult to add to an article that is already extensively sourced and fact-checked. Researching, sourcing and writing articles has become a very time-consuming activity.

Wikimedia España •• Wikimedia España •• Valladolid, Spain

• http:/ / wikimedia. org. es •• not-for-profit, membership-based association •• organization of activities that promote the creation and release of open content, including projects hosted and supported by the Wikimedia Foundation •• Wikimedia foundation grants, public donations, public grants, membership fees Key activities with adults aged 50+: Wikimedia España tries to get people of all ages involved with creation of open content in public workshops and courses at schools, universities, museums and other public institutions. Since 2011, the photo contest Wiki Loves Monuments is one of the major and most successful activities. The pocket book “Wikipedia, from A to W” was produced as a guide for librarians, archivists and people in the media seeking to become involved with and support the use of open content on Wikipedia. Wikimedia España advocates for free access to knowledge in the media. The chapter promotes the use and improvement of Wikimedia Foundation projects, as well as other projects that fall within the scope of its statutes. Key revenue streams: Wikimedia España is mainly funded by grants and donations. Challenges: Besides constant struggles to generate more sources of revenue, Wikimedia España is focused on increasing creation and release of open content: Find people who can provide scientific and historical contributions, as well as advice in various fields of knowledge. Get more supporters to produce quality images and articles. Get more supporters to work on revisions of existing content. Improve and update information, documentation, and support for supporters. In order to achieve these goals, the chapter is making the most of existing contacts with universities and cultural institutions. Other challenges lie in the field of public relations: The movement for open content and the chapter itself need to become more visible in the public. Context Analysis 41

Wikimedia Sverige •• Wikimedia Sverige •• Stockholm, Sweden

• http:/ / www. wikimedia. se •• charitable, not-for-profit, membership-based association • 5 employees – 170 members – 2300 volunteers •• organization of activities that promote the creation and release of open content, especially projects hosted and supported by the Wikimedia Foundation •• Wikimedia foundation grants, public donations, membership fees Key activities with adults aged 50+: While quite a lot of active contributors in Sweden are above 50, the interviewee in the chapter believes activities shouldn’t expressly target older adults. People wouldn’t want to be seen as old or needing extra help. In autumn 2013, Wikimedia Sverige was invited to a lecture at the senior university in Sweden. To attract new contributors, the chapter focused on knowledge that the audience was already having. Team members sought to find persons among adults aged 50+ who had a passion for certain topics and wanted to contribute to articles that should be on Wikipedia, but are not. Wikipedia Coffee is another activity well suited for adults aged 50+: Community members choose a café in their town and organize a small social event. Writing on Wikipedia can sometimes feel lonely. Wikipedia Coffee is an opportunity to meet up in person, talk about ongoing events and get support from fellow Wikimedians. Beginning in the spring of 2014, Wikimedia Sverige is going to organize workshops every other week. Key revenue streams: The biggest issue in the chapter right now is money. Wikimedia Sverige has issues funding everything they want to do, basically. The chapter has gone from one to five people in less than a year. It is growing, but as far as a sustainable structure is concerned, they are not at the level they want to be at. Challenges: Wikipedia needs to be packaged as easy to use when presented to new contributors, even when it is not. The new Visual Editor of Wikipedia will hopefully bring about a big change, especially when trying to get less computer-savvy people to contribute. But bridging the digital device is not only about technical skills, but also about trust. Older adults don’t see computers as necessary or as a natural part of their life. They don't have the same relationship to the Internet as younger generations. They don't trust strangers on the Internet and are, therefore, less likely to contribute. Overcoming the anonymity in online communities is essential in building trust.

Wikimédia France •• Wikimédia France •• Paris, France

• http:/ / www. wikimedia. fr •• charitable, not-for-profit, membership-based association • 6 employees – 470 members •• supporting the creation, collection and distribution of open content; workshops at libraries, universities and other public institutions •• Wikimedia foundation grants, public grants, membership fees Key activities with adults aged 50+: Older adults are included in training sessions by Wikimédia France targeted toward several different types of new contributors. Since March 2013, a fellow for communication seeks to increase contacts with public institutions as well. “WikiPermanence” events are held as a physical meeting between Wikipedians and new contributors, or simply those who want to know more about the operation of Wikipedia and other related topics. Community members at WikiPermanence answer questions, show demonstrations, and provide assistance. Adults aged 50+ are included in WikiPermanence events. Key revenue streams: Founded in 2004, the French Wikimedia chapter is funded mainly by Wikimedia foundation grants, but also by public grants and membership fees. Context Analysis 42

Challenges: Many projects were continued despite the lack of funds and capacity to hire new staff dedicated to projects of the chapter. In turn, Wikimédia France focused on continuing successful projects and refrained from starting new ones. Some educational projects did not work as well as people had hoped because of the brevity of the allotted time slots. For example, it proved difficult to properly introduce using and editing Wikipedia in short training sessions. People conducting training sessions learned that new contributors need significant support by tutors; otherwise they will face too many difficulties and will not stay. Mass upload projects are also difficult because of a lot of work needed by few volunteers able to prepare quality uploads. One widely publicized incident in 2013 involved the DCRI (Direction Centrale du Renseignement Intérieur) who forced a volunteer to delete an article in the French edition of Wikipedia about a French military compound on the grounds.

Wikipedia Community România •• Wikipedia Community România •• Romania

• http:/ / ro. wikipedia. org •• online community •• supporting the creation, collection and distribution of open content in the Romanian edition of Wikipedia •• no revenue streams Key activities with adults aged 50+: An official Wikimedia chapter does not exist yet. The efforts of the community currently focus on providing support to authors, correcting errors or vandalism in Wikipedia articles, and moderating conflicts in the community. To get more adults aged 50+ to participate, the interviewee proposes authors should write more about the history of their own country; not as a form of nationalism, but because they are knowledgeable about it and can provide content that cannot be found on the English edition of Wikipedia. In his opinion, the community should talk to schools or municipal administrations and support them in writing about their local history or create photos of the places they live in. Key players in these activities could be people who have written books about local history. Key revenue streams: The Wikipedia Community in Romania currently does not have established revenue streams. Challenges: Romania is one of the countries with the lowest proliferation of Internet access and computer literacy scores in Europe. The Romanian Wikipedia Community is small compared to other countries. In the experience of the interviewee from the community, Romanian people aged 50+ are often not very computer-savvy and tend to view content in Wikipedia as superficial. Traditional encyclopedias on the other hand were seen as more trustworthy by them. The lower reputation of Wikipedia served as a barrier for participation. Additionally, Wikipedia would primarily serve the interests of an audience that is interested in topics on pop culture or sports. Topics older adults are interested in received significantly fewer contributions. They might feel excluded when they become aware of this disparity in the content. Another challenge is the sometimes chaotic editing process in Wikipedia. For example, many people make suggestions for improvements in the discussion pages, yet these suggestions seldom encourage active authors to rewrite the articles. The Wikipedia Community in Romania needs to attract more contributors in order to overcome this problem. Context Analysis 43

Online Senior Communities

Norway •• Seniornett •• Oslo, Norway •• www.seniornett.no •• Not-for-profit foundation • 800-850 volunteers – 6 employees – 170 learning centers in Norway •• Offering IT support to senior citizens in Norway, founding of new learning centers and offering support to volunteers and members of Seniornett •• Funding: private and governmental, members pay a small amount Key activities with adults aged 50+: Seniornett Norway is based in Oslo with 6 employees and a majority on 800-850 volunteers. The board is mainly responsible for the financial matters due to their large network. Their main focus lies in teaching senior citizens in small communities and motivating seniors to use the internet in 170 learning centers spread throughout Norway. Seniornett’s business model is characterized by the 50+ year old volunteer community who teach senior citizens in a one-to-one-model about ICT and internet in their own pace. This strong tradition of volunteering is very typical in the Norwegian context because of their long-term commitment and socializing through volunteering. Current projects include the establishment of new learning centers and support volunteers in different locations with workshops and learning material and the participation in EU-projects which have senior citizens as a target. Key revenue streams: Most funding origins from private and governmental sources and members pay only a small amount. Challenges: Due to the geographical circumstances (mountains and long distances), one of the main challenges has been to reach seniors and recruiting them and managing volunteers. Besides the geographical circumstances, promoting Seniornett and recruiting new members has been another barrier and lacks of an effective market strategy that might reach senior citizens in small towns.

Belgium •• People communication (agency of www.seniorennet.be) •• Brussels, Belgium •• Marketing Communication and market strategies for senior citizens •• For-profit organization •• 1.400.000 visitors per month •• Offering marketing consultancy and communication campaigns targeting the generation 50+ •• Collaboration with private partners/companies Key activities with adults aged 50+: People Communication is a marketing and communication agency specialized in the 50+ generation. With 15 years of experience in the marketing to seniors, People Communication’s aim is to propose a series of strong communication tools. People Communication also provides marketing consultancy and works proactively with her customers to set up marketing and communication campaigns towards the 50+. They work as the media agency of the successful seniorennet.be, where seniors in the age 50+ help each other and exchange information online. Key revenue streams: As a marketing and communication agency specialized in the 50+ generation, their customers are companies, associations, media agencies, advertising agencies and events organizations etc. who want to communicate towards the 50+ generation. Context Analysis 44

Challenges: One of the main problems they are facing is volunteer management and recruiting skilled volunteers who are knowledgeable and might attract senior citizens. Within their organization they have experienced that working together with volunteers and the amount of freedom they are given might cause tension within the community. Subsequently, they face the problem that some communities grow faster than other and are not able to allow more members.

Latvia

• http:/ / www. senioriem. lv •• Riga, Latvia •• Targeting senior citizens (55+) online. •• Free online platform •• Offering an online platform for interactive exchange between members and providing articles on health and lifestyle for seniors •• Collaboration with private partners/companies Key activities with adults aged 50+: The main goal of Senioriem is to produce information of target group’s interest, as well as offering some services, for example classified ads. So far senioriem.lv is still the first and the sole website for elderly people in Latvia. For the time being only one person Kaspars Odins, has been taking charge of creating original content, acquiring materials from partners, editing and doing some marketing activities. The website was a personal investment by his own company. Key revenue streams: Senioriem.lv is the product of Kaspars Odins’ private company "Mildas Eiropa. Ltd." and was established almost 2 years ago. The website’s offerings are free and currently only Midas Eiropa is paying for all costs. Challenges: Kaspars Odins invested in developing the website and all content, while working as a journalist. Currently he is looking for more funds, sponsors or projects, however this is quite hard at the moment in Latvija.

Greece •• 50+ Hellas •• Athens, Greece •• www.50plus.gr •• Non-governmental, not-for-profit organization •• 1 salaried employee in administration; 3 executive board members; ad-hoc volunteers according to project needs • Training of older adults (50+) in the new technologies. To bring older adults’ perspectives to the forefront, create visibility for their issues, raise awareness of elder abuse. Create and maintain a network of organizations committed to the support of older adults •• Mainly funded through EU programs (research and development) 50+ Hellas is strongly involved in stimulating activities in favor of older adults. However, it is not focused on integrating older adults and volunteers into its own organization (e.g. through membership). By its own estimate, it mainly reaches persons aged 50-70 years. 50+ Hellas has worked successfully with intergenerational learning arrangements from which both older and younger adults benefit. There are 700 recipients of a newsletter and 500 subscribers of the Facebook page. An estimated 1.000 persons aged 50-70 are reached regularly. Many of these engage in ad hoc volunteer work but they are not in a continuous work-relation with 50+ Hellas. Bringing up 25% of self-funding, which is a frequent condition in EU research and development calls, is challenging for 50+ Hellas. Moreover, the funding scheme provides very little long-term security. Context Analysis 45

Denmark •• Aeldre Sagen •• Denmark

• http:/ / www. aeldresagen. dk/ •• National membership organisation •• 100 employees (fte), 13.000 volunteers; 650.000 members • Key activity & target group: Facilitating the access to and use of the internet for older adults 50+ •• Members pay an annual fee In the beginning the initiative was focused on advancing the interests of older adults in general. Nowadays, the focus is on accessing the internet and using it in all possible ways. The organization has become very visible and has a strong impact on the political debate. Aeldre Sagen’s Facebook page is enormously popular and a new community website was launched recently. Among its digital offers is also a website dedicated to the intergenerational communication between family members. Not all of Aeldre Sagen’s activities are online. There remains much "traditional" journalistic activity for hardcopy magazines. Aeldre Sagen stresses that it wants to reach all older adults, not only those who are online. The activities and services involving older adults are extremely widespread and driven from the bottom up. The only condition for an activity to take place is that a volunteer’s proposal (e.g. computer class, dance lessons) is met with interest from the community.

Luxembourg •• LuxSenior •• Luxembourg •• www.luxsenior.lu •• Created as the result of a ministerial policy and today integrated in the federal administration (Ministry of families and integration). •• No designated employees (rather mandated persons at the Ministry), volunteers or members •• Provides online information about Active Ageing to persons aged 55+ • Fully financed by the state of Luxembourg, via the ‘Ministry of Families and Integration’ LuxSenior, founded in 1998, is a website which provides information about ‘Active Ageing’ to persons aged 55 and above. Being a static (unidirectional) information platform, LuxSenior does not offer visitors the opportunity to interact with other visitors. The website is a result of a ministerial policy, and therefore also run by the ‘Ministry of Families and Integration’. LuxSenior does not have any designated employees; instead, various persons at the Ministry are mandated to publish information on the platform. The platform and its maintenance are fully funded by the state of Luxembourg. LuxSenior is well-known in Luxembourg, also because the local internet courses for older citizens (organized by the senior clubs ‘Club Sénior’) have raised the awareness of the information platform. In the future, LuxSenior aims to make the website more dynamic, e.g. by offering opportunities for interaction and providing more links to other relevant websites. Context Analysis 46

Slovenia •• The Third Age University of Slovenia •• Ljubljana, Slovenia

• http:/ / www. univerzazatretjeobd-drustvo. si •• joint program by 45 Slovenian universities • 300 study groups – 5.000 participants •• provide access to education to older adults, influence the social and economic status of the elderly, education and consulting for national and international organizations •• public grants Key activities with adults aged 50+: The Third Age University of Slovenia is a voluntary educational movement, meant for 50+, mostly retired people, but also for elderly workers. It has been established to provide access to education to older adults and to contribute to changing the social and economic position of the elderly. At present, it encompasses 35 universities all over the country. Each Slovenian university organizes study circles, lectures, and some of them also summer universities, educational camps, study trips, etc. An introductory course on using and contributing to Wikipedia has been in place in the capital city of Ljubljana for several years. Key revenue streams: The Wikipedia course is funded by a grant from the city of Ljubljana. People pay for computer literacy courses at the Third Age University, but not for the Wikipedia course. The decision was made because the administrators believe people would not be willing to pay for it. Currently, getting another grant to fund the project is the main goal. Secondary goals are doing more coursework and publishing more articles on Wikipedia. Challenges: A challenging aspect during the organization of the Wikipedia courses is the interdisciplinary background of the target audience. The courses must allow for a wide range of topics participants can contribute to. Lecturers have to assess what each person is most interested in and help them find topics they can contribute the knowledge to – everyone is bound to be knowledgeable about something. Additionally, Wikipedia can be daunting for newcomers, even if they are already well-versed in using computers and the Internet. In a nutshell, lecturers had to bridge diverging interests as well as differences in computer literacy skills among the participants.

References •• Burgelman, J.C., 2001. How Social Dynamics Influence Information Society Technology. Lessons for innovation policy. In. OECD (Ed.). Social Sciences and Innovation. Workshop proceedings. •• Cammaerts, B., Burgelman, J.C. (Eds.), 2000. Beyond Competition: Broadening the Scope of Telecommunications Policy. Brussels: VUB University Press. • European Commission, 2009a. 2009 Ageing Report. Economic and budgetary projections for the EU-27 Member

States (2008-2060), European Economy 2/2009. Available online at: http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ economy_finance/

publications/ publication14992_en. pdf. • European Commission, 2009b. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Dealing with the impact of an

ageing population in the EU (2009 Ageing Report). Brussels: European Commission. Available online at: http:/ /

eur-lex. europa. eu/ ¬LexUriServ/ ¬LexUriServ. do?-uri=COM:2009:0180:FIN:EN:HTML

• European Commission, 2010a. e-Inclusion. Available online at: http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ information_society/

activities/ einclusion/ index_en. htm •• European Commission, DG Information Society and Media, 2010b. Overview of the European Strategy in ICT for Ageing Well. Available online at:

• http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ information_society/ activities/ einclusion/ docs/ ¬ageing/ overview. pdf. Accessed 31 May 2013. •• Golding,P., Murdock, G., 2001. Digital Divides: Comunications policy and its contradictions.In: New Economy,Vol. 8,No. 2, 110-115. Context Analysis 47

•• Ivan, I., 2009. Types of Welfare States in the European Union.. •• Light, J., 2001. Rethinking the Digital Divide.In: Harvard Educational Review 71/4 (Winter 2001), 710-734. •• Maier-Rabler, U., 2002. Cultural aspects and digital divide in Europe. Medien Journal, 3(2002), 14-32. •• Maier-Rabler, U., 2010. E-Policies and the Diversity of European Information Cultures, in: INTL: Technological Issues (Topic) 10/2010; 1-15. • Sapir, A., 2006. Globalization and the Reform of European Social Models. In: JCMS, Vol.c44, No. 2. pp. 369–390. • Stegeman, I., Otte-Trojel, T., Costongs, C., & Considine, J., 2012. Healthy and Active Ageing. Healthyageing.eu.

Available online at http:/ / www. healthyageing. eu/ sites/ www. healthyageing. eu/ files/ resources/ Healthy%2 0and%20Active%20Ageing.pdf •• Warschauer, M., 2002. Reconceptualizing the Digital Divide. In: First Monday, vol.7, 2002. •• Wintjes, R., Nauwelaers, C. (Eds.), 2008. Innovation Policy in Europe: Measurement and Strategy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. 48

Activities

Initiation and Meaningful Use

Introduction The basis of the approach outlined in this chapter is a vision of older adults’ media competence that is not limited to knowledge about how to use the internet but that includes the stimulation of an autonomous, critical and needs-based approach to the internet. Activities for initiating older adults to the internet can be of a more traditional kind including classroom courses and seminars, individual user support or PR events. The more traditional type of activities usually takes place in a face-to-face setting. More innovative types of activities, on the other hand, tend to take place online and can encompass newsletters, virtual learning projects, online mentoring, mutual work on articles or other user-generated content and collaboration in virtual groups. While the more traditional face-to-face approach is useful to introduce older adults to mostly new and unfamiliar online activities, the new online activities are suitable to address older adults who already have considerable experience with internet usage. Table 1 shows different types of activities that can be used when addressing older adults. Table 1: Types of activities for approaching older adults for increased online participation

Face-to-face Online

Promotion and (local) advertising Online promotion

Courses and workshops (face to face) Online courses and e-learning (incl. Blended learning)

Individual support and assistance (face to face) Online support and assistance

Seminars, meetings and other events Online collaboration, online community

Recommendations •• Start out by learning more about the general interests and needs of a specific target group of older adults. •• Make it clear when addressing older adults that the internet is not something that has to be absorbed passively but that can actually be adapted and designed by the individual according to his or her interests and needs. •• Think carefully about how these interests and needs can be addressed with the options that the internet has to offer. •• Remember that two categories of internet usage are often not well known by beginning users 60plus: Online collaboration and networking with other persons (online communities). Make sure to highlight the opportunities these kinds of internet usage have to offer. •• Clearly define your target group. When planning an activity it is crucial to develop a clear definition of your target group. Are you more interested in addressing a broad array of older adults? Or do you have certain criteria that older adults need to fulfill in order to be part of your target group? These kinds of questions have repercussions on how you communicate about your activity. •• A good knowledge of your target group helps design your outreach strategy: General advertisement activities are useful if your are targeting a wide array of older adults. However, if your target group is more narrow you will have to design a group-specific communication strategy. •• Take a close look at the age-mix of your target group. Homogeneous age groups are often more appropriate for clearly structured course formats, organised events and general online activities whereas intergenerational participants profit if the topic of the activity specifically addresses relationships between young and old. Initiation and Meaningful Use 49

•• Start out with the familiar (face-to-face offerings) before moving on to the unfamiliar (online offerings). •• Think about using settings that mix face-to-face and online approaches (for instance, blended learning). •• Be sure to offer the option of face-to-face support even if your offering is purely online . •• When planning an activity be sure to formulate a clear goal. This goal should be in line with the so-called SMART critieria. That is, it should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.

Examples of Initiating Activities Free Cruise on the Internet (Switzerland) Activities on Facebook (Germany)

Further Information Older Adults and Online Collaboration: Types of Users and Motivation How to foster older adults' online participation

Working with Volunteers

Volunteer Management - Motivation and Recruitment

Introduction This chapter provides recommendations for the management of older volunteers in online communities. It also concisely lists the tasks of the volunteers’ manager. Finally, this chapter offers concrete examples of (online and offline) tasks that older volunteers may perform in online communities. Following questions are answered in this chapter: •• What are hands-on recommendations for the management of older volunteers? •• What motivates older adults to perform volunteer work? How can online communities adapt to their motivation pattern? • What are practical do’s & dont’s about the recruitment, binding and activation of older volunteers? •• What are examples of volunteer tasks that older adults can perform for online communities?

Recommendations for the management of older volunteers This paragraph provides recommendations concerning the management of older volunteers. These do’s and don’ts are valid for volunteers in general, and for older volunteers in online communities in particular. In addition, a short overview of efficient recruitment channels for older volunteers is offered.

Recommendations to motivate older volunteers Working with Volunteers 50

Do's Don'ts

Build strong social relationships and personal contacts inside the organization Overcharge the volunteer

Provide support from the staff Not provide enough support

Give a positive evaluation of the job one performs Create or tolerate a climate of harsh criticism

Provide training, development of competencies and empowerment Settle for a strategy that is not clear (no clear working goals)

Offer an interesting job with some autonomy

Create and protect a culture of open feedback and information

Recognize the volunteer’s value

Establish clear and binding rules for everyone

Organize a clear starting program for beginning volunteers

Recommendations to activate older volunteers

Do's Don'ts

Distribute an interesting newsletter External communication about internal conflicts

Provide training or education No training or time to get acquainted with the organization

Have an active community management (plan and organize activities) Leave the volunteers on their own, not asking for their experiences

Stimulate the volunteers & take them by the hand No loyalty among employees and volunteers

Engage in personal interaction Engage in disputes or professional discussions

Create links and connections Overpriced service & under-priced service

Detect barriers and try to remove them

Recommendations to bind older volunteers to the online community

Do's Don'ts

Enable the exchange of experiences Anonymity

Provide training or education Heavy criticism (destructive)

Arrange open encounters Excessive demand

Provide coaching and training Information overload (irrelevant)

Reward, praise and appreciate the volunteers Unclear orders

Provide role models (e.g. of the same age) No value for money

Provide an user-oriented offer

Recommendations to recruit older volunteers Working with Volunteers 51

Do's Don'ts

Find volunteers in senior clubs or interest clubs Do not put too much emphasis on the membership in the online community

Be modern and sexy (in the middle of the society) Raise curiosity

Have an appealing website: •• Attractive •• Informative •• Clearly structured

Have an interesting newsletter

Get the help of “warm experts” (acquaintances which they trust) to approach the older adults.

Effective recruitment channels for older volunteers

Partner Website and newsletter Combined membership

Fairs Regional meeting Door-to-door magazines

Computer clubs for older adults Communications means TV and radio commercials

(offline) Interest clubs; especially the “computer section” Volunteers database Older adult education

Tasks for the manager of the volunteers The manager of the volunteers has to: •• Identify activities that can be performed by volunteers •• Assess which of these tasks would be actually appealing for volunteers •• Specify the time requirements and the necessary skills for these tasks •• Set up meeting with volunteers to list specific general terms and conditions •• Come to a mutual agreement •• Introduce the volunteer to his/her task, based on an orientation plan •• Provide the volunteer with information about the future colleagues, offices, rules, goals and the organization's mission statements, materials, etcetera. (Source: Reifenhäuser et al, 2009)

Examples: Possible tasks for older volunteers in online communities Within the TAO-project, many older adults actively volunteered for various online communities, either in online or offline tasks. Often, older persons are not aware of the different kind of (especially offline) tasks they could perform for an online community. Therefore, the latter must actively approach the older adults and inform them about the different online and offline tasks. Some examples to illustrate the variety of volunteering roles for older adults: Examples from the TAO-project: tasks for older volunteers in online communities Working with Volunteers 52

Type of volunteer task Examples of volunteer tasks from TAO-project

Outreach & educational activities: •• Community ambassador •• Teacher •• Course assistant •• …

Web contact services: •• Website moderator •• Website host •• Online contact person •• ...

Lobby: •• Become a member of the council •• Initiate group discussions •• Organize panels •• …

Practical background For those who want to know more about the management of older volunteers in online communities, this paragraph offers a practical and concise insight in the relevant literature. Volunteer work in a nutshell: What it is Although the definition of volunteer work may slightly differ internationally, volunteering could generally be described as “the commitment of time and energy for the benefit of society and the community; the environment; or individuals outside one's own immediate family. It is undertaken freely and by choice, without concern for financial gain" . The more specific term ‘volunteers for online communities’ refers to people who voluntarily work for an online community, and who may perform either online tasks (e.g. preparing a newsletter) or offline tasks (e.g. organizing media courses). Older volunteers: As diverse as all others Older adults have diverse desires and needs (as do younger persons), and meeting these various expectations is a challenge for online communities. The range in motivations and expectations of older volunteers (>66 years) is not any different to those of any other age group age 31 and older . Therefore, older adults should be addressed via their personal interests, not as part of an age group. This being said, older volunteers may nevertheless be more motivated by altruism, social duty and personal satisfaction than other age groups. Online or offline? There’s always something to do The scale of possible tasks for older volunteers is huge and could range from offline tasks (e.g. teaching a computer class, outreach activities, education, lobby on national policies, and so on) to online tasks (e.g. adding a picture to a Wikipedia-article, creating websites, preparing translations, taking care of the administration, consulting in forums or via email and so on). Online volunteering especially makes sense for tasks that deal with processing information and that do not require team work . It is also a modern option to experience engagement - especially for persons with limited mobility. However, many online communities need volunteers for online as well as offline tasks. From welcome to goodbye: Relationship building Online communities should develop a strategy of volunteer management that is well accepted in the community. There should be attention to following stages in the relationship with a volunteer: attracting, accompanying, keeping him/her active, rewarding, saying goodbye. General principles of volunteer management are applicable to all age groups. However, they need to be adapted to the needs of the specific older adult target group that is being addressed. Good volunteer management requires a certain extent of professionalization in the online community. Working with Volunteers 53

Literate references • Bundesministerium für Familien, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (Hrsg.; 2009): Bericht zur Lage und zu den Perspektiven des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements in Deutschland. Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, Berlin ; Link to online version [1]. •• Connors, T. D. (2011): The Volunteer Management Handbook. Leadership Strategies for Success, Hoboken: Wiley. • The Volunteering Unit (1995), p.3; cited in: Wardell, Lishman & Whalley (2000): Who Volunteers?, in: British Journal of Social Work 30 (2), p.227-248. • Hidalgo, M.C. & Moreno, P. (2009): Organizational socialization of volunteers: the effect on their intention to remain, in: Journal of Community Psychology, Volume 37, Issue 5, pages 594–601. • Reifenhäuser, C., Hoffmann, S.G. & Kegel, T. (2009). Freiwilligen-Management. Theorie-Politik-Praxis. Augsburg: ZIEL-Verlag.

Links to other Handbook chapters Mutual Benefits of Volunteer Work Target Groups Fostering Older Adults Online Participation Older Adults and Online Communities Usability Online Community Activities for Volunteer Instructors

References

[1] http:/ / www. bmfsfj. de/ BMFSFJ/ Service/ Publikationen/ publikationsliste,did=129162. html Facebook Activities 54 Facebook Activities

Introduction

Social networks experienced a huge growth in use for the last few years. Nowadays 42% of the internet users participate in a social network or any other online community. However the vast majority of them is 30 or younger. But there is an awakening interest from the older internet users in contributing and participating in these social networks. A problem coming up is the change of the appearance of Facebook-logo the communities happening quite often, which is a problem both for the older users that have to adapt to the new surface and for the people creating learning material that has to be up to date. ZAWiW at Ulm University has implemented courses introducing older adults to Facebook, and developed introductory materials together with a group of older adults [1]. This article contains information and links from this cooperation.

Recommendations •• Many older adults are skeptical about Facebook. Take their doubts seriously and be sure to provide detailed information on data protection. •• Discuss the pros and cons together with the older adults. Explore how Facebook might - or might not - be useful for their purposes. You'll find detailed information in the (German) Facebook guidelines [2] elaborated by the group of seniors at ZAWiW.

Used Methods Following methods have been tested: •• Online courses for interested persons, showing the different uses and problems related to social networks. •• Training seminars for seniors interested in teaching others. The experience made during the seminars will be shared by them afterwards. •• Information on Facebook and Google+ will be provided on different communities and networks like "Senior-Internet-Initiativen Baden-Württemberg" (Sii BW) and "Virtuelles und Reales Lern- und Kompetenznetzwerk älterer Erwachsener" (ViLE). Facebook Activities 55

Partners • ZAWiW [3] • Sii BW [4] • ViLE [5] • "Digitale Chancen" [6]

Links •• What is an Online Community •• Older Adults and Online Communities

References

[1] http:/ / www. forschendes-lernen. de/ media/

[2] http:/ / www. forschendes-lernen. de/ media/ files/ 2012/ 12/ Facebook-f%C3%BCr-%C3%84ltere_Version-2_201212201. pdf

[3] http:/ / www. uni-ulm. de/ uni/ fak/ zawiw/

[4] http:/ / www. netzwerk-sii-bw. de/

[5] http:/ / www. vile-netzwerk. de/

[6] http:/ / www. digitale-chancen. de/

Free Cruise on the Internet

Introduction The project ‘FFI – Freie Fahrt ins Internet’ (Free Cruise on the Internet) aims at the improvement of older adults' online skills. The original partners of the public-private partnership were Berne University of Applied Sciences, Swisscom (the main telecom company in Switzerland), Coop (a wholesaler), seniorweb.ch (Switzerland's largest non-profit online community aimed at older adults), and ProSenectute (a foundation providing expertise and services on all matters regarding aging and old age). Meanwhile, the setup of partners has undergone some changes. The activities are strongly based on co-creation [1] with volunteers. The activity-based workshops for teaching basic skills are developed and taught by a teaching team of older adults. The teaching environment are cafés or other easy-to-access venues in shopping malls in several cities of German speaking Switzerland. In addition to the courses, a Help Point was established, aiming to provide general internet support to older adults. The target group of FFI are older adults with basic computer skills (e-mail and Google search) seeking a first experience of different online applications.

Recommendations

Based on our experience the main critical success factors can be summarized as follows:

Volunteers

• ‘Seniors for Seniors’ as the vision and motto •• The enthusiasm of the volunteers is a critical success factor •• Use group activities (co-design, co-creation) for the development of Workshop Setting in a shopping mall in Bern. new workshops and other educational offerings Author: Willy Vogelsang Free Cruise on the Internet 56

•• Involve workshop instructors in the process of quality assurance (standardization, surveys on satisfaction). Otherwise, acceptance of quality assurance measures will be low.

Teaching •• Teaching should be learner-centered and include a lot of hands-on activities •• Try to guide the learning process by asking questions rather than by telling participants what to do •• Use handouts with simple, self-explanatory instructions and exercises •• Do not lose sight of the target group. Design courses according to a real (and not an imagined) end-user demand •• Always test new worskhop formats before bringing them to the market • A persona approach can be used to facilitate the adoption of customers’ perspectives and needs

Organization •• Try to acquire committed sponsors •• Look for a low-threshold location (e.g. a shopping mall) •• Use mass-media as a booster for publicity •• Centralize administration and decentralize the training of new workshop instructors •• Develop a clear PR strategy •• Establish a community of practice for workshop instructors and other interested parties in order to track and disseminate the lessons learned and to provide new instructors with the necessary information •• Always test new workshop formats should before entering the market •• Review your offerings at regular intervals and make necessary adjustments

Background Information The first edition of Free Cruise on the Internet took place from October 2010 to June 2011 and consisted of the following phases : • Ideation [2]: Based on the belief that the involvement of the stakeholders leads to better solutions, a broad discussion within the project steering board and the group of volunteers was started. •• Test: Validation of the developed concepts in real-life situations in a shopping mall. •• Consolidation: From February to May 2011 4 workshops per week were carried out and a Help Point was provided during 3 days per week. •• Evaluation: During the consolidation phase participants', volunteers' and steering board members' satisfaction was evaluated. •• Multiplication: The same concept was implemented in further shopping malls in the German speaking part of Switzerland. At a later time, it is intended to transfer a similar workshop concept to retirement communities in the country. The project is organized according to the following organizational units and/or roles: •• Ambassadors: Persons in this role are in charge of the Helpt Point. Their task is to encourage older adults' active use of the internet with face-to-face contact and to provide support outside the framework of the workshops. •• Instructors: For each workshop one person is in the lead with regard to planning and implementation. •• Assistants: Each workshop has two assistants. Because the focus of the workshop is rather on learning-by-doing than learning-by-teaching, the assistants move through the "classroom" and provide hands-on support. New FFI venues were added and a similar series of workshops was carried out in Kreuzlingen, Zurich and Lucerne. Free Cruise on the Internet 57

Evaluation The main results of the evaluation can be summarized as follows:

Participants •• Overall satisfaction: FFI-courses were highly appreciated by participants: most participants were(very) satisfied and praised the open attitude of the workshop moderators and the way they interacted with participants. • Content: The content was appropriate for most of the participants. In future FFI-courses, participants would welcome ‘social media’ and the ‘connection between mobile phone and internet’ as new learning topics. •• Level of expertise: Participants suggested that the future FFI-communication should clearly indicate beforehand which level of expertise is recommended for each workshop. This would help avoid the great differences in computer skills observed in participants, which sometimes slowed down the flow of the workshop. • Expectations: Male participants were somewhat less satisfied and their expectations somewhat less well met. The evaluation questionnaire could however not reveal the reasons for this. In any case, until these reasons are clarified, it would be useful to specifically ask for participants’ expectations during registration and/or at the beginning of the course. • Sustainability: A month after the course, most participants indicated not to be using their new knowledge at home. The new skills had clearly not become a routine yet. Although the participants claimed to know “how it works”, the threshold to try it out by themselves was still quite high –and the older the participant, the higher the threshold. For some participants, there is a need for supervised practice-classes, in which they could freely experiment and refer to a tutor in case of questions.

Volunteers •• Overall satisfaction: The majority of the moderators, assistants and ambassadors perceived the first edition of FFI as a successful campaign. Most of them were willing to continue their commitment in the next edition of FFI. As they were not paid for their work, they appreciated specific other forms of recognition of their work from the management (e.g. structured feedback, sufficient time for chatting with other volunteers, coffee coupons, etc.). •• Content: The volunteers developed the workshop materials themselves. Some of them felt overchallenged by this task. But in the end they agreed that the process was useful and that they had produced reasonable results. Especially, the mix of a small amount of theory and a lot of practical exercises was acclaimed. •• Level of expertise: The disperse level of expertise among participants led to difficulties in the workshops. Proposed solutions are: Make the prerequisites of the workshops more explicit in the advertising; reserve enough time for the assisted exercises; provide different levels of complexity; provide a glossary of internet terminology. •• Organization: The volunteers asked for a continuation of the chosen path with a transparent flow of communication from the management and the steering board to the actors in the field. •• Sustainability: The volunteers expressed the wish for a development of measures to ensure the sustainability of FFI courses. For example, the creation of a strong knowledge management system to share expertise would greatly facilitate their efforts. They also agreed to apply the same workshop concept in other learning environments. Free Cruise on the Internet 58

Further Information "Free Cruise on the Internet" on the website of TAO [3]

Other Handbook chapters Target Groups (N)Onliner & Offliner Usability Seniorweb.ch

References

[1] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Co-creation

[2] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Ideation_(idea_generation)

[3] http:/ / www. thirdageonline. eu/ project-tao-2/ community-activities/ free-cruise-on-the-internet/

Online Learning Activities

Here you find activities specially designed for elders and to take place online or being accompanied by online activities. Persons interested in creating new modules are welcome to also present these here.

An Intergenerational Online Reading Project: "Kalte Zeiten"

Introduction In cooperation with a middle school, ZAWiW [1] of Ulm University implemented an intergenerational reading activity. Seniors and pupils both read a historical book and discussed their impressions in face-to-face meetings and a moderated online forum. The activity familiarized pupils with the incidents happening in Poland at the end of the 2nd World War. Topics like what defines the place you call “home” can be discussed vividly on the background of the confusion the evictions caused in the post-war era, especially if the elders are able to bring in their own experiences.

Recommendations •• Online discussions rarely get lively by themselves. Be sure to jump-start discussions with a real-life meeting, and have a moderator give regular input in the forum. •• In this proect, participants would have enjoyed more face-to-face meetings. If your budget allows it, organize such meetings regularly. •• Give all participants a hands-on introduction to any technical/online tools you want to use during your project. •• Be sure to provide quick personal technical assistance to any older adults or pupils encountering problems. Online Learning Activities 59

Background Information Target Groups The group that gets the information mainly consisted of pupils in the 9th grade with 2/3 of them having a migrant background. The group providing the information was made up of seniors, who, in some cases, were native Poles or had a Polish background. The whole activity involved around 40 people. The activity is based on the book “Kalte Zeiten“[2] (German for cold times), which describes the troubles a young girl has to stand in Poland of the war and post-war era. The girl, Lena, born in Germany has to cope with forced labour, being separated from her family and never having known her original home. Her character is based on a true story. Most of the exchange between the pupils and the elders took place in forums of the website kojala.de, so the elders could get in touch with internet forums in a closed space and give their views and experiences to pupils who got a chance to understand the book in another way than they would have through sole reading. In addition to this mostly open exchange there were some tasks the pupils had to execute and document in the forums, so some work on texts that traditionally takes place in class room was moved to the forums and “supervised“ by the seniors (and also the teacher). Besides the online exchange, so called "Story Telling Cafes" were held, at which both groups could meet each other face to face. The project was held from April to July 2011 and repeated in another course at the end of 2011. Partners The partners for this project were • ZAWiW Ulm [1] • Elly-Heus-Realschule Ulm [3] • Association „Virtuelles und reales Lern-und Kompetenznetzwerk älterer Erwachsener (ViLE) e.V.“ [4] The project was supervised and supported by TAO. Results The evaluation of the virtual old-young learning project “Kalte Zeiten” is based on concomitant observation, statistics on participation and interviews with the participants. Using the statistics on participation (posting of comments and page views), the dynamics of the virtual learning project can be shown as a curve (see graphic below). The orange curve shows the amount of page views in the forum. The blue columns represent the number of new comments (per day). The green lines stand for impulses (work assignments) given by the team or the teacher, e.g. by e-mail. The light blue line marks an “ErzählCafé” (story telling cafe), in which the participants met personally. The learning project was bordered by school holidays. It is obvious that the participants visited the project website quite often at the beginning of the project. Active comments were left far less often. The impulses (assignments, café) resulted in an increase of activity. It is interesting to see that work on the project continued during the holidays. Generally, the pupils rated the project positively. Of 25 interviewed pupils, 18 thought the project was an interesting addition to their usual lessons, and only one judged it clearly negatively. The seniors were generally also satisfied with the contact between young and old. Yet, it showed that technical problems made a regular participation in the project difficult for them, especially in the starting phase. The topic of the project was interesting for seniors. It allowed them to tell their own experiences. Reflecting their own past and memories was deemed beneficial by the seniors. They thought the contact with younger people to be motivating, but would have preferred more opportunities for personal meetings. The old-young project not only shows that personal relations are particularly valued by participants in intergenerational learning processes, but also that these can be created online. The careful construction of intergenerational and online learning projects plays a very important role in this context. This is especially true for the form of collaboration (e.g. tandem, group work), the use of technology (e-mails, forums, chats, videoconferences etc.) and the support of the (self-) learning process through impulses. Online Learning Activities 60

Links

External Links ZAWiW Homepage [1]

Other Handbook chapters Facebook Activities Seniorweb.ch

References

[1] http:/ / www. zawiw. de [2][2]Kalte Zeiten, Werner Toporski, Random House / cbt Jugendbücher Verlag, ISBN 3-641-01023-3

[3] http:/ / www. ehr. schule. ulm. de

[4] https:/ / www. vile-netzwerk. de

Silver Knowledge

TAO/Silver Knowledge

Target groups: representatives and multiplicators of senior- or education- institutions Time window: 2011/11 to 2012/3 Completion [%]: 90% Primary Language: German

Maintainers: User:Marquard_Markus User:Ralph Schneider User:Cotchobee

Introduction

This article presents the activity Silver Knowledge (“Silberwissen”), a series of workshops aiming at making older adults Wikipedia authors. In a first section, the article includes some recommendations drawn from an evaluation of Silver Knowledge. These recommendations are of particular interest to people who...... organize workshops for older adults and/or ... work with ICT and older adults. Silver Knowledge in a Nutshell Among Wikipedia authors, the generation 50+ is underrepresented. This means that their experience and knowledge are not to be found in the online encyclopedia. One of the main goals of Wikimedia Germany is the diversity of its authors. Logo of WMDE's silver knowledge project, Winning seniors as new authors therefore is an important aspect of CC-BY-SA 3.0 fostering the diversity of knowledge in the Wikipedia. The target group 50+ comes with diverse and extensive knowledge which can enrich the Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.

Among certain groups of seniors experiences in scientific research and writing are available. They can be used for the concept of Free knowledge. The Silver Knowledge programme aims at attracting people with extensive Silver Knowledge 61

professional and life experience as authors for Wikipedia. In Silver Knowledge, a series of workshops (implemented in different locations) familiarizes small groups of around ten people with the most important techniques and rules in Wikipedia. Experienced authors lead workshops and can adapt to the wishes of the participants. The courses also provide space for questions and individual exchange in the group.

Recommendations The following recommendations result from our evaluation of different Silver Knowledge locations. They concern different topics – see the headlines for those that you find interesting. We tried to include recommendations that are valid not only for this specific programme.

Recruiting suitable locations •• Establish personal contact with partner institutions to prevent skepticism. •• Choose cooperation partners that show a high esteem for older adults and Wikipedia. •• Suitable cooperation partners are for example:Organizations, clubs or groups that are willing to share their topics in the Wikipedia; Senior universities also belong to the group of suitable potential partners- here the possibility of finding cross links and interconnections to their courses of studies should be checked. In general cooperation partners should be able to motivate, activate and support seniors and therefore become part of an active community.

Workshops and follow-up •• A single workshop should not last longer than four hours. •• A series of three workshops is enough to get people interested in being a Wikipedia author and to teach basic skills, but not to keep people motivated in the long run.

Sustainable integration into the community •• In order to integrate workshop participants sustainably into the Wikipedia community, follow-up activities should be offered (regular research meetings, outings, personal contact with a mentor etc.) •• Arrange meetings with community members during the workshops and as follow-up activities

Methods of instruction •• Attempt to create cohesion in the group of participants, e.g. by starting with some introductory activities and encouraging cooperation during the workshops. • Use a live broadcast of what you’re doing on the computer during the presentation. • Give a demonstration of the project topics as an introduction – but have the participants make their own practical experience on their computer as soon as possible (in Wikipedia, have them use the „Sandbox“). • Provide a computer for each individual so that all participants can advance at their own pace – and encourage participants to bring their own laptop (to avoid problems due to a lack of familiarity with the computer) •• Homework allows the participants to make use of the time between courses and increases motivation for the next workshop. Silver Knowledge 62

Participants with common fields of interest •• A common field of interest may increase the sense of belonging of each individual in the group of participants. Therefore it is recommented to address organizations or clubs with a topical focus, they often show interest in sharing their topics in the Wikipedia. Starting with this motivation a sustainable cooperation can develop quite often. •• If there are common interests in a group of participants, they can be used for cooperative practices, supporting speakers in their duties.

Examples

Different Locations – Different Approaches Silver Knowledge workshops have been implemented in many different locations. For some of them, we have evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of their individual approaches to the organisation and the target groups.

Senior authors, Berlin 2011, Photo by Elvira Schmidt, CC-BY-SA 3.0

See the Wikiversity site "Comparison of different locations of activity" [1] for the results of these evaluations.

Testimonials

Senior author, Ulm 2011, Photo by Elvira Schmidt, CC-BY-SA 3.0

"In Wikipedia, I can bring in my knowledge from 25 years of academic research in natural science. At first, I only improved some articles, but by now I've been able to publish a series of new articles."

(Retrieved from "http:/ / en. wikiversity. org/ w/ index. php?title=TAO/ Silver_Knowledge& oldid=976294") Silver Knowledge 63

Background Information

Generation 50+ Underrepresented in Wikipedia The international surveys of Wikipedia authors show that “age” is a very significant predictor of active contribution. Only 6.3% of Wikipedia authors are between 40 and 49 years of age, and people between 50 and 85 years – a span

of more than three decades – make up only 5.2% of authors (Gosh, Glott 2010; http:/ / www. wikipediasurvey. org).

Diagram of the age from de.wikipedia-users, based on the site de:Wikipedia:Wikipedianer/nach Geburtsjahr

The project Silberwissen is led by the association Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. in the framework of the AAL project TAO. The Centre for General Scientific Continuing Education (ZAWiW) of Ulm University consults and supports Wikimedia scientifically in its coordination of the project Silberwissen.

Objective of Silver Knowledge •• The objectives of Silver Knowledge are •• To win over and activate older persons as Wikipedia authors. •• To coach and support Wikipedia authors at regular meetings, to take part in editorial groups, workshops, and the mentoring program. • To find additional locations of activity in cooperation with institutions, initiatives and local educational bodies, and – if possible – establish permanent structures. •• To develop community activities ensuring a sustainable activation and integration of senior authors in the Wikipedia community.

Activities of Silver Knowledge As an initial stage of Wikipedia author training, interested seniors took part in a motivational presentation and a multi-part course or workshop at the different locations of activity. In selecting the locations a deliberate effort was made to choose cooperation partners that varied with regard to the type of institution, the range of offers, the main focus and target groups, and the priorities in the course of the project. In the further course of the project seniors will continue to acquire competences and skills for the production of Wikipedia articles. This will be done at the respective locations by following an approach of small steps and sticking to a low-threshold communication. Apart from being trained as authors of original Wikipedia articles the activity options will also include new roles/tasks, e.g. the correction and amendment of existing articles (orthography and grammar), entering links to other sources and web pages, carrying out tasks of categorization as well as getting involved in related projects such as Wiki Commons and Wiki Sources etc. Silver Knowledge 64

Information for cooperation partners On the basis of previous activities a checklist was created for carrying out Silver Knowledge activities together with cooperation partners. It addresses the cooperation partners but it is as well useful for the Wikipedia speakers. To the Wikiversity site "Information for cooperation partners" [2]

Development of materials For example a short introduction to write the first article in Wikipedia: 1.1.step for step to the first Article 2.2.Lemma (name/titel of the article): it must be short! 3.3.a good introduction: short and concise; Make the Importance clear at the beginning (relevance, for example performance or achievement by people) 4.4.write in a neutral tone (no enthusiasm, facts speak for themselves) 5.5.reduce to significant (no anecdotes, important facts, sometimes less is more) 6.6.provide evidence and references 7.7.only links with an actual connection 8.8.categories, personal data etc. could be made by experienced Wikipedians 9.9.Make articles well known (link)

Links Handbook Chapters Silver Knowledge: Information for cooperation partners [2] Silver Knowledge: Comparison of different locations of activity [1] Older Adults and Online Communities Fostering Older adults' Online Participation Wikimedia Seniors' Outreach German-language Wikiversity site on "Silver Knowledge" [3] External Links Wikimedia Germany's Information on "Silberwissen" (in German) [4]

References

[1] http:/ / en. wikiversity. org/ wiki/ TAO/ Silver_Knowledge/ Comparison_of_different_locations_of_activity

[2] http:/ / en. wikiversity. org/ wiki/ TAO/ Silver_Knowledge/ Information_for_cooperation_partners

[3] http:/ / de. wikiversity. org/ wiki/ Projekt:TAO/ Silberwissen

[4] http:/ / wikimedia. de/ wiki/ Silberwissen Silver Knowledge: Comparison of Different Locations 65 Silver Knowledge: Comparison of Different Locations

Introduction: Comparison of different locations of activity Several places with different approaches will be presented on this site to get an impression of the activities of Silver Knowledge. It is about the locations Worms (senior academy), Hilden-Haan (Volkshochschule) and Ulm (senior university), that will be compared with each other. The comparison refers to a master´s thesis with the focus on researching the activities of Silver Knowledge concerning the methodical-didactic approach with regard to the activation and integration of seniors in Wikipedia. The analysis is based on individual interviews with coordinators of different institutions, Wikipedia speakers and participants as well as on an observation of the events.[1]

Recommendations The conclusions drawn from the comparison of different locations lead to following recommendations: Recruiting suitable institutions •• The initial sceptism of an institution towards the project Silver Knowledge must be expected (e.g. because of a possible participation free of charge). Wikimedia Deutschland can dispel initial doubts by presenting the project at a local institution that gives information about the project. •• An esteeming attitude towards older people and their experiences seems to be an important link between an institution and the project Silver Knowledge. The identification of the institution with the idea of Silver Knowledge may facilitate a successful continuation of the project. •• The recruiting of an institution for the project Silver Knowledge and furthermore is connected with a successful recruitment of participants. A successful recruitment of participants and consequently an enlargement of the number of participants contributes to the willingness of an institution to carry on with the project. Recruiting participants • An identification of participants with an institution can make the recruitment of participants easier. A straight approach of established members especially in the field of the “Volkshochschule” (= adult education centre in Germany) could make sense for a successful recruiting of participants for future measures. •• If older people in employment should be addressed it should be ensured that all events take place at an adequate time. •• A wide choice of communication of the project is recommended, e.g. by an announcement of the project in the offering of an institution (e.g. in the program, on the institution´s website, etc.) or in the communal calendar of events. Newspaper articles in the local press including interviews with seniors who have already shown an interest in the activities may also be possible. Moreover a personal contact with potential participants as well as the correspondence with other local adult education centres or senior institutions should not be neglected. Existing connections to former participants in form of address or mailing lists can also be used. Furthermore, the deposit or distribution of flyers might be an option to make the project known locally. Setting of the activities •• The setting of the activities, consisting of a motivational presentation and two workshop dates, seems to be adequate as a first step towards the implementation of the project at a location. Not only people who are from the beginning interested in getting a Wikipedia author, but also seniors who are just interested in Wikipedia´s mode of operation as a user would feel concerned and may possibly discover their interest in getting a Wikipedia author Silver Knowledge: Comparison of Different Locations 66

in the course of the events. •• For participants who really want to get a Wikipedia author, three events are not enough, because many important matters can´t be discussed because of lack of time. It is therefore not recommended to let the participants be left to their own devices immediately after these events. Moreover the seniors should be assisted by an experienced Wikipedia author until after the measures. •• The implementation of a workshop should not last longer than four hours. A break is recommended in any case. Content • Some participants are especially interested in getting actively involved in the production of Wikipedia articles and less in being part of the Wikipedia community. But the integration in the Wikipedia community can be a helpful incentive for a senior to get active as an author in Wikipedia regularly. Therefore an own user account for every participant should be created in any case. This makes the participation in different Wikipedia sister projects and in writing Wikipedia articles much easier even for those authors, who are less interested in the community idea. In doing so, the created personal user namespace can be used as a sort of “sandbox” particularly in the context of the first steps as an author without having to expect the automatical cleaning or the overwriting of the content by other testing users. Methods of instruction •• A round of introduction at the beginning of the first part of the course is recommended. Thus the participants will have the opportunity to present their experiences with Wikipedia and to name a topic which they could imagine to write a Wikipedia article about. This can also help the speakers to identify the fields of interest of the participants and the motivation behind their participation in the workshop. According to this, the realization of the course can be adapted. By realizing such a round of introduction the participants can also learn more about the other seniors and discover fields of common interest. It can even contribute to create a relaxed atmosphere, in which each participant feels free to ask or to comment on something. •• Some seniors have difficulties with the method of a step-by-step demonstration and they are not able to follow the speaker´s instructions straight away and at the same time work with their own computer. This is for example indicated by the repeated demands of the participants for a repetition of the demonstrated steps. Therefore, especially before important explanations are given, the participants should be required to only watch the demonstration before reconstructing the steps on their computer. • In order to introduce the seniors to editing an article it makes sense to use the “sandbox” of their personal user namespace, since the changes that are carried out are not threatened by deletion as much as it occurs in Wikipedia articles or the general Wikipedia sandbox. This way of introducting is also recommended as the editing of an existing article takes much more preliminary work before the editing can actually be made. •• To illustrate the possibilities of collaborative working in Wikipedia the speakers may suggest to the participants that they swap the computer workstation in the classroom. Thus, the seniors will realize that after the successful editing of an article it is now available on every computer using the internet and can be edited by any user. •• Homework that can be done voluntarily can be considered as a specific tool to use the limited time during the events more effectively and to prevent the participants from forgetting the previously discussed topics. This preparatory work can also lead to an increased motivation, as in this way the participants’ individual interests can better be picked up in the workshop and in addition to that a feeling of success can be expected earlier. Use of media and materials •• Using a presentation at the beginning of the first event is helpful to communicate the most important background information about Wikipedia, that are not easily accessible to the participants, such as the idea of free content or the ideals behind other Wikipedia ideals. As soon as it refers to the integration of the seniors as Wikipedia authors, the “live” broadcast of Wikipedia should be used, since Wikipedia is an interactive project that keeps changing and never looks the same. Silver Knowledge: Comparison of Different Locations 67

•• In the workshops the use of their own laptop computer is recommendable for some participants. These seniors often don´t complain as much about the handling of the computer as those participants using someone else´s computer (e.g. of the institution.) Participants with a common field of interest •• Indeed a common field of interest may increase the sense of belonging of each individual in the group of participants, but if the speaker pursues an individual support of the participants in the workshop it is less important than in teamwork practices. •• But if there are common interests in a group of participants, they certainly can be used for cooperative practices, and thus relieve the speakers in their duties. Therefore thematically focused groups of participants seem to be predestined for cooperative learning in a team. Relationship between the participants and the speakers •• Creating a relaxed personal relationship between the participants and the speaker is very important. It can help to increase the impact of the educational measures by maintaining the intrinsic motivation of the participants. It also contributes to a pleasant learning environment in which the participants have no inhibitions about asking questions. Furthermore it can enhance identification of participants with the institution. •• The interviewed participants associate the speaker´s effort to create an atmosphere of trust with the fact that he tries to pick up all their questions. For the participants the reports on his own experiences as a Wikipedia author indicate as well, that the speaker is trying to create a relaxed personal relationship. These reports may also transfer to the seniors the speaker´s enthusiasm as a Wikipedia author. Relationship between the participants •• The fact that the participants of a measure already know each other is extremely valuable in some speaker´s estimation, because in this way the participants are often less self-conscious and are not afraid of making a fool of themselves. Moreover, the willingness to help each other is higher than among strangers. Activities that strengthen the personal relationship among the participants (e.g. rounds of introduction, breaks in which they can communicate with each other, etc.) may therefore be recommended especially in groups in which the participants have not met each other before.

Location of activity in Hilden-Haan (Volkshochschule)

The institution

The Volkshochschule (abbr.: VHS) in Hilden-Haan is an organization funded by the two cities Hilden and Haan. Seniors as a target group By this institution the group of older people is seen as a very important target group, because retired persons have much more time to attend the learning opportunities of the VHS than persons, who are still working. The relevance of this target group is also reflected in the existing VHS department called “Getting older actively”. This Silver Knowledge event in Hilden-Haan department is especially arranged for seniors and it includes language courses, gymnastic courses and computer courses and in this case the activities of Silver Knowledge, too.

Identification of participants with the institution The identification of the participants with the VHS is often not initiated by the institution itself but moreover by the speakers or the participants themselves. Often the speakers are the real figurehead of the VHS and the participants´ identification with the speakers is generally bigger than the identification with the VHS. Silver Knowledge: Comparison of Different Locations 68

The VHS database of participants showed that 80-90 percent of the registered participants in the activities of Silver Knowledge belong to the group of regular or constant participants in the VHS activities. Interest of the institution in the project of Silver Knowledge The responsible person of the concerning department of the VHS mentioned her personal estimation of the online encyclopedia as one of the reasons why the VHS Hilden-Haan participates in the project of Silver Knowledge. Beside that, the idea behind the project Silver Knowledge is also seen as a reason to participate. The aim to recruit as many people as possible for an event and to enlarge the number of VHS participants on the whole was secondary.

Basic conditions

Events (length in hours) number of participants number of speakers

Motivational presentation 7 1 (1,5) 4 Workshop part 1 (2,25) 4 Workshop part 2 (2,25)

Learning targets, content & method of instruction Learning Targets The activities in Hilden-Haan were focussed on the activation of the seniors as authors. The integration of the seniors in the Wikipedia community was another aim of the activities, but not the main learning target. Content In the first workshop the participants learned how to create an own user account and how to edit an article. The second workshop was about how to upload files in Wikimedia Commons and use them in an article. This thematic setting corresponds to the intended concept of content that Wikimedia Germany had worked out. In the first event (motivational presentation) the selection of content was mainly defined by the structure of the speaker´s presentation, whereas in the third workshop-event the selection of content was adapted to the participants´ questions.

Noticeable problems

Silver Knowledge event in Hilden-Haan Silver Knowledge: Comparison of Different Locations 69

Location of activity in Worms (senior academy)

Location of activity in Ulm (ZAWiW: Spring academy)

References

[1] Annette Kintzi (2012): Seniors and online communities: analysis of educational measures to activate and integrate seniors in the online community Wikipedia within the framework of the project >Silberwissen<. PH Heidelberg.

Silver Knowledge event in Worms

Silver Knowledge: Information for Cooperation Partners

Information und check list to plan a series of "Silver Knowledge" events for Wikipedia

A Silver Knowledge course addresses interested persons 50plus. The idea behind is to make them known participation possibilities in the

online encyclopaedia Wikipedia (e.g. http:/ / en. wikipedia. org) as well as to explain the goal and meaning of "free content". At the same time this offers serves to increase the attractivity of your institution. A course consists of three parts (modules): 1.1.Workshop, part 1 (What is the Wikipedia and how does it work?) 2.2.Workshop, part 2 (e.g. basic knowledge about editing in Wikipedia) 3.3.Workshop, part 3 (e.g. adding own photos) The participants should come from the institution's target group. But PR work it is recommended as well to address a wide public for the Logo "Silver Knowledge" participation in the course. The modules of the course are based on each other and require the participation in all three events. Interested persons who would like to work collaboratively and who are ready to contribute are addressed. Speaker for the three modules is an experienced Wikipedia author. The contact will be arranged by the national chapter of Wikimedia. It is expected that the event will be well prepared. The speaker is a freelancer of the national chapter of Wikimedia. As soon as a speaker is found for your event you may contact him for arrangements about dates and details. At first general basics about active use of the Wikipedia and if necessary sister projects will be communicated, e.g. editing in the Wikipedia, uploading of own photos and linking with articles. Furthermore it is possible to offer events about specific subjects respectively for advanced learners after an appropriate agreement. The following checklist serves to plan and prepare the event: Silver Knowledge: Information for Cooperation Partners 70

Basic conditions Premises: •• good transport links and well perceptible accessibility inside the building (if necessary signpost the way), if necessary access suitable for disabled, •• a room equipped with computers and sufficient workplaces for all participants •• usual good conditions, ideally an area for breaks Technical equipment: •• a computer with mouse per participant (touchpads are possibly difficult for older persons), a computer with mouse, digital projector, projection surface, moderation material/flipchart/pinboard for the speaker according to the agreement with him, access to the Internet for speaker and participants •• please contact in advance the speaker to arrange and to coordinate the technical equipment, used standards, software, access data etc. in details •• stable Internet connection/Wi-Fi Times: •• between 2.5 and 5 hours, enough time for explanations and exercises, duration per workshop to be arranged individually, also according to the expected staying power of the participants •• the exact temporal scale should be arranged with the speaker •• the three dates should be arranged with the speaker and should be in close temporal connection, separate days are possible or e.g. a whole weekend •• if there is the need for further exercises and for questions we check the possibility for further workshops with pleasure

Contents •• the speaker is responsible for the contents, learning materials will be provided by him or by the national chapter of Wikimedia •• basic information about Wikipedia, free content and collaborative possibilities are in the foreground •• specific wishes about subjects need to be arranged in advance and in time with the speaker, if necessary further dates need to be arranged or experts from the pool of speakers need to be found

Target group • the events should be accessible to all interested persons of the target group 50plus - they shall be gained as

authors of Wikipedia and its sister projects [e.g. Commons for media data (http:/ / commons. wikimedia. org) for

example for photos; WikiSource as a collection of source texts (e.g. http:/ / en. wikisource. org)] •• maximum ten persons should be gained as participants per workshop to safeguard the individual support of the participants. The minimum number of participants is five. Please arrange this with the speaker, too. •• the focus should be set on the target group of seniors who just retired and are looking for new challenges Silver Knowledge: Information for Cooperation Partners 71

Public relations •• in time dissemination of the invitation with dates and places by the usual media of the institution (printed, website, mailinglist, entry of the date in an online community, ...) •• press information •• flyers, posters •• reporting about the project before its start or after the event •• if nationally available you may receive a flyer about Silver Knowledge from the national chapter of Wikimedia

Evaluation If an institution evaluates Silver Knowledge events please support it. Also the speakers and the national chapters of Wikimedia are interested in feedback. Please support them, e.g. distribution of questionnaires if you receive them.

Prospect The national chapter of Wikimedia aims at considering the series of events at your place as starting point for a long-term Wikipedia project there. If for example the participants see the need for further meetings/exchange of experiences or if they are looking for advice of an experienced speaker it would be nice if you could provide adequate rooms for this purpose. For the German chapter of Wikimedia the contact persons for questions are: Dr. Elvira Schmidt or Cornelia Trefflich E-Mail: [email protected] [1] Tel: +49 30 21 91 58 26-0 Silver Knowledge is called in German Silberwissen. It is a project of "Wikimedia Deutschland - Gesellschaft zur

Förderung Freien Wissens e.V.": http:/ / wikimedia. de/ wiki/ Silberwissen.

Information about the German chapter of Wikimedia: „Wikimedium“ (in German, http:/ / wikimedia. de/ wiki/ Vereinszeitung).

References

[1] mailto:silberwissen@wikimedia. de Wikimedia Seniors' Outreach 72 Wikimedia Seniors' Outreach

This page contains an overview of approaches pursued by various organizations and individuals to gain seniors as contributors to Wikipedia and its sister projects. The list of projects may not be complete - if you are aware of any other approaches, please add them or leave a note on the talk page.

Courses and workshops to gain seniors as contributors

Several chapters and individual Wikipedians have developed courses or workshops targeted at older adults in order to encourage them to become active contributors to Wikipedia.

Wikimedia Germany: Project Silberwissen

•• Offline lectures and courses (workshops) of various formats at various locations •• 2011: Collaborations with 4 Universities of Third Age

(Volkshochschulen / Seniorenuniversitäten), 3 thematic groups, and Silberwissen, Worms 1 senior group; Goal for 2012: Activities at 20 locations.

•• 2011: 20 presentations/workshops with 125 participants; Goal for 2012: 40 presentations/workshops with 240 participants •• 2011: 14 presenters/instructors from within the Wikimedia/Wikipedia community; Goal for 2012: 30 presenters/instructors •• 2011: 1 train-the-trainers workshop, online forum for instructors; Goal for 2012: Development of the train-the-trainers programme •• Result 2011: Only few participating seniors became active contributors; Goal for 2012: Conversion rate of 5% •• 2012: Internalization and Presentation of Silver Knowledge, e.g. at Wikimania (washington) and WikiCon (Dornbirn)

• 2012: Information website developed within the Wikipedia: http:/ / de. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Wikipedia:Silberwissen •• Result 2012: Multiplication successfull, sustainable conversion rate not measurable •• 2013: Continuation of PR and community activities •• Results of the project: The open budget of time seniors have allows them to do volunteers work in general more often than it is possible for employees. Nevertheless both the educational institutions and the participants pointed out that “Silverknowledge” addresses people who are already active in any kind of volunteering or social activity. Wikipedia usually is added as another activity. As stated above, the focus on winning seniors as authors in future should be set on the target group of seniors who just retired and are looking for new challenges. A task for the future will be to develop and test a determined address. Over the years of the programmes running, the name “Silverknowledge” mostly addressed the older among the seniors. People between 50 an 65 years old did rather not feel spoken to. In future it is necessary to use a name which not certainly addresses demographic criteria of target groups like seniors. The name should put the activity of being an author in the centre; the volunteering engagement of sharing knowledge should come to the fore. The new name “Sharing knowledge”/ “Wissen teilen” meets these demands. It provides room for different initiatives and does not exclude certain groups or individuals. Wikimedia Seniors' Outreach 73

Further information: Silver Knowledge Contact person: Elvira Schmidt, Wikimedia Germany ([email protected])

Amical Viquipèdia Association, Catalunya: Talks and workshops at elderly centers (multiplication) •• 2011: 19 talks were held at 19 different locations throughout Catalonia, mostly at neighborhood elderly centers (ca. 200 participants) •• 7 volunteer editors participated •• Positive experience for both participants and volunteers •• For 2012, follow-up events are planned in some of the centers. Focus: easy ways of contributing. Extension to further centers. For further information see: •• 2011 Report Contact person: Kippelboy

Wikimedia CH: Wikipedia introductory courses to gain new contributors (pilot phase) •• Offline courses and workshops for seniors •• A first series of courses was carried out in fall 2011 at the University of Third Age in Lausanne - with mixed success

Poland: Wikimedia courses to gain older people as contributors (pilot phase) A series of Wikiworkshops for people aged 50+ were undertaken in Łódź, Poland in January-April 2012. It was organized together with local cultural center's senior club "OKG [1]". Around 20 people who had basic, paid, computer course before, participated in the free Wikipedia workshops. They listened to the lectures and editing presentation with great interest, but found editing very hard. Among others - they had no idea about what to write. There were only two exceptions - a former policemen who started editing articles about Polish legal system, and the member of local heritage association who started to upload some pictures and Wikipedia Workshop expanding articles about local monuments. Except Wikipedia - also other Wikimedia projects were presented - especially Commons and Wikisource. A former teacher found interesting Wikisource and started proof-reading/writing text in Polish Wikisource. In order to activate the rest of the people a mapping party - together with people from OpenStreetMap Poland was organized. It produced a lot of fun for participants, but editing OpenStreetMap was found by them even harder than editing Wikipedia. Wikimedia Seniors' Outreach 74

See • Page on Wikimedia Polska website [2] • Page on OKG center [3] • Category on Commons [4]

OpenStreetMap mapping

Using Wiki Loves Monuments (WLM) to reach out to older adults Several chapters have used the Wiki Loves Monuments Photo Contest to Reach out to Seniors. For an overview of activities carried out in relation to the 2011 contest, please refer to the Summary Report [5]

Wikimedia CH •• Official partnership with a online community for seniors (www.seniorweb.ch): communication to its members via newsletter, article in online magazine, official blog for the contest, official "liaison" person within the seniors community to ask questions to the WLM project manager, contributions in the photographers' forum of the seniors online community Report on WLM-related seniors outreach in Switzerland in 2011

Wikimedia Germany •• WLM-workshop with several of the Silberwissen groups all over Germany Contact person: Elvira Schmidt, Wikimedia Germany ([email protected])

Wikimedia Netherlands •• Partnership with an online community for seniors (www.seniorweb.nl): usability testing of the upload forms, communication to its member base via newsletter (ca. 140'000 subscribers), organization of its own photo safari, mobilization of members for photo safaris organized by Wikimedia NL Wikimedia Seniors' Outreach 75

Associating seniors to the writing of WP articles without asking them to become active on the platform

Yger (Sweden): Contacting Local Heritage Associations •• Objective: Write an article about each of the 2500-3000 local parishes in Sweden •• There are around 2000 local heritage associations for these parishes, mainly made up of old persons (70+, 80+) •• Very uneven IT-knowledge, many don't know how to handle e-mail correctly •• Approach chosen: consult each local heritage association about the article about their parish (with mixed results, only 15% responses, some valuable, but often not) • New approach: Get GLAM institutions actively involved in providing info to Wikipedia (good progress); tell old heritage associations they are part of the GLAM sector and that they should follow suit (they have high esteem of museums etc, but low esteem of IT ”brats”)

Strategic partnerships with senior organizations Examples fpr successful partnerships: •• Wikimedia CH: Partnership with seniorweb.ch •• Wikimedia NL: Partnership with seniorweb.nl

References

[1] http:/ / gorna. nazwa. pl/ SENIOR/ index. php

[2] https:/ / pl. wikimedia. org/ wiki/ Warsztaty_OKG

[3] http:/ / gorna. nazwa. pl/ INFORMATYKA/ WIKIMEDIA/ index. php

[4] https:/ / commons. wikimedia. org/ wiki/ Category:Wikiwarsztaty_%C5%81%C3%B3d%C5%BA_2012

[5] http:/ / www. thirdageonline. eu/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2012/ 07/ Wiki-Loves-Monuments-2012-June. pdf Online Co-Creation 76 Online Co-Creation

In 2011, research was conducted on the current usage of SeniorWebNL’s web contact possibilities, which has given the organization insights in present context and practices of the offered services such as forums, mailing lists and their corporate social networking site ‘Trefpunt’. Within this part of the research project SeniorWebNL needs to determine the functions and user requirements to fulfill the needs of their members with regard to the development and reformation of the web contact possibilities. Therefore, two co-creation sessions were organized: an offline ‘world café’ and this explorative variant of the same research methodology online (further referred to as ‘online co-creation’).

Methodology and data In order to explore the participatory potential of an online variant of the research method ‘world café’, similar group discussions were organized in an online co-creation environment around the same topics as the offline world café: doing & sharing, how & why and learning. The aim of this setting for informal, open collaboration between participants is to share and generate new ideas about the web contact services by SeniorWebNL. The choice of an appropriate online co-creation platform was based on several requirements. •• First, the platform had to facilitate real time communication between multiple participants, in order to simulate an offline group conversation as good as possible. Features like voice over IP, webcams and a shared workspace or desktop were considered necessary to accomplish this. •• Second, supportive features for structuring group communication such as chat possibilities were desirable. Also, the interface of the platform had to be user-friendly to seniors, which excluded too complicated platforms with too much features that would just confuse the senior participants. •• Furthermore, the platform had to work on both Apple and Windows operating systems and be accessible through different Internet browsers. The platform ‘Adobe Connect’ was chosen because it matched these criteria and was already available in the project. The initial research methodology was based on the online co-creation by participants from their individual home settings. This way, it would be possible to gather insights in the potential usage of this methodology in the future by SeniorWebNL to co-create with their members in an online, open, informal way. The advantage of such an online platform for participation of members in SeniorWebNL’s innovation processes is that they do not have to attend a physical location anywhere in the country, which can possibly form a barrier to participation due to senior’s reduced mobility. However, in mutual consultation between the researchers and SeniorWebNL was decided to first explore the potential of online co-creation from a more controlled environment than the members’ individual home settings. This decision was based on the grounded belief that technological challenges and difficulties could stifle online co-creation between participants and, in a worst case scenario, could cause undesirable agitation in SeniorWebNL’s members’ community. Therefore, it was decided to simulate several home settings at SeniorWebNL’s headquarters in the city of Utrecht, where participants all were offered their own room and a researcher to assist with technological difficulties if necessary. The given assistance and the safe, controlled environment should be taken into account in regard to the results and conclusions based on these explorative sessions. During the first session, the research methodology was explored in its most open form of online co-creation between the participants, without interventions in the group’s conversation and work. Therefore, the first session was peer-moderated by the participants, enabling a better and more natural social climate within the group dynamics. Contrarily to the first session, the second was not peer-moderated but moderated by a discussant, a role performed by one of the present researchers. Online Co-Creation 77

Qualitative research data from the two organized online co-creation sessions was gathered mainly by screen capturing and audio-recording of the sessions. Also, a short printed survey was taken among the participants and comprised background control variables such as age and gender and a self-estimation by participants of their experience with online communication software like voice over IP and chatting. Complementary, as a try out for the non-simulated real home settings from the participants, a third session was planned to take place with some of the participants from the first two controlled-setting sessions. Unfortunately, they indeed encountered too may technical difficulties and this is why the third online session had to be cancelled after 15 minutes.

Recruitment Both SeniorWebNL’s members and ambassadors (volunteers that take care of training, assistance and teaching) were invited to voluntarily participate in the online co-creation sessions through SeniorWebNL’s newsletter mailing, which goes out to over a 100.000 members, and through the so-called ‘members panel’. A special notion was made in the invitation that in particular seniors with some experience in online communication tools were invited to participate, but less-experienced seniors were not to be excluded. In the first and second session, respectively four and five members participated.

Procedure Both the online co-creation sessions were organized on the 18th of April 2012 at SeniorWebNL’s headquarters in the city of Utrecht, where five separate rooms were available to simulate the distance of the seniors when participating from their home setting. All the rooms in this controlled environment were equipped with a desktop computer with microphone and webcam, on which the Adobe Connect platform was pre-installed and tested already. Before the start of the sessions, one held in the morning and one in the afternoon, the groups were welcomed and requested to fill in the short survey. Then the session started with a short introduction to the research project and a plenary introduction to Adobe Connect, its features and the topics and assignments. We have also requested permission to record both the screen (video) and audio during the sessions. Participants then had to split up and go to their ‘own’ room, accompanied by a research assistant who functioned as a facilitator, offering assistance when the participant encountered technical problems with the microphone, webcam, etc. Both the peer-moderated session and the discussant-moderated session took about 2 hours. In this time, the peer-moderated group of participants focused on assignments about ‘doing & sharing’ online and the topic ‘how & why’. The other group focused on assignments for the topic ‘learning’. The assignments were designed as presentation slides in the collaborative workspace in Adobe Connect, where participants could each write or draw their own input. Each session was closed with an evaluation of the session with the participants. A third online session was organised on the 3rd of May 2012 to evaluate the first two sessions online with the available participants. This created also the possibility to verify whether the participants were able to work in an online environment in their home situation, i.e. a non-controlled environment.

Topics For each online co-creation session, one or two topics were assigned, comparable with the offline world-café sessions. The topic ‘doing & sharing’, applied in the first session, was focused on the current online activities of the participants, which activities they would like to perform together with other SeniorWebNL’s members and what kind of information they would like to share. The second topic ‘how & why’, also included in the first session, was focused on how members would prefer to have contact with each other online and why in that specific way. The second session was entirely dedicated to the topic of ‘learning’, which is one of the key topics in SeniorWebNL’s Online Co-Creation 78

services. Here we focused on the potential of learning online, together with fellow SenioWebNL members, and the subjects one would like to learn about.

Data processing Both the online co-creation sessions were, with the permission of the participants, recorded by screen- and audiocapturing. The evaluation conversation with the participants afterwards was also recorded in both video and audio file format. All these qualitative data files were processed anonymously and used in addition to the notes taken during the sessions. The very small quantitative dataset collected with the short printed questionnaire was processed in a database with IBM SPSS Statistics.

Analysis The results of the two online co-creation sessions with SeniorWebNL’s members are analyzed per session and topic. In the first session, 5 members participated of which three men and 2 women, with an average age of over 68 years old (M = 68,50, SD = 10,53). The second session’s participants group consisted of three men and one woman with an average age of 70 years old (M = 70,00, SD = 2,94).

Evaluation An important observation points to the reasons why and how online applications are used by elderly. Whereas SeniorWebNL (SWNL) as an organization also aims at increasing the use of online applications to build relationships and stimulate online collaboration between their members, participants repeatedly indicated that they use SWNL’s online applications mainly for practical reasons. According to SWNL, members of the organization can benefit from their online applications, as they offer a great variety of services available. Nevertheless, older persons appear to use the organization’s services mainly to solve problems, raise questions, and obtain information about developments within the organization. During the different co-creation sessions all participants mentioned not being open to having contact with other members for social reasons. However, in their private lives they frequently contact relatives through various online applications. Yet, this is often also because of a practical point of view. The fact that the idea of increasing engagement in online activities is based on a somewhat incorrect assumption is self-evident. Another important observation includes the use of online applications. The online co-creation sessions allowed us to observe and analyze how older persons deal with non-daily used computer applications such as Adobe Connect. The differences between the first and second session were noteworthy, since - during the second session - the participants were unable to install their microphones, leading to an early end of the session. The preconceived image which was included in the research method appeared as rather true. Nevertheless, one can question whether the participants’ knowledge of installing hardware is applicable to all older persons. The problems could also be generated by a lack of knowledge on how to assist elderly online. Evidently, it appears that this method is more appropriate for the comparison of research methods than for obtaining relevant output, as the concrete output regarding the improvement of web contact services was less satisfactory. SeniorWeb NL's Online Contact Services 79 SeniorWeb NL's Online Contact Services

Members’ analysis Before implementing any actions or activities, UM-MERIT and SeniorWebNL conducted a study on the demographics of the SeniorWebNL members and the use of SeniorWebNL’s web contact services. The purpose of this study was to identify patterns and structures within the SeniorWebNL members that could later possibly help to tailor new services and products better to the needs of the target group. The current web contact services that are offered by SeniorWebNL through their website are the following: •• Mailing lists •• Forum •• Trefpunt, a social networking feature •• Fotowedstrijd, a photo contest • Vraag & Aanbod (or Marktplaats), a classified advertising site Besides those interactive web contact services, the more passive web contact possibility of PCHulp, PC assistance, is also included in the analysis. The reason to include these (partly offline) activities in our analysis is that obviously these services are very effective means for SeniorWebNL to attract new members, to bind members over time, and to acquaint members with the online offerings of SeniorWebNL [1]. The PC assistance has two features, either online, via the website, or offline, face-to-face at home. At the same time, especially the mailing lists and the forum also offer SeniorWebNL members the possibility of IT learning and solving IT problems.

Methodology and data For the analysis of SeniorWebNL’s members’ demographics and the use of SeniorWebNL’s web contact possibilities several databases were formatted into CSV files and these were merged into one single SPSS database. The different databases included the regular members’ database, the ambassadors’ database (ambassadors are the volunteers of SeniorWebNL that give trainings, PC assistance and classes) and the various databases of the website, the online forum, Trefpunt and mail group platforms. The collected data were also processed in SPSS. Not the complete history of the different databases could be checked, simply since some of the data only started later or was reset in the past years. In general most of the data are from the past 4 to 6 years. The member database had 114.003 members at the moment of analysis (February 2011). This database (with geographical and demographic information) was combined with the user databases of the mailing list system, the forum, the photo contest, Vraag & Aanbod and Trefpunt and also the archives of the PC assistance database.

Members’ analysis Analyzing the SeniorWebNL members’ database, among other observations, the share of males is slightly bigger than the share of women, and most members join SeniorWebNL between the age of 65 and 75 years. Interestingly, SeniorWebNL manages successfully to attract also a considerable share of persons in the so-called fourth age (76 and older), a group that is usually considered to be aligned with diseases, inactivity and isolation. Assumably, SeniorWebNL’s services capture the need of those in the fourth age that are still active and healthy enough. Since TAO focuses on persons in the third age, this phenomenon was not further investigated in our study and remains thus as a subject for future research. The Fourth age is defined 76 and older with reference to Lähteenmäki & Kaikkonen (2004), Lamdin & Fugate (1997) and Williamson & Aslab (2009). Besides the aforementioned, there are no particular observations that really stand out as interesting. SeniorWeb NL's Online Contact Services 80

Web contact services In the following table an overview is presented of the different web contact services and compared to the general SeniorWebNL members database: •• The percentage of users using the service •• The percentage of male and female users •• The average age of the users •• The percentage of the different age groups For the active users (users of mailing groups, forum and/or Trefpunt), 10.522 are using only one web contact service. 2.773 members and 665 members are using respectively two and three services. In total, 13.960 members (12,2 %) are users of the SeniorWebNL web contact services. In the following part we will present several observations per web contact service.

General Mail Mail Dig Forum Trefpunt Marktplaats Photo PC PC Assistance PC Assistance lists groups classes Assistance at home via Internet

Users 114003 6923 5558 1721 4917 6223 1838 1771 30046 12388 24023

% users 100,0% 6,1% 4,9% 1,5% 4,3% 5,5% 1,6% 1,6% 26,4% 10,9% 21,1%

Gender n=113300 n=6910 n=5548 n=1717 n=4904 n=6208 n=1835 n=1771 n=29945 n=12352 n=23945

Male 56,5% 47,3% 46,9% 47,4% 63,2% 60,6% 58,1% 51,3% 63,7% 57,8% 66,9%

Female 43,5% 52,7% 52,9% 52,6% 36,7% 39,4% 41,9% 48,7% 36,3% 42,2% 33,1%

Age n = n = n = 5435 n = n = n = 6099 n = 1797 n = n = 29133 n = 11971 n = 23342 109916 6761 1675 4810 1737

Avg. 70,6 70 70 71 70 70 69,8 68 72 73 71,7 age

Mailing lists: Mailing groups & digital classes For our research we split the mailing lists topic-wise to mailing groups (social contacts, hobby clubs and interests) and digital classes (learning groups for software and/or hardware). •• 6923 members make use of the different mailing lists SeniorWebNL offers. •• For all mailing lists, i.e. both mailing groups and digital classes, more women are making use of this web contact service.

Forum •• Almost 80% of the forum users (who subscribed to the forum) did not post anything or only once. • There is a very small ‘elite’ of 17 members that all posted over 1000 messages. This observation seems to suggest that the forum is rather used as a passive “news service” by the vast majority of the SeniorWebNL members than as an interactive communication platform. If this interpretation is true it might have implications for the introduction of Web 2.0 services, which are designed for interactive usage. If the members’ behaviour at the forum indicates a general reluctance to interactive services it is likely that Web 2.0 services will face significant ignorance or even resistance. However, it might also be the case that the forum and/or its contents do not attract others to share their opinions and suggestions. Whether or not the activities that have meanwhile started to implement Web 2.0 services will have success and incite more members to actively create and share content will be proven within the next months. SeniorWeb NL's Online Contact Services 81

Marktplaats •• Marktplaats or Vraag en Aanbod, the classified advertisement part of the website, counts 1838 users. •• These users posted 3737 ads, which is almost two per user. •• The average user is slightly younger than most SeniorWebNL members.

Photo contest • The photo contest counts 1771 users of SeniorWebNL’s current members. •• The database counts a total of 1946 members and these members uploaded a stunning amount of 37446 photos. •• With an average of 68 year old, the photo contest user is also a bit younger than the average SeniorWeb NL members.

PC assistance •• 12.388 members already made use of PC assistance at home. •• The PC assistance at home team got 24892 calls of which 23343 got solved, i.e. 93,8%. •• Almost double as many members, 24.023, made use of PC assistance via Internet. •• Here, 94646 out of 101984 calls got solved, i.e. 92,8%. •• Almost 40% and 60% made different calls for respectively PC assistance at home and via Internet. •• With 30.046 unique members making use of PC assistance, this service is by far the most popular interactive service from SeniorWebNL (26,4% of the members use it).

Google Analytics With regard to the forum and Trefpunt, the number of created profiles does not reveal the real use or about the activity of the participants. There are not only many members who only created a profile, but also quite some lurkers. The website visitors and page view statistics are more conclusive for this purpose. To analyse these statistics, Google Analytics was used to compare the different web contact services. The biggest differences between amount of users and amount of visitors and page views can be found at the forum and at Trefpunt. Trefpunt has a very limited number of users, with 5.5% of the members having a profile. But only 2% of website visitors visit this part of the website. SeniorWebNL already indicated that this is a self-built application they have on their website and the maintenance and answering the questions by staff members cost a lot of time. The forum scores the best ratings (7%). Especially after publication of the newsletter there are always peaks in the amount of visitors and page views. On the other hand, only 0.9% of the members post messages.

From quantative to qualitative data SeniorWebNL web contact services are offered in different flavours. More than 10% of the members and visitors use these services. They fulfil several functions: •• Help / learn from each other • Expanding social network and the member’s life world (one can talk to people he would not meet in his traditional environments) •• The web contact services serve as the human face of SeniorWebNL as an association, this is the best opportunity for the members to have direct interactions with the organisation. •• Opportunity for the members to express themselves in new forms and contexts (e.g. photo contest) and to gain reputation that cannot be gained at home or in circles of the family or friends. To analyse and elaborate on these functions, complementary qualitative research is needed. In the second part of the exploration phase and preliminary research this is provided by several focus group conversations. SeniorWeb NL's Online Contact Services 82

Focus group conversations on web contact services

Methodology and data In order to analyse the motivations behind the usage of the web contact possibilities, different series of focus group conversations were organised with SeniorWebNL members. Focus groups have been introduced by Merton et al. in the 1950s. They study people in an atmosphere more natural and relaxed than a one-to-one interview and this setting creates the possibility to explore unanticipated issues as they arise in the discussion. Focus groups are useful for introducing and discussing new technologies, since the group interaction is used to “produce data and insights that would be less accessible without the interaction found in a group” (Morgan, 1988, p. 12). In the following sections we give more information about the recruitment of the respondents, about the followed procedure and the central themes of the conversation. Finally, we give a word of explanation about the processing of the data.

Recruitment Through a small poll on the web contact possibilities of SeniorWebNL members were asked to fill in their usage and interest in a focus group conversation. The recruitment for the focus group conversations was done on the basis of these poll results. For every web contact possibility (mailing groups, forum, Trefpunt) a separate focus group conversation was organised and next to that, conversations were set up for multi-users, being members that use all three web contact possibilities, and non-users, being members that do not use the web contact possibilities, or that are drop-outs from these possibilities. The obvious purpose of the selection of these groups was to capture different typical groups with regard to usage patterns of SeniorWebNL’s offerings. The following planning was handled: •• April/May 2011: Setting up focus group target groups •• Creating topic list and survey •• May/June 2011: Selection and invitations •• 20/6/2011 - Focus group: mailing group users (Maastricht) •• 21/6/2011 - Focus group: forum users (Utrecht) •• 27/6/2011 - Focus group: multi-users (Utrecht) •• 27/6/2011 - Focus group: non-users (Utrecht) •• 28/6/2011 - Focus group: Trefpunt users (Den Bosch)

Procedure The focus group interviews always applied the following procedure: • Reception of the participants; • Request of permission to record the conversation (audio and video); •• A short presentation about the project, the goals of the focus group conversation and the upcoming topics; •• A round of introducing each other; •• Discussion about the several topics (see below); • Completion of the interview after 1.5 to 2 hours; • Acknowledgment of all participants and issue of incentives. SeniorWeb NL's Online Contact Services 83

Topics For focus group conversations it is recommended to be flexible with the questionnaire. Thus, better responses can be expected in the natural dynamics of a group discussion. The focus group interviews in this research were structured according to various topics and their related questions. The overarching themes are the same themes that are used in this analysis. The topic list for the focus group conversations: •• General online use and web contact •• Web contact possibilities SeniorWebNL •• Online contact possibilities outside of SeniorWebNL •• Future: remarks, improvements, comments, compliments

Data processing One researcher and one employee of SeniorWebNL were present during all focus group conversations. All conversations were recorded with at least one camera and an audio recorder. The conversations are summarized in accordance with the themes.

Analysis SeniorWebNL general The SeniorWebNL members are very satisfied with the service and very loyal. The website provides a protected environment (technical and personal) and is experienced as a very reliable experience. On the other hand the invited SeniorWebNL members are quite conservative. The participants do not want change. Proposed changes of the services are therefore not really appreciated. Web contact services Apparently, the SeniorWebNL members are quite picky. They typically use no other senior or computer (learning) websites. Most of them only use one web contact service offered by SeniorWebNL and stick to that. The participants agree that learning from and helping each other is very important. They experience it as a stimulant. They want to discover all aspects of using computers and the Internet (together) and not stay behind. Personal contact is perceived as very important by the users of the web contact services. The atmosphere and the usefulness of the information are decisive factors in the continued use of a service. The participants do not mind ‘lurkers’, since they do this themselves a lot. According to the participants, the web contact services fulfill two important functions: • To encourage, learn & help •• Social contacts, friendships, also offline (to overcome loneliness) Experiences with the web contact services: •• Mail groups users experienced receiving emails in their mailbox as a stimulant, it is experienced as more personal than reading emails or posts on a website. •• Forum users favoured that you only read the threads or posts that you're interested in. •• Trefpunt users appreciate the coziness and the superficiality of the service. For beginners, it is difficult to get used to these services (probably true for all of SeniorWebNL). They are technically not experienced with these services, but are easily helped with tips and tricks from experienced users (for example how to create an additional email address for the receiving post from the Mail Groups). Also with regard to a personal level of contact it would be better to get started with a little help, since beginners often have the impression to join a close circle of friends, where it is difficult to settle. Finally, quarreling and brawling deters many participants. SeniorWeb NL's Online Contact Services 84

Social media and other Web 2.0 services SeniorWebNL’s services are - compared to other social networking sites (SNS) - experienced as very user-friendly. Other SNS, such as Facebook, Hyves and Twitter, are seen by many participants as a threat to privacy, as impersonal and as something you will never get rid of. Members who make little or no use of SNS consider avid users (such as children and grandchildren) as addicted to the Internet. All participants read Wikipedia articles, but never wrote or edited. Thresholds and drivers Thresholds for using web contact possibilities: •• Abundance of (irrelevant) information •• Not user-friendly interfaces •• Fear of violation of privacy •• Fear of becoming addicted •• Online disputes between SWNL members Drivers for using web contact possibilities: •• Connection to a personal interest/hobby •• Fast solution to or support with computer problems •• Pleasant contact with other SWNL members •• Learning and keeping pace •• Offline meetings

References • Lähteenmäki, M., & Kaikkonen, A. (2004). Designing for aged people communication needs. Paper presented at

HCI and the Older Population, Leeds, UK. Retrieved September 27, 2012, from http:/ / www. dcs. gla. ac. uk/

utopia/ workshop/ lahteenmaki. pdf. •• Lamdin, L. and Fugate, M. (1997). Elder learning: New frontier in an aging society, Phoenix, AZ: The Oryx Press. •• Morgan, D.L. (1988). Focus Groups as qualitative research, Newbury Park, CA: Sage. •• Williamson, K. and Aslab, T. (2009). Information behavior of people in the fourth age: Implications for the conceptualization of information literacy.

References

[1] http:/ / www. seniorweb. nl Activities at Seniorweb.ch 85 Activities at Seniorweb.ch

Background Seniorweb.ch is a platform that targets an audience ages 50 and up. It offers opportunities for collaborative and self-directed learning. With e-learning seniors can learn at any time and any place, the subject matter can be selected based on individual preferences and they can take breaks and repeat the material as often as they likes. Seniorweb helps: • to introduce offliners: People, who are currently not active online or who are hardly ever online, are shown the possibilities the Internet has to offer and especially introduced to the wealth of opportunities that seniorweb.ch provides; • to support beginners: Show beginners the possible forms of use, develop simple online tools and provide support to them in their first steps to becoming independent; • to socialize skilled users: Show skilled seniorweb.ch users the possibilities an online community has to offer and motivate them to actively participate in a collaborative learning arrangement; • to organize active users among themselves: Teach active members the skills they need to develop and offer new learning arrangements on their own.

Concepts Technical tools There are three categories of technical tools. The tools depend on the educational objectives and the didactic methods: • “You know that” (Distribution): The purpose of the first category of tools is to convey knowledge within a sense of a teacher oriented and instructionalist approach. The objective is to tap into new fields of knowledge. • “You know how” (Interaction): This category involves tools that emphasize human-computer interaction. For example, simulation programs re applied to practice certain skills. • “Knowing in action” (Collaboration): Here, the Internet is used as a communication medium. The focus here is on mutually developing new knowledge or solving problems in collaboration with others. Target groups The following target groups are proposed: • Beginners: People who have already successfully taken the first steps going online, yet who still need support in exploring the latest tools. • Advanced users: Members of Seniorweb, who would like to make use of the collaborative potential of the online community. Volunteer work and self-organized efforts Volunteer work and self-organized efforts enable Seniorweb: • to handle its limited resources: Seniorweb must build upon an organizational form that is based on the principle of being self-organized and of making use of volunteered resources; • to achieve a user-friendly web-based program: Potential users are integrated in the structure at a very early stage based on the “senior for senior” principles. • to form a community: The common development is in itself a collaborative form or problem solving and encourages internal coherence within the community. Activities at Seniorweb.ch 86

Methods The development of Seniorweb ist based on the idea of ‘Action Learning’ and ‘Design Thinking’. Learners here are not simply passive recipients of knowledge, but they are active in developing it. And at the end of the learning process, the result is not only theoretical background knowledge and knowledge of the methodology, but also specific results that can be used on an practical level. ‘Design thinking’ means nothing more than applying a step-by-step learning process to find one’s way toward the needs of stakeholders. The learning process is not simply linear, but instead it is iterative. What this means is that it is sometimes ok to take a step backward in order to integrate insights from the development process. Based on the principle of developing user-driven solutions and based on the Stanford Design Thinking model, following steps are proposed: • Understanding: In an initial stage, it is important to understand the essential needs an underlying conditions of the project idea. Only this way is it possible to develop solutions that not only consider the needs of the users, but which are also technically feasible and are economically viable. • Observing: In the next step, the participants need to develop their skills further to become experts in the needs of the users. Essentially, the work involved here is performed by surveying and especially by observing users. • Focusing: Once the analysis has been completed, one will need to explain whether the problem was correctly understood and whether the objectives are clear. Or, would it be better to take a step bake in order to obtain more information? • Brainstorming: When formulating ideas, various creativity techniques are used to consciously break free from prevailing mindsets in order to be able to penetrate the scope of solutions to the widest extent possible. In the process, unusual ideas and even those that seem impossible at first view are specifically welcome. • Prototyping: In this phase of developing solutions, the focus is on structuring and visualizing. With the aid of simplified illustrated representations of the planned product, prototypes form the basis for a concrete discussion, the purpose of which is to stimulate one’s imagination thereby generating new ideas. • Testing: The ideas for a solution that were created are compared to the requirements as early as possible and continuously compared throughout the process. Assessing the ease of use by involving real users is critical for the success of the project.

Findings: Dos and don'ts • Educational objectives: The question relating to the technical implementation has cost quite a bit of time. Focusing the attention even more on the educational objectives may help to target more closely on the learning activities. In the process, as per the “design thinking” approach, one need to zoom in even more strongly on what it is that users really want. • Didactics: As concerns the didactic concept, the challenge here is to be able to elaborate in more detail on such content and methods that as compared to classic teaching methods are able to provide added didactic value. • Monitoring and learning process: Up until now, focus has been especially on means to convey educational content. In the future, we would like to give more attention to the issue of how learners can receive feedback un their learning success. • Marketing: The products that have been developed are currently not very well known. In this regard, there is considerably potential in communicating the benefits to the public, as in “do good and talk about it”. • Workshop form: Providing educational content in the form of workshops that involves working on specific products has proven to be a successful approach. The time window for working in the groups, however, proved to be a bit too short and only allowed the dynamic in the groups to evolve to a limited extent. • Knowledge managemet: Up until now, the exchange of knowledge between each of the workgroups has been assured by the person who has led the workshops. In view of working in groups that are more spread out in the future, more consideration should be given to systematically structuring and exchanging knowledge. terzLivingLab 87 terzLivingLab

Background Currently, what is understood as innovation is undergoing a fundamental change. Innovations are no longer developed exlusively ‘inside-out’ from the point of view of a company or a service provider, but increasingly ‘outside-in’ from the point of view of the user or in general the stakeholder. Keywords of interest in this context are ‘user centered design’ and ‘co-creation’. The second term especially expresses that users are involved in the value creation process at a much more active rate than they were in classic market research of the past. This involves partnering with users to find solutions in a cyclically repetitive process, whereby needs are uncovered one step at a time, by generating ideas, developing concepts and coming up with preliminary solutions, which in turn are then measured based on the needs of the users. This process goes on until a solution has been found that is satisfactory to the potential users.

Concept The purposes of a Living Lab is (Erikson et al, 2005; CoreLabs, 2007; European Commission, 2009): • to uncover behavioural patterns and gaps in innovation based on observations in real-life situations; • to recognize what needs to be done early by interacting with users directly • to make use of the users’ creative potential and do so preferably in the earliest stage of the innovation process, not during final testing; • to develop new solutions in a collaborative process using artifacts such as drawings, models, prototypes, etc.; • to validate ideas for solutions and business models at an early stage. A Living Lab can be seen as a methodology with which various stakeholders (end users, developers, decision makers, etc.) are involved at a very early stage in the innovation process.

Methods The following method involves observing potential users (terzScouts) to discover how they make use of a prototype or a finished product. It is based on an in-depth discussion in a workgroup consisting of six terzScouts and on a detailed study of available literature on the subject matter has proven to be the most feasible approach. The test persons are asked to find solutions to typical tasks that need to be performed when using the web site. Typically, in addition to the test person, there is also at least one other person who moderates the process and one who observes it (keeping at log). What you must keep in mind is that the moderator must not affect the process. To roughly describe the process, a usability test involves taking the following steps: Organizing the observation •• Who will be observed? (inhomogeneous group of potential users) •• What will be observed? (characteristic tasks and activities) •• Which behaviour will be observed? (natural behaviour, forced behaviour) •• Who should be included in the observation process? (developers, marketing professionals, etc.) Infrastructure needs •• A comfortable room with a PC and two chairs (test person, moderator) •• A screen recorder and a microphone (a program that records the mouse movements and comments) •• A screen sharing programm and speakers for the observation room •• Lunch and drinks for the observers Conducting the tests terzLivingLab 88

• Open questions to users (“Why are you doing that right now?”) •• An observation log with predefined questions (What problems do the users seem to have when using the product?) •• In some cases, recording sound (thinking out loud) and movements with the mouse (Which movements is the user making? Why is the user hesitating?) Evaluation and interpretation •• What are the most important problems in the use of the product? •• Which product functions appear to have the most urgent need for improvement? Follow up •• Discussion and brainstorming (in some cases including a select group of users) 89

Online tools

Online Tools

This part of the TAO Handbook attempts to provide basic information on software that may support your work in terms of collaboration. Besides this aspect summarized with the term “tools” the headline also contains the omnipresent catchword “online“ which generally adds up to communication – technically in the first place but therefore enabling remote human interaction. Taking a look at the simple example of using software to create a text it has been more or less cumbersome to cooperate: different people had to accomplish their part in an asynchronous manner, for example forwarding the respective files in an e-mail to another author after they – hopefully – wrote down all their thoughts. Today some tools have evolved to enable work on a single document (or other item, file) cooperatively and at the same time instead of being only accessible at a single computer screen and keyboard. In addition to these solutions for working on actual items there are more and more ways of communicating remotely: if you think of computers and the global network internet as general purpose machinery a web conference for example can provide you with functionality and methods that are not available or hard to accomplish outside a virtual environment. In fact you may surpass the sole purpose of replacing real-life meetings and may benefit if your solution incorporates features that support your conversation especially if your online meeting room incorporates before mentioned tools to work on items as you are discussing them.

Outline: how to bring your needs in accordance with the software available Approaching with the idea in mind that computers really could be of “general purpose” you should first focus on defining your requirements and then go on and find out if there has already been someone who programmed a solution to meet these. You will find a rough guide through that process providing some common concepts and buzzwords as well as questions to work with and pointers to further information. Providing a bird's eye view as well as picturing some examples of todays implementations there are no detailed instructions on how to install online tools within your project as there is no silver bullet[1]. At first you find some words on the requirements both sides (end-user and provider) have to meet in the sections below. In the next chapter on “Online collaboration” you find some hints on useful solutions to work collaboratively; the focus is on text production, if you are looking for solutions for other media as well you will be able to find some yourself. In „Web conferencing“ and ”Virtual classrooms” the focus changes on communication between two or more participants. Concluding some „E-Learning environments“ will be presented, that consolidate the solutions already illustrated in (mostly web-based) platforms. Therefore a main part of this topic contains a set of properties and according questions to help with the decision on available options and software. A short remark on wording: the terms software, solution or software solution and tool shall be understood synonymous. As there are lots of different ways to implement a software solution as well as paradigms shifting at a rapid rate (sometimes only to favor marketing objectives) it is not possible to stick to the explanation of principles and precise wording at the same time. Currently for example everything is called “app” and takes place in the “cloud” whereas in other times the same concepts would be described by the terms of “terminal”, “server” and “modularity of programs”. Ultimately you can think of all solutions information technology provides as a service that enables you to reach your goal; no matter if you use a program installed locally on your computer or you use one installed on your Online Tools 90

organizations server via a network or if its hosted by a company on the other side of the globe.

Requirements: participants Every participating party or single participant will need the following hardware equipment. This is just a short checklist to give an overview, the exact requirements depend on the software in question and should be found in its documentation: • A “personal computer” (PC) of some kind is always required. I.e. a desktop computer or laptop or similar. For some applications even a smartphone is sufficient. In the majority of cases there is no need for an expensive high-end system. Most today's low-end to medium personal computers will suffice. If the users shall be able to talk to each other there is additional hardware everyone has to obtain: • Speakers or a headset including a microphone… If the user wants to avoid trouble already by choosing the suitable equipment headphones are recommended to avoid audio feedback loops. • … and eventually a video camera, usually a webcam connected via USB. Often it's possible to participate without using a webcam and being content with an audio connection and video of the others. It is even doubted if having video images of all the participants heads is usefulw:Wikipedia:Citation needed. Dedicated systems like [[w:en:Set-top box|set-top boxes] or conference systems installed in a room that are optimized to fulfill a very specific purpose or to respectively cope with a specific problem and the whole range of possible technical equipment that may support a end-user's participation in his home are not discussed in this handbook. As they may facilitate collaboration and especially online communication they are usually very expensive and more difficult to operate and are therefore no option, at least on the end-user's i.e. participant's side. Regarding software a general statement as above is not possible. Some solutions already work with an up to date web browser, others require to install plugins within that browser and some work as stand alone applications a user has to install. Most of today's web browser based solutions furthermore require Adobe's Flash technology or a specific version of Java, which sometimes is a stepping stone. At this point you should also think outside your own box and take into consideration if the solutions in question are capable of running on different platforms i.e. operating systems. Depending on your target group Windows, Mac OS or Linux – to name only the most wide spread ones – may be predominating. As you will hardly seek to reach only a homogeneous group cross-plattform solutions are often most appealing just to avoid locking anyone out. Often browser-based web conferences take the advantage of meeting the criterion of being cross-plattform. At last internet access providing sufficient bandwidth (up- and downstream) for the personal computer is needed and may be a crucial point in participating successfully and also in a satisfactory way. The following websites provide a service to check your respective connection (futher services can be found using the web search of your choice): [2] • http:/ / www. speedtest. net – simple bandwidth test, example results .

• http:/ / netalyzr. icsi. berkeley. edu/ – connection test that evaluates a wide range of possible problems besides pure bandwidth, example results [3]. At both test sites you will be able to obtain a link to refer to your results lateron. This enables you to sent your results to the technical support person of your choice if you are not able to interpret them by yourself. Online Tools 91

Requirements: host or provider There are two different kinds of approaches that make a basic difference if you are concerned with providing any online services for your community. • A server-client scheme demands that your organization operates a server to which participants can connect. There will be software that needs to be run on host hardware (i.e. the server) and both is probably a cost factor determined by acquisition and maintenance. Most of these solutions benefit from taking away some engagement with technical issues from the participants. Most notably there are web-based solutions in which in the best case only a standard web browser and nothing else is required from the participants. Also such a centralized approach often allows for more means of organizing, structuring and controlling the workspace or meeting room, e.g. dedicated (password protected) directories or rooms for different groups, recording or other ways of documenting meetings. • A peer-to-peer (P2P) scheme demands that each participant uses (and therefore has to install) software that is capable of connecting to the others without a central instance. Actually there will be very few pure P2P solutions, often only the actual communication (e.g. sending end receiving audio and video) is realized in a peer-to-peer way and a server is needed to initialize that communication anyway. Whatever solution you will provide: to enable your community members to use the respective tool you will have to provide some documentation and hints, best online so everyone can refer to it again and again and from every place one can access the internet. Also the specific requirements that have to be met if the solution incorporates a server to which the participants connect should be discussed with a system administrator of yours, who should be already participating in the consultation at an early stage. Tip: very often there are services already provided for your purposes and organization. Maybe “in-house” or by a partner or even an external provider that wants to support your goals. It is surely worthwhile to investigate in this matter as it will safe you a lot of efforts as someone possibly has already put work and thought in solving a big part of your task.

Overview of E-Learning Tools The Top 100- Tools for E-Learning is renewed[4]. Learning tools could used to create or deliver learning content or used for own personal learning. The top tool is Twitter, 2nd ist YouTube and 3rd is Google Docs. Other tools are Skype, Evernote, Prezi, Diigo, EduGlogster, EduGlogster, Edmodo, Wikispaces, Pinterest. More Informations Top 100 Tools for Learning 2012 [5]

References

[1] Brooks, Frederick P., "No Silver Bullet: Essence and Accidents of Software Engineering," Computer, Vol. 20, No. 4 (April 1987) pp. 10-19.,

available at http:/ / www. cs. nott. ac. uk/ ~cah/ G51ISS/ Documents/ NoSilverBullet. html

[2] http:/ / www. speedtest. net/ result/ 2210028191. png

[3] http:/ / netalyzr. icsi. berkeley. edu/ restore/ id=example-session

[4] Top 100 Tools for Learning 2012 (http:/ / c4lpt. co. uk/ top-100-tools-2012)

[5] http:/ / c4lpt. co. uk/ top-100-tools-2012 Online Collaboration 92 Online Collaboration

Collaboration: working together, online and in real-time In contrast to software focusing primarily on communication – which are presented in the subsequent chapters – you will find some hints on actually creating and working on material on this pages. There is a magnitude of available solutions so to make a beginning we just aimed to present some that were used in the TAO project. However you should feel free to use this site to promote the tool of your choice! „Office“ tools – especially if they enable cooperation on documents in real-time – often come in very helpful. Often there are services available for free: EtherPad A text editing / creation tool, that provides only less options for formatting. This can be seen as an advantage as the user's have to focus on content and are not distracted by fiddling with the outer form. Every document is simply shared by sending its respective link to others. All work on the text is recorded and therefore no information can be deleted by accident and no versions of a document have to be saved for later refernce (this aspect resembles working with a wiki very much). Using EtherPad Etherpad Pro on piratenpad.de. there are also options for creating resticted workspaces for teams, called EtherPad Pro. The software is open source and can be installed and used free of charge on your webserver, but there are also sites that provide free EtherPads you can create as you need them, e.g.:

• http:/ / www. piratenpad. de/

• http:/ / edupad. ch/

An example EtherPad for testing purposes can also be found here https:/ / zawiw. edupad. uni-konstanz. de/

demo-pad. If you are interested just follow the link and try it out. Google Docs Is a free “office suite” accesible via a web-browser. Files like text documents, spread sheets or graphics are saved on [w:en:GoogleGoogle's servers an can be shared with other users or for public cooperation. Compared with a nowadays conventional office programs there are some features you might miss, but all basic features are implemented and addtional ones are being developed and it also enabled simultaneous real-time access of multiple users. To create new documents an account registered using a e-mail address is needed (you do not need an

actual Google Account). The service can be found here http:/ / [1] docs. google. com/ and here you will find an example of a

graphic created in TAO here: https:/ / docs. google. com/

drawings/ d/

1B2EwgHpT9Cah-ZrZFptFqlv6fRzyKUyGoe48eeHXKew/ edit Graphic created with Google Docs.

Besides working on documents there is always a need to exchange files during the recent years there appeared a lot of services providing such, for example the very notorious service Dropbox[2] or offers included in accounts that the members of your group may already use as they served completely different purpose than sharing files in the first place; e.g. you can obtain “online storage” at Google's Drive[3] or Online Collaboration 93

Amazon's Cloud Drive[4]. Moreover there are lots of other implementations to enable exchanging files, web-based solutions like the before mentioned and their competitors however often provide easy first steps. Services hosted on the servers of your organization may supply more confidentiality or reliability and offer more settings that you may need.

References

[1] https:/ / en. wikiversity. org/ wiki/ File:TAO-Wikiversity-Explanation_and_Wording-A_cheat_sheet. png

[2] https:/ / www. dropbox. com

[3] https:/ / drive. google. com

[4] http:/ / www. amazon. com/ clouddrive

Web Conferencing

Web conferencing may be a way to enable exchange and discussion within your community or organization wherever or whenever real-life meetings are not possible. Furthermore and according to the focus of this handbook a web conference may also be of special interest for elderly people for whom leaving their homes may have become more laborious or impeded. Compared with e.g. telephony web conferencing software potentially benefits from providing different properties and additional features, besides the commonly expected video transmission. As the channels that enable remote participants to communicate can hardly avoid to limit the familiar and manifold range of immanent human interaction there may be features incorporated in a conferencing software to compensate for this. Furthermore features that reach beyond this scope of compensation gradually extend such solutions to more or less enriched “working environments” which often aim to support a specific purpose. In the field of education there are for example two classes of solutions, which will be described in the subsequent chapters: virtual classrooms and even more comprehensive e-learning environments. The topic's title “web conference” was chosen to discriminate or respectively define its focus within the long range of solutions that exist to enable remote communication: from traditional telephony (which enabled primarily only one-to-one, simultaneous transmission of audio) via videoconferences for two or multiple participants (which actually only adds a video channel to the previous category) up to before mentioned virtual working environments.

How-to: organize and carry out a web conference This section gives the most important directions for carrying out an web conference. Of course the process is actually the same as it should be for every real-life meeting. However the participants will probably be more content (and therefore there may be a better outcome) if you take some care of the specifics that are brought in by the technology used (especially software). Besides the participants there are commonly two more roles to be aware of. They can be defined as follows: • A host who provides and administers the software or service that is used, who takes care of the accounts and respective privileges that the participants will need etc. She or he is mainly concerned with technical aspects. • A moderator who manages the actual meeting. This role is identical with the real-life representation but the moderator should be very experienced in the use of the conferencing software. Whoever is put in charge of these tasks may execute them according to this list: • Invitation: containing at least date and “place” of the meeting. Often the place, i.e. virtual meeting room, is provided via a link by which the meeting can be joined. Depending on the experience of the participants a short guide on how to join should be included or linked. Also it is helpful to mention how far in advance the meeting room will be accessible, so everyone has enough time to check if his software and equipment is functional some Web Conferencing 94

minutes in advance of the appointed start. • “Testing“: generally it is very recommendable to provide a possibility with which every participant may try out the web conference and get accustomed to it by himself at any given time. “Getting ones hands dirty“ in such a demo meeting is possibly the best way to get comfortable with the respective software, often better than an exhausting manual. If some participants did not use the solution in earlier meetings it is nearly indispensable to provide a demo meeting as everyone will need to check his or her setup. How to access a demo meeting should also be mentioned in the invitation. And maybe there is also someone to turn to for support. • Backup plan: eventually it is wise to prepare an alternative (like a telephone conference) and communicate the respective proceedings to come into action in the unfortunate case that something goes completely wrong. • Meeting: Have the needed materials (documents, presentations) ready, manage the available tools to support the course of the meeting, check if someone seems to have troubles and misses contributions of others, inform everyone if the meeting is recorded and eventually will be published etc. If possible provide an alternative channel of communication (like a phone) to communicate problems. • Follow-up: deliver or publish the meeting's documentation, take care of problems that occured, plan the next meeting.

Software properties: guidelines for deciding on the solution you need or want to implement In the following we compiled some common properties and categories to help you in examining and deciding on the software that may meet your needs best.

On behalf of participating in the meeting •• Managing the meeting • Is there a need to assign different roles (moderator, main speaker, guest, …) to the participants? • Shall discussion supporting features be included? Think of virtual hand signals, emoticons expressing everyone's current opinion or a list of speakers. •• Audio and Video • Is sending video optional for every participant? (“Is it possible that a participant who is not able to send video joins the meeting?”) • What quality does the transmitted material need to have? Is low resolution video and audio enough as everyone uses his own laptop and will have lots of small video windows of every participant on his screen or will you show the meeting in a large room projected with a high resolution projector. • Will you use the meeting software to connect single participants or multiple meeting rooms in which more than one participant sitting around a table will be present? In the last case special audio equipment will be needed. •• Tools and Technology • Shall the participants be able to chat within the meeting? It is often a great opportunity to be able to communicate without interfering with the current speaker or to have the possibility to exchange small hints or links. • Is simultaneous translation possible, e.g. via sign language or captions? Maybe your target group has characteristics that require such or will massively benefit from it. • Shall a user be able to use every application installed on his PC into the meeting (often refferred to as “desktop sharing”)? Shall the others be able to control his application using their keyboard and mouse? • Is collective work on documents needed? What kind of documents do you think of? Plain or formatted text, presentations, spread sheets, graphics? • Do the users need to exchange files during the meeting? Web Conferencing 95

• What about methods like brainstorming, mind maps or votes? •• Documentation •• Do you want to assist documentation during the meeting? By the means of taking notes or recording everything or just the audio? •• Do you want to playback the meeting, e.g. via a video file or a podcast published automatically published on a website.

Challenges on the provider's side • Exact requirements – What is needed to run the web conferencing solution? • Webcam, headset, personal computer? Or any more specialized devices? (See above section “Requirements: participants”). • What are the hardware requirements? (Buzzwords: CPU, RAM, …) • What are the software and operating system requirements? Especially: • Is it web based? • Browser-only: What browser variant (Firefox, Chrome, Internetexplorer, …)? All versions or only current (or even outdated) ones? •• Browser-plugin: Is a specific or general browser plug-in required? (application specific or a general one like Flash)? • … or a stand-alone application? •• What operating system is needed? Is it cross-platform? •• How easy is the installation process? The last two items are crucial regarding the acceptance among your users. They determine if all members of your community will be able to use the personal computer they already own or have access to, at their homes, whatever system and additional software they have already installed or are able to install. • Infrastructure – Will a client-server scheme be possible (Do you have the means to provide a server installation?) Or will a P2P approach suit you more? •• Cost • Is there a licensing scheme for your purposes? Are there charges on every installation? Every use? Every participant? Etc. •• Has every user to pay for using the service or shall only the providing organization bear the cost? Or are only free alternatives coming into question? • Is there a service which is already provided and your organization can access? Maybe for free? You should investigate on this question very carefully as there are often lots of services already provided for free either in the educational sector or for people working in volunteering projects. •• Support and development • Can you get “professional” support if you are running into problems? Maybe even by the producer? Who might also guarantee some minimum results? •• If you're not satisfied with or are not able to fulfill all the requirements you specified: •• Is there active development? Maybe a road map that points out what you are missing? •• Are you able to extend your solution with other software eventually created by yourself? Web Conferencing 96

Conclusion As there will be no overall solution, it is recommended to first triage the above properties according to your requirements. E.g. in three categories like must-have, nice to have and not needed. And then go on filling in the properties of the software that is available and in your focus.

Virtual classrooms

Virtual classroom software extends the focus of web conferencing solutions described in the previous chapter by providing not only a meeting room but including features that facilitate teaching. In contrast to e-learning environments described in the next chapter virtual classrooms allow synchronous interaction and are able to bridge space between students and teachers. Such sessions or courses are sometimes called webinar. The proceedings and software properties that were already presented also apply to the class of solutions described here. Additionally some of the features from the following list complete a classroom environment: • A blackboard-like component to allow working on a “greenfield“. • Ability to give presentations or use other media. Have a look at what file formats can be used and in what quality media will be transmitted and if it is possible to spontaneously interact with them, e.g. by highlightings or drawings. • How is interaction from the students' side enabled? •• Audio, video, chat? Is it possible to moderate their channels? • Will they be able to use the “blackboard”, presentations or other media? •• What else? For instance, votes may be of interest. • Recording and publishing of recordings of previous sessions. •• Is there a way to edit the recordings? •• Who shall be able to access the recordings and how? • Publishing may be done automatically, e.g. by providing podcasts or pushing it to a video service like YouTube. Publishing lessons is also referred to by the term webcast. As the imaginable and available options become more and more it gets more important to specify your requirements or head for a more generic solution if the needed outline is unclear. Online Tools for people 50plus 97 Online Tools for people 50plus

These are some recommendations addressed to operators of platforms directed to the target group of people 50+, as well to 3rd age universities which offer online collaboration or other interested institutions that work with online tools. Here you can find some information about specifies to consider in the needs of adults 50+ as users of online tools.

Introduction Older people are increasingly enthusiastic about online learning. Web 2.0 tools, as interactive and collaborative elements of the internet, can empower them to gain and/or pass on knowledge to others, maintaining cognitive ability as well as developing interests in a range of subject areas. For operators of websites directed to the target group of people 50+ it is important to consider some facts concerning the characteristics of older people and their specific needs and requirements for using online tools. Within the European project PEER- Dare to be wise - guidelines for operators of 50+ websites were developed on how to motivate older people for peer learning through the provision of pedagogical, organizational and technical information on setting up targeted online peer learning tools.

Recommendations The ten guidelines elaborated aim to support moves towards the transition of online services by suggesting the use of Web 2.0 tools for learning purposes on online social networks by adults 50+. The guidelines comprise, on one half recommendations related to technology, and on the other half suggestions related to learning. Research and workshops held with participants of the target group of 50plus people showed that the key motivational factors for older learners using Web 2.0 tools include perceived privacy, trust and security. Additional factors that should be taken into concern are the simplicity of the tools you want to implement on your platform directed to older learners. Clear, simple tools that are easy to understand and free from adverts are particularly attractive. Therefore the offered recommendations contain information concerning technical confinements, fears and skepticism of older people as well as support for security, usability, accessibility, social aspects like a certain code of conduct and the copious involvement of users and their abilities. Some of the most important recommendations when implementing tools on your 50+ platform are •• to communicate the benefit of this tool to the members of the platform •• to grant the accessibility and usability of the tools •• to ask for and regard the feedback of the platform members and offer technical support with a personal touch in case of problems or questions concerning the tools Also peer to peer approaches to help platform members provide support to each other are highly recommended. Let the users feel they are the most important part of your learning offer and using the tools shall invite them to new learning experiences. Online Tools for people 50plus 98

Backround At full length the recommendations are actually available in English, German, Dutch, Spanish and Polish and will be published as eBook and printed. Additional to the guidelines the PEER project partners also developed an overview of quality insurance instruments in the domain of Web 2.0 tools and older people, aswell as quality assurance frameworks. A more pedagogical focus is set in another project publication: "Motivating older people to use 50plus platforms for common learning". Here the PEER consortium made research concerning reasons for older people for joining social network platforms and motivational factors for online exchange. Desk research was conducted looking at the motivational elements of learning in later life, particularly around ICT and social network platforms. An outline of findings from two participatory workshops is then provided, with a particular focus on the exchange of knowledge between older learners. For more information check the official project Homepage of PEER.

References [1] Official project website: http:/ / www. peer-learning-50plus. eu/ Motivating older people to use 50plus platforms for common learning [2]

Quality assurance framework in practice: a handbook for operators of 50plus platforms http:/ / www. [3] peer-learning-50plus. eu/ en/ object/ publication/ 79

Web 2.0 Tools and Older People - An Overview of Quality Assurance Instruments http:/ / www. [4] peer-learning-50plus. eu/ en/ object/ publication/ 63 Quality assurance framework for the introduction and implementation of Web2.0 tools in social networks for older [5] adults http:/ / www. peer-learning-50plus. eu/ en/ object/ publication/ 74

References

[1] http:/ / www. peer-learning-50plus. eu/

[2] http:/ / www. peer-learning-50plus. eu/ en/ object/ publication/ 58

[3] http:/ / www. peer-learning-50plus. eu/ en/ object/ publication/ 79

[4] http:/ / www. peer-learning-50plus. eu/ en/ object/ publication/ 63

[5] http:/ / www. peer-learning-50plus. eu/ en/ object/ publication/ 74 99

General Conditions

Public Relations

Introduction: Best practices for external communications This chapter provides online communities with best practices and examples to develop an external communication plan for a specific project. These best practices stem from the communication experiences of the various partners and online communities that participated in TAO (Seniorweb Netherlands, Seniorweb Switzerland, Wikimedia Germany and Wikimedia Switzerland). These best practices are therefore particularly suited for communication plans in which several (partner) organizations are involved.

Recommendations: Define the communication basics Step 1: Write down the goal, key message & target group Start by writing down (and agreeing upon) the basic elements of your communication campaign: •• Communication goals: •• What do we want to establish with our communication? •• E.g. Raise awareness for the usability-problems of older adults in online communities. •• Key messages •• What do we want to say? • E.g. “We strive for a better usability in the websites of online communities” •• Target groups •• Who do we want to reach with our message? •• E.g. Staff and developers of online communities Step 2: Make your message coherent & clear •• The project message always has to be coherent and clear (no matter who is speaking): •• Appoint one person in charge of the overall project communication •• This person checks and approves of every communication activity on beforehand, especially if someone else will organize the activity. • Use the “principle of subsidiarity”: if partners can do the communication themselves, let them do it themselves (but the communication must be checked on beforehand). •• If (part of) your target group has another language, arrange for native-language speakers, writers and/or proofreaders. Step 3: Reserve time for planning & evaluation A strong communication plan is carefully planned carefully on beforehand, and thoroughly evaluated afterwards. •• Planning before: •• The communication plan should be planned with all the parties involved, e.g. the person in charge of the overall project communication and the communication managers of the partner organizations. •• Evaluating after: • Learn from your experiences and evaluate every communication activity afterwards, if possible with measurable indicators (e.g. website statistics, number of members, Facebook statistics, …) Public Relations 100

Examples: Spreading your message through various channels The communication goal and target groups determine which channels are best suited to spread your message. Below are examples of channels that were successfully used in the TAO project communication.

Type of Communication channel Best practices communication

Offline media (e.g. Press release • Especially effective if coupled with personal contacts with editorial staff • Local partner newspaper, radio, …) organizations are best placed to effectively approach the local media. • Visual media (tv): provide them with original filming opportunities • Determine the geographical scoop focus accordingly, e.g. focus on local media

Press conference • Organized for special occasions, or with a famous person • Need to provide specific press conference-kit

Interviews • Interesting for written and audiovisual media (e.g. newspapers, radio & tv)

Online Media Newsletters, mailing lists • To reach target group online

Social network sites (e.g. • To reach target group online Facebook groups)

Project website • Pivotal point of project’s external communication

Websites of the partners • Websites of partner organizations should also provide project information, and a link to the project’s main website. • Maintain good relationships with the partner organizations, ask (and remind) them to renew the project information on their website.

Presence at fairs & Stand activities at fairs, • To reach target groups who do not (often) use the Internet • To engage in real-life events exhibitions, etcetera conversations with target group

Stand at events of partner • To reach key-stakeholders • To engage in real-life conversations organization

Stand material: hand-outs, • To address broad target group in public spaces • Especially for target groups who do not banners, flyers, etcetera (often) use the Internet Communities of Practice 101 Communities of Practice

This module will give you an idea of what communities of practice are and help you define the current status of your community.

What are communities of practice? A community of practice (CoP) is, according to cognitive anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, a group of people who share a craft and/or a profession. The group can evolve naturally because of the members' common interest in a particular domain or area, or it can be created specifically with the goal of gaining knowledge related to their field. It is through the process of sharing information and experiences with the group that the members learn from each other, and have an opportunity to develop themselves personally and professionally (Lave & Wenger 1991). CoPs can exist online, such as within discussion boards and newsgroups, or in real life, such as in a lunch room at work, in a field setting, on a factory floor, or elsewhere in the environment.

Structure A community of practice is a unique combination of three fundamental elements: a domain of knowledge, which defines a set of issues; a community of people who care about this domain; and the shared practice that they are developing to be effective in their domain. Domain, community and practice build an ideal knowledge structure for communities of practice.

Domain

Do we know who our target audience is? You always need to be clear who your target audience is. A survey can help to find out the audience’s requirements, interests and problems.

Do we know what influence we will have to the project / the wider organization? And what topics and issues we care about? To know what influence you will have helps to know on what the community has to focus.

Is the domain connected to the organization’s strategy? Because we are like a subgroup of a larger project / an organization it is important to follow the same strategy and targets as the project / the organization does.

Communities

Does each team member bring his/her knowledge to the community? Especially in a community of practice is it important that each person brings his/her knowledge to the community. So the group can profit from everyone’s experience and knowledge. Check if the most common intern and extern roles have been set. Intern roles: •• chairman Communities of Practice 102

•• minutes taker •• coordinator •• creator •• caretaker •• leader •• mediator. External roles: •• stakeholders

Does a regularity of online meetings as well as face-to-face meetings exist? Regular meetings are needed to inform everyone about progresses and to take common decisions. Further are face-to-face meetings important for boosting the team spirit and to meet each other; knowing each other usually improves the quality of team work.

Do we have guidance for members about conflicts? You need to differentiate between different kinds of conflicts, such as personality, style, value, leadership, pseudo conflicts, etc.. Furthermore; it might be useful to have a generally recognized mediator to turn to in case of conflict.

Practice

Do you use ideal tools for your community? Such as tools for communication, shared documents, etc? The right tool can simplify your teamwork, especially for distributed communities. First you need to know your exact requirements for choosing the right tool. Often companies offer a whole package of needed software which covers all the requirements.

Does the community have templates for official and non-official documents? And does a glossary exist, so everyone talks about the same thing? Templates are needed for a consistent image outwards. Templates contain information about date, document number, status, distribution list, etc. A glossary defines keywords, which can avoid misunderstandings.

What language will be spoken, if a multilingual meeting is taking place? Does everybody understand that language? To get the best out of meetings and conversations, communities need to define a language that will be spoken. Therefore everyone needs to be confident with it.

Cultivating communities of practice

Does the community of practice consist of different levels of participation? The architecture of the community invites many different levels of participation. Usually a community consists of a coordinator who organizes events and connects community members. The rest of the community is divided into three different groups, such as the core group which actively participates in discussions etc. At the next level outside this core is the active group which attends meetings regularly and participates occasionally in the community forums, but without the same regularity or intensity as the core group. Communities of Practice 103

The rest of the members are peripheral and rarely participate. Instead, they keep to the sidelines, watching the interaction of the core and active members.

Do we have a combination of familiarity and excitement? Successful communities offer the familiar comforts of a hometown, but they also have enough interesting and varied events to keep new ideas. The familiarity of these events creates a comfort level that invites candid discussions.

Do we have found a rhythm for the community? Regular meetings, teleconferences, Website activity, and informal lunches and flow along with the heartbeat of the community. When that beat is strong and rhythmic, the community has a sense of movement and liveliness. If the beat is too fast the community feels breathless. When the beat is too slow, the community feels sluggish. The rhythm of the community is the strongest indicator of its aliveness.

Sociability

Does our website have a clear structure and attractive design? Especially for handicapped people and people who are not used to work in the internet is it important to have a clear structured website. So they can get the information they want as easily as possible.

Do our members want to communicate apart from emails? robably a life-time-chat is required or a message wall, as facebook or twitter has.

Challenge – Distributed Communities

Does distance play a role in our community of practice? Distributed communities have to resort to technologies that are not real substitutes for face-to-face interactions. They are generally less “present” to their members. Because of this barrier, it takes more intentional effort for members to consult the community for help, spontaneously share ideas, or network with other members

Does culture play a role in our community of practice Distributed communities are also likely to cross cultures. National cultures are the most obvious type, but organizational and professional cultures can also present problems in diversified organizations. Cultural differences can easily lead to communication difficulties and to misinterpretation. Further, language differences also introduce a very basic barrier to communication. Non-native speakers may not understand the nuances and connotations behind certain terms or may hesitate to speak if they are uncertain of their ability to express themselves effectively. Communities of Practice 104

Source • Cultivating communities of practice, 2002 By Etienne Wenger • Community Building, 2000 By Amy Jo Kim • Enabling knowledge creation, 2000 By Georg von Krogh

Links Information on Communities of Practice (by Etienne Wenger) [1] Other Handbook Chapters: Online Communities Online Tools

References

[1] http:/ / www. ewenger. com/ theory/

Business Models

Designing a Business Model for Online Communities A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value.[1]

Business Model Design: Components of a Business Model (general) Every organisation, business or undertaking strives for creating value. Its business model describes the architecture of an organisation and its network of partners for creating, marketing and delivering value and relationship capital to one or several segments of customers in order to generate profitable and sustainable revenue streams. Though the term „business model“ has existed for a long time, there is no common understanding and various theories stress different aspects. In the following we use the Business Model Canvas by Osterwalder & Pigneur (2010)[2], a widely accepted and practical concept. However, our preference for this business model approach is not intended to impose this approach also on other users of / contributors to the TAO Handbook. It is worthwhile, though to consider the Business Model Canvas with regard to the strategic questions each firm has to clarify in order to make its business model work. The Business Model Canvas (see Figure 1) consists of nine building components that show how an organisation has decided to create value. These components also cover the crucial areas for any business, namely customers, offer, infrastructure and financials: • Customer Segments: For whom are we creating value; who are our most important customers. • Value Propositions: What customer problems do we solve and with which offers do we satisfy which needs. • Channels: Through which Channels (communication, distribution, sales) can we reach best our target customers • Customer Relationships:What relationships to our target audience do we establish and maintain for successful customer acquisition, retention or to increase activity (sales, traffic,…) • Revenue Streams: For what value / offering is each customer segment willing to pay and what are the pricing mechanisms. Are revenues resulting from one-time payments or are they recurring (In cases where volunteer work or in-kind contributions play a major role, we need to take into account all the relevant resource streams – Business Models 105

not only financial revenue streams.)[3] • Key Resources: What key resources (physical, financial, human, intellectual) are required to create and offer the defined Value Proposition. • Key Activities: What most important things have to be done to make the Business Model work. • Key Partnerships: Which activities do we outsource to whom and which resources are we acquiring from Key Partners. • Cost structure: What are the most important cost incurred by operating the business model. How important are low cost structures for our Business Model.

Figure 1: Business Model Canvas according to Osterwalder & Pigneur, & al. 2010

Specifics of Business Models for Online Communities Business models for online communities can in principle follow the Canvas approach, too. However, some specifics should be taken into account. First of all, Web 2.0 components are not always as strictly separated as in tangible goods markets: • The community member may at the same time be also a service or content provider (co-creation does not differ between producer and consumer but assumes a “prosumer”-approach • The “platform” on which interactions between the different components and actors of the business model are executed may simultaneously be part of the Value Proposition, Distribution Channel, Key Resource (and operating it = Key Activity). •• If an existing online community is approached, the values, rules, principles and habits of this community must be respected. The administration or management bodies of this community should be considered and treated as partners that help to explain the requirements of the community and maybe provide a code of conduct for interacting with community members. In addition, these bodies should be respected as gatekeepers to the community in order to avoid that contacting the community will fail or the relationship between the Business Models 106

administrating body and its community gets harmed. Nonetheless, the Canvas is also for Web 2.0 applications a very valuable tool. In the following some specifics of Web 2.0 communities are addressed, without the intention to be exhaustive. Web 2.0 Services Web 2.0 technologies are used to develop and offer different Web 2.0 platforms and services that can be used (or “consumed”) by users and usually evolve to various kinds of Web 2.0 communities. Services can be classified, depending on the type of content as well as the functionalities they offer into •• Wikis •• Blogs and Blog spheres •• Education / Information •• Social networks. From the Business Model perspective the services (= value propositions according to the Business Model Canvas) that are used to establish a co-creation-relationship with the community are of importance. The Web 2.0 services usually provided are: •• Services focusing on content and services for collaborative creating and sharing of content (text, videos, pictures, links) •• Trust building services like ratings, voting and similar •• Automatic update procedures evaluating user input and creating new common state of knowledge and content These services can be offered as platforms or tools that can be used to utilize or even establish communities (e.g. blog platforms), as collaboration tools and most importantly as community services, unifying users through common objectives. Apart from the target group specifications of the firm that intends to use an existing community or to establish a new one, the quality and the size of the community’s knowledge pool depend on the number of active users and their participation intensity. The form of participation drives the culture of the community as well as the user acceptance and the loyalty. The general principle is that the easier the participation, the higher the participation. On the other hand, a low entry barrier affects the quality of the content. Customer Segments: importance of content Next to validation (e.g. through voting), content contribution of users (text, video, audio, photo, etc.) is the most common (and probably most important) form of community participation. The users’ benefits are often reputation, feeling of belonging or to fulfill themselves (= needs / Customer Segment in the Canvas). In that sense, basically any Web users are potential customers; important is the – for the target segment - interesting and the specific content, the collaboration and communication around which the community can act or evolve. Financial Streams: Revenues and cost Usually, participants of Web 2.0 services are investing their time and knowledge for the sake of the community without remuneration. They benefit from reputation as well as from knowledge they can take out of the community. In co-creation activities initiated by a firm it might however be justified and efficient to remunerate participants in a form that is considered to be appropriate by the community members. Revenues for the service providers operating the platform can be membership fees, advertising, commissions from service partners, contributions of sponsors, fundraising, public contributions. Typically cost are incurred for personnel, office, development, maintenance and for special projects and activities. Business Models 107

Best Practice… ... to maintain or develop and grow an Online Community •• Set realistic objectives for your organization •• Make sure they can be achieved with a community approach •• They have to be understood by all stakeholders •• Manage resources and expectations •• Collaborate with and respect existing administrative bodies of the community •• Internal understanding how communities evolve •• Right skills to understand the target segments •• Budget allocation •• Analysis of Target Segment •• Identification of real interests •• Conceptualize •• Decision about type of Community or target group within the community •• Identification of benefits participants will receive •• Develop platform •• Identify highly used features in similar platforms •• Develop functional specification; only essential functions in the beginning •• Establishment •• Write content about the community •• Organize events and activities •• Use referral techniques •• Maturity •• Optimize social density of the platform •• Ensure the community is influential within its sector •• Grow and manage the volunteer team • Mitosis (from a certain size on) •• Identify common sub-niches •• Create places for people that share these elements to interact ... further experience •• Narrowing the Community Focus boosts activity per member • Demographics: Approaches to build a community have to be different for different age groups (since attitudes, behavior, etc. are also different) •• Communities are built by strong common interest, not through expensive marketing • Symbols: to attract a certain audience, symbols have to be used that have a specific meaning for them Business Models 108

References

[1] Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur: Business Model Generation 2009 (http:/ / www. businessmodelgeneration. com/ downloads/

businessmodelgeneration_preview. pdf) [2][2][www.businessmodelgeneration.com businessmodelgeneration.com] [3][3]see also Chapter Sponsorship and Fundraising

Sponsorship and Fundraising

Money Makes The World Go Round

Sources of Revenue

Every organisation and project needs some revenue sources to implement activities irrespective of whether the activities will be face-to-face or online. From the point of view of a business model revenues result from value propositions successfully communicated and offered to the customers.[1]

Other funding options are donations, sponsorship and fundraising. They are particularly adapted to new organisations {Money-EU} without a mature business model or for institutions with non-profit character (e.g. Wikipedia).

Difference between Donation, Sponsorship and Fundraising A donation is an altruistic gift, either with a general charitable purpose or for the support of a particular project. Sponsorship means supporting events, activities, persons of organizations financially or through the provision of products or services. It is based on reprocity ["On the basis of a written agreement, the public sector receives cash or goods in kind and in exchange the sponsor receives publicity designed to enhance its reputation (e.g. flyers, posters, advertisements,…)."[2]]. Fundraising means acquiring these contributions.[3]

Strategic Planning Successful fundraising implies a strategic plan. Strategic planning and activities of sponsorship are closely related to marketing, press and public relations. It aims at communicating a positive image of one's own institution in order to prepare and acquire fundraising. Steps to develop a concept for fundraising •• analyze the specific situation (organisation, market, trends) •• define the objectives •• identify the target audiences •• derive the specific strategy •• develop specific measures Sponsorship and Fundraising 109

•• implement measures •• evaluate and further develop alternative measures

Fundraising Below, you will see an overview of different sources of fundraising. Public sources, other funds, donations, a variety of fees and generated funds can be distinguished. Each of these sources need adapted strategies and measures.

Sources of Fundraising

Public Sources Other Funds Donation Fees Generated Funds

EU funds Public trusts Single donation Full membership Sponsoring

National funds Foundations Donation in kind Sponsoring member Entrance/participation fees

Regional funds Lottery Permanent donation Sale of products

Local funds Administrative fines Personal sponsorship Charity event/run

Legacy Raffle

Public Sources Public funding programmes exist on different levels and address different topics and target groups. Depending on your objectives, it may be expedient to request funds on local, regional, national or European level. For example, if you only have local or regional goals, it doesn't make sense to ask for European funds. Objectives can concern economic, social, research or political issues. Besides these aspects, it is important to know who will get public funds, e.g. small or medium-sized enterprises (SME), non-governmental organisations (NGO), public bodies or individuals. Below you will find some additional information about EU programmes. Other Funds Public trusts and foundations will facilitate only projects which are in line with their own objectives. That's why requests and applications must be well-directed. To get an overview of the different European foundations you can use the members' list of the European Foundation Centre [4][5]. Gains from the lottery and administrative fines are also distributed for intentions which are charitable and serve the public good. This process is regulated by national and regional public institutions. Donation Donations are given as a gift by physical or legal persons (companies, institutions, etc.). Donations aren't necessarily monetary, but can also come in other forms like services or goods. You can distinguish single donations, donations on a regular basis and legacies. Fees Fees can be charged for full or sponsoring membership. Full membership is often more expensive, but will also give more power and influence. Generated Funds Funds can be self-generated by participation fees, sale of products or sponsoring. Such funds are often generated by events like charity runs oder raffles. Sponsorship and Fundraising 110

EU Programme The European Commission allocates a part of the EU budget to companies and organisations in the form of calls for tenders, grants or funds and other financing programmes[6]. To get an overview of the financial rules and funding opportunities, the "Beginners’ Guide to EU Funding" [7] can be useful. Here's a list of EU grants, funds and programmes, which could be interesting for online communities and other online services[8]: • Business: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) [9] • Culture, education and youth: Audiovisual and media [10] • Culture, education and youth: Education and training [11] • Environment, consumers and health: Health [12] • Citizens' rights: Europe for Citizens Programme [13] • Science and technology: Information Society [14] Lifelong Learning Programme The European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP)[15] consists of different funding areas. Adult Education is summarized under the so-called sectoral programme "Grundtvig". Grundtvig supports different target groups: institutions, education staff and learners. There are different measures such as e.g. multilateral projects, in-service trainings, workshops, learning partnerships and others.[16][17]. Other sectoral programmes within the LLP like "Leonardo da Vinci" may also be considered for some projects. Please always keep in mind the application deadlines for the different measures. For further information about the LLP the National Agency[18] of the own state should be contacted. The LLP lasts until 2013. From 2014 on a new programme is planned: "Erasmus for all".

Hints for Fundraising Hints for successful fundraising of non-profit organizations: What's necessary? •• a structural, financial, personal base •• profile, awareness and image (internal and external) •• messages and statements: to capture the very essence of a statement with limited means •• definition of attractive offers and prices •• good reputation and credibility: transparency of aims/objectives, tasks and finances •• recognition culture: thanks and involvement generate repeated donations Checklist[19] for drawing up an application •• What is the project title? •• Who is responsible for the concept (contact name, address, phone/fax, email)? •• Why is the project needed (starting position)? •• What are the aims/objectives of the project? What do we want to achieve? •• Which target groups are addressed (age, ethnicity, etc.)? •• What are the strategies and measures? Which innovative methods and concepts are used? •• How will the project be implemented? •• Which steps and milestones are planned in which period? •• Who is responsible for what (to-do list)? •• Which results and long-term effects will the project have? •• What are the international impacts of the project? •• What is the project's cost structure? •• Which costs are planned (e.g. personnel costs, ongoing operating costs, additional costs, if necessary planning costs)? •• Which revenues are planned(own funds, grants by donations, sponsorships, grants of public and non-public organizations)? Sponsorship and Fundraising 111

•• Which press and public relations are needed (media relations)? •• How do we report on the project before, during and after the implementation?

References

[1] Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur: Business Model Generation 2009 p.30ff. (http:/ / www. businessmodelgeneration. com/ downloads/

businessmodelgeneration_preview. pdf)

[2] Federal Chancellery Austria (Publisher): The RESPONSibility rests with me: Code of Conduct to Prevent Corruption, 2010 (http:/ / www.

austria. gv. at/ DocView. axd?CobId=40151)

[3] Deutscher Fundraising Verband: Die wichtigsten Hintergrundinformationen zum Fundraising (http:/ / www. fundraisingverband. de/

information/ haeufige-fragen/ allgemein. html)

[4] http:/ / www. efc. be/ about/ Pages/ Members. aspx

[5] [ http:/ / www. efc. be European Foundation Centre www.efc.be]

[6] EU Homepage for Public contracts and funding (http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ contracts_grants/ index_en. htm)

[7] Beginners’ Guide to EU Funding (2007-2013) (http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ budget/ library/ biblio/ publications/ beginnersguide/

KV3111332ENC_002web. pdf)

[8] Grants, funds and programmes by EU policy (http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ contracts_grants/ grants_en. htm)

[9] http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ enterprise/ policies/ sme/ contracts-grants/ calls-for-proposals/ index_en. htm

[10] http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ culture/ media/ index_en. htm

[11] http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ dgs/ education_culture/ calls/ grants_en. html

[12] http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ health/ programme/ funding_schemes/ index_en. htm

[13] http:/ / eacea. ec. europa. eu/ citizenship/ funding/ 2013/ index_en. php

[14] http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ information_society/ newsroom/ cf/ news. cfm?item_type=fo& item_subtype=proposals

[15] European Commission: Lifelong Learning Programme Overview (http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ education/ lifelong-learning-programme/ index_en. htm)

[16] ECORYS (British National Agency): Grundtvig Funding Opportunities (http:/ / www. grundtvig. org. uk/ page.

asp?section=000100010060& sectionTitle=Funding+ Opportunities)

[17] Léargas (Irish National Agency): Grundtvig (http:/ / www. leargas. ie/ programme_main. php?prog_code=7025)

[18] List of National Agencies in the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme (http:/ / ec. europa. eu/ education/ lifelong-learning-programme/

national_en. htm)

[19] Daniel Kraft und Gerald Prell: Checkliste zur Konzeption eines Antragskonzepts (http:/ / www. bpb. de/ gesellschaft/ kultur/

kulturelle-bildung/ 60068/ checkliste) 112

Methods and Practical Tools

Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities

This analytical framework was developed by Markus Marquard [1] (Ulm University, Centre for General Scientific Continuing Education) based on a discussion with Andreas Ninck [2] (Bern University of Applied Sciences). It is inspired on the Business Model Canvas [3] by Alexander Osterwalder and meant to serve consultants and administrators of online communities in strategy development. It emphasizes a systematic view on the internal workings of the online community and a clear definition of its boundaries.

Problem Statement Every analysis and every consulting process should begin with the problem statement. There needs to be some kind of goal the online community is supposed to achieve. The next step is a strategy with several action steps on how to achieve this goal. This goal doesn’t need to be identical with the focal point of the online community. It may address short term interests or secondary goals as well. The definition of the problem may be carried out in the form of a future workshop [4], a method with preparation, critique, fantasy and implementation phases developed by Robert Jungk [5]. Other viable methods are interviews [6], focus groups [7] or the metaplan technique [8]. The problem statement should establish clear goals for consultants or administrators of the online community. It should also include criteria for the measurement of the success of the implementation of the strategy.

Purpose / Identity The analysis should then enunciate the purpose and the identity of the online community. While doing this, consider the purpose may differ depending on what part of the community you are looking at (micro vs. macro level analysis). The purpose might also shift of the course of time. In some cases, it makes sense to include future purposes of the online community as well. The purpose forms the basis for the identity of the community. It shapes not only internal structures but establishes the boundaries of the community. Consulting processes should match the problem statement with the purpose/identity of the online community; otherwise conflicts might arise during the action steps. Purpose/identity of the online community is central during efforts to attract new members and supporters. It decides what kind of challenges or difficulty might when new members are introduced. Sometimes the strength of an online community manifests as a clear delineation of who belongs to the community and who doesn’t, but this can turn out to be a major factor in including new members. Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities 113

Members / Target Audiences Members are at the core of any online community. This includes employees as well. The analysis should establish which target audiences they belong to as well as what their interests, needs and motives are, maybe even that type of learning they prefer or what social milieu they belong to. An aspect in this context is the concept of empowerment: Do the online community’s purpose and identity support a feeling of being able to contribute to society? Other important aspects to consider are how networks in the online community form, what kinds of subgroups exist and what their dynamics are – for example interactions between their core and a periphery or how one can determine whether a single member belongs to the core or to the periphery. There also might be ranks or a hierarchy among members. A different way of analyzing the online community is looking at the “life cycle” of a member, from the joining, to becoming a participant and to leaving the community. When it comes to the “drop outs”, which have left the community, including them in the analysis as well might yield interesting results.

Activities What kinds of activities does the community pursue? What are roles, duties or fields of expertise in the community? How did roles, duties, fields of activities develop over time? Are activities focused on a single purpose or are they diversified? How did this diversity develop over time? How does the diversity of activities affect interactions within the community? If there indeed is a diverse set of activities to be found in the community, the analysis should cover if certain activities are considered more attractive be members or if certain activities are tied to ranks within the community.

Communication What kinds of content and how does the community produce? In systems theory, the key to understanding an online community is gaining knowledge about what is being communicated, with special attention to self-referential communication within the system. The analysis may look at the forms of communication, problem during communication and distortions of meaning during communication. Another aspect worth delving into may be the modus of communication (i.e. face-to-face or computer-mediated). The size of the community, its norms and policies influence communication as well. Lastly, the technical infrastructure shapes of the community shapes communication.

Collaboration This aspect of the analysis focuses on the way collaboration within the community is organized. Do members contribute as individuals or do they forms groups to work collaboratively on projects? When and why do groups dissolve? Are there effects of synergy and win-win-situations?

Networking What kind of connections form between members of the community? Which factors influence these connections? Are connections based on sympathy or do they form on the basis of shared goals? Networking within the community is shaped by its structure (see: purpose / identity, members / target audiences, activities) and its size (e.g. small and welcoming vs. large and diverse). The technical infrastructure factors into this as well. Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities 114

Relations with the external What kind of relations do members of the community form with the external, i.e. the sphere beyond the boundaries of the community? How do these relations influence what’s happening in the community? Are members interested in what’s happening outside their community (extrovert) or do they tend to close themselves off from influences of the external (introvert)?

Technical infrastructure The technical infrastructure is the foundation of the online community. Without it, communication and collaboration would not be possible. The technical infrastructure can exist in the form of mailing lists and emails. Communities may also use commercial social networking services like Facebook or Google+. Other technical infrastructures used are chat systems, online forums, virtual classrooms or web conferencing tools. It is important to consider the costs associated with the use of the technical infrastructure, its usability and its impact on communication and collaboration. For example, chats and web conferences are transient, while forums offer the option to discuss topics over the course of a longer time span. Virtual classrooms are geared towards working on group-based lectures or projects. The technical infrastructure should fit the purpose, the identity and the planned activities of the online community.

Organizational Culture Is the organizational culture of the online community “top down” or “bottom up”? Is participation based on voluntary contributions, paid contracts or a mix of both? What formal and informal structures influence (and maybe direct) activities within the community? Are existing structures efficient? Do they allow for quick decisions and direct contact? Do members have to wait for decisions? Are there conflicts between members or groups of members on how to organize activities? Are there conflicts between volunteers and employees? Are roles, norms and policies transparent and reasonable? Is there a hierarchy of members and how does it influence the organizational culture?

Value Creation Online communities require funds in order to continue to operate. Funding is tied to value creation. Value is created either for the members of the community (e.g. information and social support) or for stakeholders beyond the boundaries of the community (e.g. advertisers who buy banner ads displayed in the community). The created value has to be in harmony with the purpose and identity of the community (e.g. ads for lactose-free dairy products in a community supporting people with lactose intolerance). Value can be based on ideals (e.g. free knowledge) or fiscal goals (e.g. ad revenue). Administrators of online communities should think about who contributes to the creation of value and how these volunteers or employees can be fairly compensated for their contributions. Ideally, synergy effects form between contributors or administrators and members benefit from a win-win-situation.

Business Model After the analysis of how value is created, efforts of administrators and consultants should focus on reformulating the business model of the online community. The key question here is whether the business model is sustainable on a long-term basis – or not. Online communities can be formed on a not-for-profit basis. They can also be focused on revenue, be it membership fees, donations or services subject to costs. Services (e.g. product testing by community members) can be performed by professionals, by semiprofessionals or by volunteers. Administrators should be wary of the effects of their business model on interactions within the community, e.g. some communities might reject certain business partnerships (e.g. ads for dairy products in a vegan community). Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities 115

Strategy and Action Steps In the process of consulting an online community, a strategy and concrete action steps should be the result of the analysis. Unquestionably, the analysis will have uncovered ideas for improvement. These ideas should be further developed and formed to action steps. These can be sorted by applying them to the various categories of this analytical framework. If there turn out to be more action steps than the community can handle at a given time, focus on the most important ones and leave the rest for a later time. Another possibility to reduce the amount of action steps is to focus on one category of the analytical framework. For example, only do action steps in the category “communication”. However you choose to proceed, remember the action steps shouldn’t stretch the resources of the community to its limits of what the community can handle and respect its purpose and its identity. Action steps also need to be realistic; no use in coming up with detailed plans that cannot possibly achieved. They should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (SMART [9]). It’s useful to set specific milestones and evaluate if they have been met. The progress of the action steps defined within the overarching strategy should be continually discussed with all people involved. If it becomes clear the current strategy is not working as intended, it should be reevaluated and modified according to the feedback.

Consulting concept Consulting within TAO follows the analytical framework outlined above. The consulting process itself can be divided into several phases for several sub-goals or milestones. The consulting process should account for •• problems that community administrators have to address; •• conflicts between goals of administrators and members; •• barriers to participation of stakeholders in community development. The more thorough the evaluation of the platform and the more precise the problem statement are, the better consultants can work with administrators of an online community. Since online communities or complex entities, several evaluation phases during the consulting process should check for unintended consequences of the action steps employed. Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities in the context of TAO:

Problem Statement

Purpose / Identity Communication Collaboration Value Creation

Members / Target Audiences Networking Technical Infrastructure Business Model

Activities Relations with the external Organizational Culture

Strategy Action Steps Recommendations Milestones Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities 116

References •• Marquard, Markus (2012): Analyseraster für Online-Communities. Arbeitspapier im TAO-Projekt. (Unveröffentlicht) •• Marquard, Markus (2013): Internetnutzung durch weiterbildungsinteressierte Ältere als Kompetenzentwicklung.(Veröffentlichung in Vorbereitung)

References

[1] http:/ / www. uni-ulm. de/ uni/ fak/ zawiw/ mitarbeiter/ en

[2] http:/ / www. wirtschaft. bfh. ch/ de/ ueber_uns/ kontakt/ detailseite. html?tx_bfhpersonalpages_p=nna1&

tx_bfhpersonalpages_screen=data& cHash=b1b3c4817703b0bcaec2d50ead8d28b9

[3] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Business_Model_Canvas

[4] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Future_workshop

[5] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Robert_Jungk

[6] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Interview

[7] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Focus_groups

[8] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Metaplan

[9] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ SMART_criteria

Co-Creation with Older Persons

Organizations and programs increasingly aim to create sustainability on all three levels, the individual, organizational, and societal level. One way to do so is by involving the end users of a particular product or service in the innovation process, also called co-creation. This study reports on four co-creation sessions with elderly that include an abundance of challenges and issues. The investigation is based on observations in practice and analyses of the behavior of SeniorWebNL members and employees during the co-creation sessions. The purpose of this study is to critically reflect on different participatory methods that were used during the co-creation sessions, including Stakeholder Consultation (session A), Co-design (session B), Online Co-Creation (session C), and Theme Tables (session D). The analyses of the sessions provide insights into the challenges involved when co-creating with older persons. This investigation hence complies with the issues and challenges involved, leading to more effective ways - guidelines - to co-create with older persons.

Co-creation with older persons In this article, four different co-creation methods will be analyzed. All methods were conducted with older persons and hence from these experiences new and improved ways to successfully co-create with elderly can be identified. • Session A – Stakeholder Consultation, two focus group conversations of which the first included SeniorWebNL members and the second SeniorWebNL ambassadors. • Session B – Co-design, two groups both including members, ambassadors, and employees of SeniorWebNL. The aim of this session was the co-design of a new service. • Session C – Online Co-Creation, online collaboration through the use of Adobe Connect. • Session D – Theme Tables, using the ‘World café’ method. The aim of this session was to discuss older persons’ requirements and needs with regard to existing web contact services. Co-Creation with Older Persons 117

Stimulating creative thinking During the sessions it almost immediately became clear that participants need to be triggered to think creatively. For example, in session D we have learned that sketching a service was not an effective approach for older persons to generate input. Participants found it quite difficult to translate the main points of all categories into definite online applications. Overall, the output of the Theme Tables session was quite satisfactory, as all participants made relevant contributions, leading to the reach of consensus on most categories. Nevertheless, co-designing the web contact services was regarded as extremely difficult by most members, since they were asked to draw the homepage of the web contact services on a flipchart. Expecting that online services can be created by performing offline actions appears thus as a rather ambitious approach. Providing them with offline tools such as sticky notes and categorized flipcharts proved to be more successful as became clear in the Co-design session. A different but related observation points to the ‘look-beyond-the-present’ approach which appeared to be difficult to accomplish as well. During several sessions many participants indicated that they find it challenging to look in the future, partly because they have little to no knowledge of computer hardware or online applications and thus often they do not know why and how they will use their computer in the future. It was apparent that only just asking questions without giving them comprehensible examples was not sufficient. Hence the question arises whether the methods considered the digital literacy of older persons?

An issue of blind faith? While observing both the organization and its members we have learned that it is important to encourage communication between both parties. During the evaluation of the Stakeholder Consultation, quite a few participants indicated that they appreciated being included in the innovation process because they felt more involved in the developments of the organization. For instance, during workshop A and D, participants pointed out that they did not know who were the ambassadors of SWNL. According to the organization, communication should be established by means of online participation and collaboration. During session C, however, we analyzed the online behavior of older persons where it became evident that communication via a webcam and microphone is not without problems. On the one hand, the older persons were impatient and did not want to depend on the technique, on the other hand, the online communication tools failed to meet the expectations and needs of these older persons. For example, the participants were only able to see each other on a small screen. Moreover, communication via the microphone was not successful either, since only one person could speak at a time. In addition to these unsuitable means of communication, the older persons also emphasized on the fact that offline – face-to-face – communication is preferred for the reason that they favor communication in a physical environment. Some methods used during the sessions show a blind trust in the technique and do not take into account typical technical conditions that would suit older persons.

Using online applications Another important observation points to the reasons why and how online applications are used by elderly. Whereas the organization also aims at increasing the use of online applications to build relationships and stimulate online collaboration between their members, participants repeatedly indicated that they use SWNL’s online applications mainly for practical reasons. According to SWNL, members of the organization can benefit from their online applications, as they offer a great variety of services available. Nevertheless, older persons appear to mainly use the organization’s services to solve problems, raise questions, and obtain information about developments within the organization, among other motives. During the sessions all participants mentioned not being open to having contact with other members for social reasons. However, in their private lives they frequently contact relatives through various online applications. Yet, this is often also because of a practical point of view. The fact that the idea of increasing engagement in online activities is based on a somewhat incorrect assumption is self-evident. Another important observation includes the use of online applications. The Online Co-Creation sessions allowed us to Co-Creation with Older Persons 118

observe and analyze how older persons deal with non-daily used computer applications such as Adobe Connect. The differences between the first and second session were noteworthy, since - during the second session - the participants were unable to install their microphones, leading to an early end of the session. The preconceived image which was included in the research method appeared as rather true. Nevertheless, one can question whether the participants’ knowledge of installing hardware is applicable to all older persons. The problems could also be generated by a lack of knowledge on how to assist elderly online. Evidently, it appears that this method is more appropriate for the comparison of research methods than for obtaining relevant output, as the concrete output regarding the improvement of web contact services was less satisfactory.

Modifications of objectives As stated above, the organization’s main goal is to increase engagement in their applications. In addition to the outcome as stated in ‘Unsuitable assumptions,’ participants also pointed out the importance of learning environments. In line with EU’s education policies, we have learned that SWNL could possibly enhance online engagement by creating environments where members not only learn from the organization but more importantly from and with other members. Consequently, members’ collaboration is expected to increase. Nevertheless, the organization must find appropriate ways to create these environments. As the outcomes of the co-creation sessions already have revealed, the output is more satisfactory when communicating offline. Online collaboration, first of all is not desired as indicated by most participants, but also does it entail numerous challenges. How could online collaboration be applied in a more effective and successful way? After analyzing the results of the co-creation sessions, we have learned that this way of communication still deserves a credible approach.

Guidelines After a proper analysis of the sessions’ outcomes, a number of guidelines to successfully co-create with elderly, can be identified. “A guideline is a set of systematically developed standards or rules which assist in the decision about how to apply the policy or appropriate management of specific conditions” (Reeves, 2004, p.2).

Important in advance The following guidelines are important to consider before conducting co-creation with elderly.

General •• Before conducting co-creation with older persons one should first investigate their social and work background in order to understand who they are and to be able to correctly reflect on their input. • A second step before the actual co-creation with elderly starts, entails the purpose of the co-creation sessions and the older persons’ role in the co-creation process. This way of communicating not only provides them clarity but they are also more prepared for the session.

Methodology •• Depending on the method, the elderly should be informed about the way they have to co-create with other older persons. For instance, when using an online collaboration tool, the older persons should be explained in detail on the possibilities the program offers, the limitations included in the technique, the way they should use the tool, and the possible problems that can occur during the co-creation session. A clear explanation of the method prior to the session reduces misunderstanding during the actual co-creation process. • Based on an extensive study on the session’s participants, suitable methods should be chosen to obtain the most valuable input. Co-Creation with Older Persons 119

•• When using peripheral devices, a clear overview of how to install these devices should be provided to the older persons.

The co-creation process The following guidelines are important to consider during the actual co-creation process with older persons.

General •• At the start of the co-creation session, the older persons should be informed about the schedule. A clear structure at the beginning of the session assures less problems during the co-creation process. •• Each session should include a few clear steps to structure the process, not forgetting to add a sufficient number of (short) breaks to keep the attention of the elderly. • During the co-creation session it is important to be aware of any uncertainties, hence frequently asking questions, such as: are there any questions? Is it clear to everyone?, will increase the value of the older persons’ contribution. •• Stimulate group interaction and give each participant the feeling that their contribution is of great value for the research. •• When a moderator guides the group conversations, particular attention should be given to the relevance of what the elderly are telling. By timely intervention in broad discussions, consensus on most parts should be achieved. •• A moderator should also pay attention to group dynamics, as some persons might be more dominant than others which could lead to unilateral outcomes. In this case, the moderator should intervene more often by involving other participants more actively. •• During the co-creation process, examples should be used to clarify certain issues or challenges.

Methodology •• The choice of an appropriate method is of great importance for the successful completion of the co-creation process. A suitable method can be selected on the basis of the knowledge from previous co-creation studies with elderly and furthermore on the basis of the participants health condition and social and economic background. •• User requirements - the method should take into account the health condition of the older persons. Applicable keywords here, are: visibility, usability, and reliability. • Assuming ‘things’ is not a good starting point to co-create with elderly. One should not assume that older persons can do all the things certain methods anticipate. Limitations are mainly found when older persons have to think creatively and collaborate online. Therefore, the methods should be adjusted to the older persons’ requirements. •• A moderator should lead group discussions, in particular when co-creating in online spaces. •• Offline tools such as sticky notes are an efficient way to generate valuable input. •• Discussion groups that consist of more than ten persons should be avoided in order to maintain the quality of the group conversations. •• Drawing is not the most efficient way to create input. Therefore, the use of images or pictures is recommended. •• When using an online communication tool, the older persons should be informed step by step (through audio or video coaching) about how they can access the program. •• As already indicated, these guidelines are based on previous experiences with older persons during different co-creation methods. In sum, these guidelines suggest that co-creation with older persons should acknowledge diversity among elderly, be aware of the differences in computer en Internet knowledge sometimes due to differences in age and should create learning environments where older persons will be taught on how to cope with certain co-creation methods. •• As abovementioned reveals, co-creation with older persons entails numerous challenges. However, based on the sessions analyses, we have learned how ways of co-creating with older persons can be innovated. •• The lessons learned during the four co-creation sessions appeared to be useful for improving the future guidelines. Co-Creation with Older Persons 120

References

Reeves, P. (2004). How to write Policies and Guidelines: Guidance for Staff. Retrieved July 1, 2012, from http:/ /

www. whittington. nhs. uk/ Documents/ Policy%20on%20how%20to%20write%20policies_2548. pdf

Methods for Cooperation and Seminars

Introduction

This chapter focuses questions of continuing education especially on older adults and gives an overview and an introduction of corresponding pedagogical methods for cooperation, collaboration and seminars. For older adults it is a challenge and a need to learn, they have to enable themselves for an active and successful ageing. Learning of older people has to consider their life experience and knowledge. The overall learning goal is to learn the "mediation of the ability to coping with problems". Often older people can manage there own learning Result from a brainstorming activity ("self-managed learning") that is understood as a process "in which the learner steers in essence his/her own learning" (Dohmen, 1997). He/she decides to a great extend if, what and when, how and with which target he/she learns. In contrast to formal learning older people prefer "situation-related experience learning" which means on one hand informal learning in everyday life situations and on the other hand non-formal learning as learning in different social environments e.g. in organisations or online communities. Self-managed learning includes application of experience learning and informal learning, it is a constructivist approach.

Management of Own Learning as a Challenge Following skills have to be either newly learned or further developed: •• joy of learning •• self-initiation of learning processes •• choosing own learning materials and finding learning advice •• classification of own learning processes into contexts of higher priority •• critical attitude to learning contents and learning materials •• self-reflection as well as reflection about social contexts, etc. Methods for Cooperation and Seminars 121

Qualification as Requirement and Motivation Against the background of cultural and social changes, economic and ecological crisis, globalization, the fast development of the new media and the demographic change lifelong learning is a must to be able to cope with new demands, also on the part of older adults. Therefore in the terms of Lifelong Learning the qualification of seniors is a necessity. It can also motivate them for their activities.

Active Learning through Social Commitment Active learning through social commitment is a good example for qualification of seniors with practical orientation. Stadelhofer (1999)[1] sees "the ability to place the learn process in social contexts as a basic prerequisite for an active participation in forming our world". Learn processes in social contexts including active learnig should be related to everyday life situations, it should be as well experience learning. Therefore social commitment is an excellent approach. Examples for informal learning possibilities by social commitment: •• Reconsideration of the own concept of living by getting to know other persons or groups with other concepts of living, in different life situations for example as a leisure time companion of care requiring people •• Getting to know a different view at institutions for example a hospital or a nursing home by volunteering as nursing auxiliary •• Improvement of craftmanship skills like baking or bicycle repair for example by volunteering in integration projects with a bakery or a bicycle repair shop •• Getting to know new skills for example gardening in a municipal garden project supplying foodbanks with fresh fruit and vegetable •• Getting to know the feeling of esteem by helping people who show their gratitude •• Getting to know new approaches to problems through assistance •• Exchange of experiences and knowledge in exchange projects •• Discovery of undetected talents, abilities and skills for example by taking responsibility in a board of an association or by taking part in a sponsorship programme Also non-formal learning possibilities are given such as introductory courses for example for the introduction of volunteers for the hospice service.

Different Learning Types and Pedagogical Methods On a meta level a distinction can be made between different active participation learning types. They require different approaches. In practice of seminars and workshops concrete pedagogical methods for the learning process and its stages are needed. Below there is a description of exemplary methods for cooperation and collaboration. On a third level some general instructions and hints for learning situations especially with new media are given. Methods for Cooperation and Seminars 122

Different Active Participation Learning Types •• Learning through research •• Action learning (learning by doing) •• Intergenerational learning •• Intercultural learning

Learning through Research "Learning through research"[2] is an example of self-managed learning in which the learner determines, tests and reflects own learning goals in a self-responsible way. "Learning trough research" is realised through •• individual work •• work in autonomous learning groups •• co-operation in research projects The Method of "Learning through Research" enables, •• that older people select and work on forgotten or unexploited research subjects or draw attention to not yet researched facts •• that older students' attitudes and their professional and life experiences are considered in the design of research projects •• to learn about ageing and about social issues and at the same time about the way how ageing and social issues are researched There is no teacher needed but a moderator, who consist in the initiation of project groups and their accompaniment from search for a subject through to documentation of results. The new information and communication technologies can strengthen self-determination as well as the independent research work of the learners.

Action Learning (Learning by doing) "The potential of older people represents an important social resource. Without appropriate opportunities and space for application, these competences remain however unused, and: qualified engagement demands appropriate qualifications." (Stadelhofer 2007) Therefore action learning means to create these appropriate opportunities and spaces for application, to give grounds. According to the idea of linking to everyday life situations learning goals should be defined - best by the learners themselves - which promise a benefit, an improvement compared to their previous life situation. This also prevents from a too strong feeling that action learning means to be thrown into the deep end.

Intergenerational Learning Regarding the perspective of single persons everybody is involved in different generational contexts. But also the society as a whole is built on them. On one hand values, norms, cultural traditions need to be transfered to the next generation. On the other hand societies also need new ideas, new technologies and new solutions. (cf. Höpflinger 2011) This is the general basis for intergenerational learning. Learning projects that are based on the collaboration between old and young can lead to a win-win-situation for both generations by a direct insight into the life world of the other generation and by the common work on interesting subjects and by testing different roles. Online collaboration combined with face-to-face meetings were successfully tested by ZAWiW, e.g. KOJALA[3]. [cf. Marquard, Schabacker-Bock, Stadelhofer 2011] Methods for Cooperation and Seminars 123

Intercultural Learning In the time of globalization and cultural diversity interculturality plays a more and more important role because the number of contacts with other cultures increases. According to Hansen (2000)[4] there are two concepts of interculturality, one regarding the interaction of persons from different cultures, one regarding the interculture that develops itself in exchange processes of these persons. Intercultural learning targets the successful management of the interactions and the processes. There are parallels to the intergenerational learning: it also can lead to a win-win-situation and to new experiences by an insight, e.g. by European Grundtvig learning projects that combine virtual learning and face-to-face meetings such as ODE[5] or thematic projects a EWA[6] or by face-to-face projects such as mentor programmes at universities[7][8] which of course are also challenging examples for intergenerational learning.

Pedagogical Methods Methods can be distinguished regarding their function (cf. Macke, Hanke, Viehmann 2012). •• Introductory methods •• Methods for the phase of work •• Methods to draw to a conclusion

Introductory methods Introductory methods target to get in the right frame for a learning event regarding the subject and the participants, the preparation for the common work of a subject. Some examples of methods are: •• "Wanted" poster (a prepared poster with blank spaces is prepared, copies will be given to all participants who will fill in the spaces to introduce themselves about personal data, hobbies, expectations, ...) •• Meta plan (a general task is given, every participant writes on one or more cards his keywords which will be structured and discussed later) •• Partner interview (general questions are given, always two participants are an group, after the phase of mutual interviews one participant introduces his interlocutor to the other participants)

Methods for the phase of work Methods for the phase of work target different aspects e.g. like start of a collaborative process, working on subjects, transfer, valuation. Some examples are: •• Brainstorming •• Mind Mapping •• Concept Mapping •• Case Method •• Fishbowl Methods for Cooperation and Seminars 124

Methods to draw to a conclusion The final part of a learning event serves to review the results and the learning process, to get a feedback for and from the participants. Some examples are: •• Flashlight (every participant only says one or two statements which may be commented on later) •• All participants stand in a room. One end of the room symbolises 100% approval and the other end 0%. Participants are asked several questions and they go to the position in the room which represents their opinion best. If everybody stands some comprehensive questions may be asked why they decided to stand there. •• Muddiest point (the participants will be enabled to critically tell about the weakest parts of a learning event, its materials, methods, ... - they may write their arguments on cards which will be collected, then feedback is given at the next occasion)

Methods for online learning A lot of methods can also be modified for virtual learning and online collaboration. It should be payed attention to the independency of time and place in virtual cooperation and learning. It is an advantage because participants may take part in activities whereever they are (if the Internet is accessible) and whenever they like. However the use of some tools requires syncronous activities e.g. online discussions using a chat or Skype. Mailing lists, discussion forums, chats, blogs, wikis, file hosting services, Skype, video conference tools etc. should be used for the collaboration and its different purposes. Of course also special online tools like virtual classrooms, e-learning environments (such as Moodle) or collaborative tools (like [[w:BSCW|BSCW) should be taken into account. Technology offers a lot of options like audio and video files, electronical quizes etc. that can enrich learning. Often moderation is a plus with clear agreements of goals, about time-tables and the possibility to ask in case of any questions (project related, technical). He could initiative and monitor learning processes. Some examples of methods for online learning are: •• Introduction (the participants send their personal introduction to a moderator of a learning project who puts them on the internal part of the project's website which only can be accessed by the participants. Or in case of an interactive site the participants may do that on their own. Introductions in virtual cooperation are very important because often senior learners want to know that there are real persons whom they are talking with.) •• Growing Document (a document is sent to participants or is safed in a commonly used file hosting service, it contains a task and the participants write in a fixed period their results and opinions in the document, they also react on meanwhile written contributions of other participants, it could be used for example for a virtual brainstorming) •• E-Expert (an expert is invited to join an online discussion to deepen knowledge, the questions could be prepared before by participants) A wide range of e-learning methods is presented in the book "101 e-Le@arning-Seminarmethoden" (Häfele, Maier-Häfele 2008), it is available in German.

Qualification for the Use of New Media Active learning also refers to the use of new media. Their use - up to the active participation in Web 2.0 tools and in online communities especially by seniors - cannot be taken for granted: "A broad use of the various application possibilities of the Internet presupposes [...] certain user abilities and also the preparedness to use the Internet. This however, in the case of a great part of the older population, has to be first achieved through a differentiation according to 'user types' and the development of situation-related strategies for Internet accessing and use."[9]. Methods for Cooperation and Seminars 125

Therefore it is recommended to qualify seniors by closing up to the new media step by step, to give opportunities to exercise, to link to everyday life situations and to subjects of their interest, according to different user types. The seniors should feel the relevance of the new media for their lifes to motivate them for an active use. A practical transfer of this recommendation is offered within different approaches such as • by "seniors for seniors" in local "Senior Internet Initiatives" (SII, cooperating in a network of SII [10]) of volunteers in Baden-Wuerttemberg (Southwest Germany): in different ways they offer learning opportunities starting with the first access to computers and the Internet[11] • "Grandparents & Grandchildren" (G&G): the website of this intergenerational and multilingual project offers different lessons ("Internet Gym" [12]) which shall be explained to the seniors by children, according to the needs of the learners, in cooperation with local stakeholders[13] • "E-Seniors [14]", a French association fighting against "e-exclusion" of seniors by the introduction to the Internet up to workshops and activities including "digital improvements in everyday's life"[15] • learning courses and educational projects within the association "Virtual and real learning and competence network of older adults (ViLE e.V. [16])"[17] The final reports about the projects "Gemeinsam lernen übers Netz" (2000-2005, "Cooperative learning via Internet")[18] and "Senior-Online-Redaktion" (2003-2006, "Senior online editors")[19] document and reflect different approaches of virtual and blended learning in senior communities. They are available in German. It can be seen as a challenge for social network operators to modify their supply according to the needs of seniors because "the new technical developments [...] offer totally new chances for the initiation and support of informal learning processes and, through developing subject and issue-related learning communities and social networks, for making knowledge and competences of individuals available to its participants and to civil society." (Stadelhofer 2007) Currently within the European Grundtvig project "PEER - Dare to be wise!" [20] a selection of Web 2.0 tools are adapted for the use on social network platforms. Also guidelines for operators will be produced how to motivate seniors for peer-to-peer learning in online communities.

Distinction of different steps It is recommended to follow a way of different qualification steps which are built up on each other regarding the sensible use of the new media by seniors. Their interests and individual speed of learning should be payed attention to. •• First access to computers and other new media devices such as smartphones •• First access to the Internet •• Meaningful use of the new media •• Active participation by own contributions •• Participation in online communities Methods for Cooperation and Seminars 126

References

Literature •• Dohmen, Günther (Hrsg.): Selbstgesteuertes lebenslanges Lernen? Ergebnisse der Fachtagung des BMBF vom 6. - 7.12.1996, Bonn 1997 •• Häfele, Hartmut; Maier-Häfele, Kornelia. 101 e-Le@rning-Seminarmethoden: Methoden und Strategien für die Online- und Blended-Learning-Seminarpraxis. 3. überarb. Auflage. Bonn: managerSeminare, 2008 •• Höpflinger, François: "Intergenerationelles Lernen - Chancen und Voraussetzungen" in: Marquard, Schabacker-Bock, Stadelhofer (Hrsg.) 2011 •• Macke, Gerd; Hanke, Ulrike; Viehmann, Pauline. Hochschuldidaktik: Lehren - vortragen - prüfen - beraten. 2. Auflage. Weinheim und Basel: Beltz, 2012 •• Marquard, Markus; Schabacker-Bock, Marlis; Stadelhofer, Carmen (Hrsg.). Intergenerationelles Lernen als Teil einer lebendigen Stadtkultur. Ulm: Klemm + Oelschläger, 2011

Online references

[1] Stadelhofer, Marquard 1999: Gutachten "Selbstgesteuertes Lernen und Neue Kommunikationstechnologien" (http:/ / www. uni-ulm. de/

LiLL/ gutachten1/ komtech. htm)

[2] "Forschendes Lernen" (Learning by research at ZAWiW of Ulm University) (http:/ / www. forschendes-lernen. de)

[3] KOJALA (https:/ / www. kojala. de)

[4] cf. Hansen (2000) in: Glossar zentraler Begriffe interkulturellen Lernens (Christian Wille) (http:/ / www. christian-wille. de/ glossar. html#glI)

[5] Open Doors for Europe (ODE) (http:/ / www. gemeinsamlernen. de/ ode/ index_html07a0. html?language=en)

[6] European Women in Older Age (EWA) (http:/ / www. european-women. eu)

[7] Retirees help foreign students adjust to German life (2011) (http:/ / www. thelocal. de/ society/ 20110121-32571. html)

[8] M4M - Mentorship for Molecular Medicine PhD Students (http:/ / www. uni-ulm. de/ en/ einrichtungen/ zawiw/ m4m. html)

[9] Stadelhofer: "Developing learning communities and social networking through face-to-face and virtual learning", 2007 (http:/ / www.

web4seniors. eu/ index. php?abstracts/ stadelhofer)

[10] http:/ / www. netzwerk-sii-bw. de [11] Schneider: "Seniors as internet helpers: a model for active citizenship and peer-to-peer-learning by seniors to access and sensibly use the

internet", 2012 (http:/ / www. lill-danube-conference2012. eu/ details-workinggroups/ items/ 13. html)

[12] http:/ / www. geengee. eu/ geengee/ index. jsp?idPagina=14

[13] Colinassi: "G&G, Grandparents and Grandchildren", 2012 (http:/ / www. lill-danube-conference2012. eu/ details-workinggroups/ items/ 4. html)

[14] http:/ / www. e-seniors. asso. fr

[15] Epstein: "E-Seniors", 2012 (http:/ / www. lill-danube-conference2012. eu/ details-workinggroups/ items/ 6. html)

[16] http:/ / www. vile-netzwerk. de

[17] Budde, Salverius-Krökel: "Virtual and real learning and competence network of older adults (ViLE)", 2012 (http:/ / www.

lill-danube-conference2012. eu/ details-workinggroups/ items/ 14. html)" [18] Stadelhofer, Salverius-Krökel, Schneider. Schlussbericht zum Modellprojekt "Räumlich und zeitlich entkoppeltes ‚Forschendes Lernen’ als

Motor einer neuen Lernkultur" (Kenntitel: "Gemeinsam lernen übers Netz" – 2000-2005) in drei Bänden, 2005 (http:/ / www.

gemeinsamlernen. de/ theorie_erfahrungen/ abschluss_html. html) [19] Stadelhofer, Salverius-Krökel, Schneider. Schlussbericht zum Modellprojekt "Weiterqualifizierung von älteren Menschen zu freiwilligen ’Senior-Online-RedakteurInnen’ zur Herausgabe eines Lern-Magazin / eines ‚Senior-Online-Magazin’" (Kenntitel: „Senior-Online-Redaktion“

– 2003-2006), 2006 (http:/ / www. senioren-redaktion. de/ projekt/ SOR_Abschlussbericht. pdf)

[20] http:/ / www. peer-learning-50plus. eu Accessibility Tool 127 Accessibility Tool

Introduction The Content Accessibility Checker (CAC) is a tool developed by the TAO Consortium. It is freely available and is expected to improve social interaction and user experience in general.

Recommendations

How the CAC Tool can help to Make Online Communities More Accessible for Older Adults The CAC Tool, applied to a web site (resp. to any html page), automatically checks for issues such as missing alternative texts for images, insufficient contrast, incorrect tagging of tables, missing semantic structuring and many more. With practical recommendations and examples for improvement Online Communities can easily check and revise their website content and adapt the CAC Tool's suggestions. CAC-analyzed-website

Theoretical Information Although the internet is essential for people to access information and share common interests in places such as Wikipedia or Seniorweb communities, studies have shown that many web sites manifest obstacles for people with disabilities that often occur during the third age such as debility of sight. About 15-20% of internet users suffer from sensory, motor or cognitive limitations. This ratio is significantly higher among the elderly. Based on the analysis of existing tools such as WAVE, WebThing, and also based on long-year experience in analyzing web sites, recommendations for improvement have been implemented in the CAC tool (Content Accessibility Checker). Applied to any html web site, it checks for Accessibility issues. It also gives recommendations based on the WCAG standard for improvement of the website under consideration. Authors of web content, community editors and CMS maintainers using CAC obtain immediate hints for improvement of the web content. The CAC has been successfully integrated in our wiki system and is also available as a browser plugin. It is freely available and is expected to improve social interaction and user experience in general. For the moment the Tool is available only in German language, but as an open source tool it is free to be adapted and expected to be available in English soon.

References

https:/ / github. com/ Access4all/ ContentAccessibilityChecker

Links to Other Handbook Chapters Accessibility Chapter on "Target Groups" (gives an overview of older adults as a target group for online communities) Older Adults and Online Communities 128

Problem-oriented access

TAO/Handbook/Problem Motivation

How do I get members to participate? Try reading the following chapters: •• Activities for initiating older adults to the internet •• Demonstrating the personal benefits to be gained from participating in online communities •• Motives, incentives, and barriers when older adults participate in online communities •• Reaching out to new members with public relations

TAO/Handbook/Problem Funding

How do I develop a sustainable business model? Try reading the following chapters: •• How-to on designing business models for online communities •• Information on sponsorships and fundraising for online communities

TAO/Handbook/Problem Volunteers

How do I manage volunteers? Try reading the following chapters: •• Recommendations for motivating and recruiting volunteers •• Demonstrating the mutual benefits of volunteer participation Examples of activities with volunteers •• "Free Cruise on the Internet" •• Silver Knowledge TAO/Handbook/Problem Communities 129 TAO/Handbook/Problem Communities

Where can I read some general information about online communities? Try reading the following chapters: • General information about online communities [1] •• Examples of users and communities

References

[1] https:/ / en. wikiversity. org/ wiki/ TAO/ Handbook/ What_is_an_Online_Community%3F

TAO/Handbook/Problem Usability Accessability

How can I increase usability and accessability? Try reading the following chapters: •• Recommendations on how to increase the usability of an online community •• Recommendations on how to increase the accessability of an online community •• Content Accessibility Checker (CAC) - a tool to make online communities more accessible for older adults

TAO/Handbook/Problem Evaluation

How do I evaluate the current status of my online community? Try reading the following chapters: •• Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities •• What communities of practice are and how they help define the current status of a community •• Involving community members in processes of evaluation and innovation through co-creation TAO/Handbook/Problem Research 130 TAO/Handbook/Problem Research

What are current findings of research on online communities for older adults? Try reading the following chapters: •• General information on older adults' use of the internet •• How non-usage of the Internet affects social inclusion and well-being of older adults •• TAO Survey Wave 1 •• TAO Survey Wave 2 •• How organizations Europe master the challenges that are aligned with organizing and collaborating with older adults online Article Sources and Contributors 131 Article Sources and Contributors

TAO Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1051304 Contributors: Aschmidt, Beat Estermann, Cotchobee, Cpt.Daniel, Jms1984, Marquard Markus, Semaphor, 3 anonymous edits

Handbook Overview Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065796 Contributors: 2001:610:1208:3:0:0:0:FD4A, Cotchobee, Cpt.Daniel, Jms1984, JonBennett, LGrieser, Marquard Markus, Semaphor, StijnBannier, 10 anonymous edits

Welcome to the Handbook Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=997207 Contributors: Cotchobee, Semaphor

How to Contribute to the Handbook Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1046297 Contributors: Cotchobee, LGrieser, Semaphor

Description of the Idea Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=952049 Contributors: Cotchobee, Marquard Markus, Semaphor

Examples of Users and Communities Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=976178 Contributors: CommonsDelinker, Cpt.Daniel, JonBennett, Marquard Markus, Ralph Schneider, Semaphor, StijnBannier, 2 anonymous edits

Target Groups of Online Communities Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1049583 Contributors: Cotchobee, JonBennett, Karen Switzerland, 2 anonymous edits

Fostering Older Adults' Online Participation Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=979345 Contributors: JonBennett, 1 anonymous edits

Older Adults and Online Communities Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=994537 Contributors: JonBennett, 1 anonymous edits

Usability Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=994534 Contributors: JonBennett, 1 anonymous edits

Accessibility Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1062520 Contributors: LGrieser

What is and Online Community? Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1015818 Contributors: Cotchobee, Jms1984, JonBennett, 1 anonymous edits

TAO Survey Among Older Adults - Wave 1 Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=976187 Contributors: Ralph Schneider, StijnBannier, 2 anonymous edits

TAO Survey Among Elderly - Wave 2 Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1052008 Contributors: 2001:610:1208:3:0:0:0:FD4A

Context Analysis Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065492 Contributors: Marquard Markus, StijnBannier, 9 anonymous edits

Initiation and Meaningful Use Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1062873 Contributors: JonBennett, 1 anonymous edits

Working with Volunteers Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1009886 Contributors: Beat Estermann, Cotchobee, Karen Switzerland, Marquard Markus, 1 anonymous edits

Facebook Activities Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=997312 Contributors: Cotchobee, Cpt.Daniel, 2 anonymous edits

Free Cruise on the Internet Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=997052 Contributors: Cotchobee, JonBennett, 9 anonymous edits

Online Learning Activities Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=997318 Contributors: Cotchobee, Cpt.Daniel, Semaphor, 1 anonymous edits

Silver Knowledge Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1054195 Contributors: Alfie66, Cotchobee, Elvira Schmidt (WMD), Jms1984, Kintzia, LGrieser, Marquard Markus, Pakeha, Ralph Schneider, Semaphor, 11 anonymous edits

Silver Knowledge: Comparison of Different Locations Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=997329 Contributors: Cotchobee, Kintzia

Silver Knowledge: Information for Cooperation Partners Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1054197 Contributors: LGrieser, Ralph Schneider

Wikimedia Seniors' Outreach Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1049064 Contributors: Beat Estermann, Denniss, LGrieser, Polimerek, 1 anonymous edits

Online Co-Creation Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=951779 Contributors: JonBennett, Ralph Schneider, StijnBannier

SeniorWeb NL's Online Contact Services Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=951732 Contributors: Ralph Schneider, StijnBannier

Activities at Seniorweb.ch Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=943344 Contributors: 7 anonymous edits

terzLivingLab Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=943345 Contributors: 4 anonymous edits

Online Tools Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1046298 Contributors: LGrieser, Marquard Markus, Semaphor

Online Collaboration Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065505 Contributors: Jms1984, Semaphor

Web Conferencing Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065288 Contributors: Marshallsumter, Semaphor

Virtual classrooms Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=952939 Contributors: Cotchobee, Semaphor

Online Tools for people 50plus Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1049614 Contributors: LGrieser, 1 anonymous edits

Public Relations Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1048886 Contributors: JonBennett, LGrieser, 15 anonymous edits

Communities of Practice Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065509 Contributors: Cotchobee, Jms1984, 1 anonymous edits

Business Models Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=953099 Contributors: Marquard Markus

Sponsorship and Fundraising Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=964525 Contributors: Cotchobee, Marquard Markus, Ralph Schneider

Analytical framework for the evaluation of online communities Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065580 Contributors: Jms1984, Marquard Markus

Co-Creation with Older Persons Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=951787 Contributors: JonBennett, StijnBannier

Methods for Cooperation and Seminars Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=953477 Contributors: Marquard Markus, Ralph Schneider

Accessibility Tool Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1061628 Contributors: LGrieser

TAO/Handbook/Problem Motivation Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065516 Contributors: Cotchobee, Jms1984, JonBennett

TAO/Handbook/Problem Funding Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065521 Contributors: Cotchobee, Jms1984

TAO/Handbook/Problem Volunteers Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065517 Contributors: Cotchobee, Jms1984, JonBennett

TAO/Handbook/Problem Communities Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065543 Contributors: Jms1984

TAO/Handbook/Problem Usability Accessability Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065523 Contributors: Jms1984 Article Sources and Contributors 132

TAO/Handbook/Problem Evaluation Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065537 Contributors: Jms1984

TAO/Handbook/Problem Research Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?oldid=1065529 Contributors: Jms1984 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 133 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

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