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We often get patrons that don't know how to work with computers very well, but tonight it was just one after another. They weren't sucky about it, so they get posted here, but i had to really hold myself from laughing at one point.
background on Customer1: (new to the library, so i made her a member and she asked for internet -her own computer broke down and she wants to check her mails) so we walk to a computer) /end bg
Me: So just click here (showing the link with my finger on screen) to go on the cmputer.
C1: tries to touch it as with a touchscreen
Me: No ma'am, with the mouse here
C1: She lifts the mouse and points it at the screen (at this point: i'd HEARD about people doing something like this but it's the first time i've actually SEEN it)
Me: No ma'am, like this (i show her how to use the mouse)
C1: Oh! But my mouse looks totally different!
*i get her on the computer and start up internet after explaining at least 2 times we don't have outlook*
C1: but i don't have my icons! how am i supposed to get to my [cold mail]?
Me: type in the address in this bar here.
C1: surprises me by actually moving the mouse correctly and typing without error and all 10 fingers. She'll ask me how to get to another website (something very simple again, she hasnt grasped the use of the address bar yet) in about 5 minutes, but once in her own known places, she knows what she has to do and is happily browsing away)
Not half an hour later i get a second customer who has to do her homework on the computer.
C2: "excuse me, internet doesn't work"
Me: walking her to the computer: "can you show me what's going wrong?" (our computers sometimes don't have internet, depending on where it goes wrong i can usually fix it)
C2: "i type in google and it doesnt work"
she types in "google" and gets redirected to the website from bing (which is the standard search engine on our network) and sais: see! i don't get google. the internet is broken! (Google was the first search result btw, she just didn't know to click on it...)
Once i showed her the magic of 3 w's and a com, she happily (well or not so happily, it WAS homework after all) browses around and seemingly finds what she needs.
background on Customer1: (new to the library, so i made her a member and she asked for internet -her own computer broke down and she wants to check her mails) so we walk to a computer) /end bg
Me: So just click here (showing the link with my finger on screen) to go on the cmputer.
C1: tries to touch it as with a touchscreen
Me: No ma'am, with the mouse here
C1: She lifts the mouse and points it at the screen (at this point: i'd HEARD about people doing something like this but it's the first time i've actually SEEN it)
Me: No ma'am, like this (i show her how to use the mouse)
C1: Oh! But my mouse looks totally different!
*i get her on the computer and start up internet after explaining at least 2 times we don't have outlook*
C1: but i don't have my icons! how am i supposed to get to my [cold mail]?
Me: type in the address in this bar here.
C1: surprises me by actually moving the mouse correctly and typing without error and all 10 fingers. She'll ask me how to get to another website (something very simple again, she hasnt grasped the use of the address bar yet) in about 5 minutes, but once in her own known places, she knows what she has to do and is happily browsing away)
Not half an hour later i get a second customer who has to do her homework on the computer.
C2: "excuse me, internet doesn't work"
Me: walking her to the computer: "can you show me what's going wrong?" (our computers sometimes don't have internet, depending on where it goes wrong i can usually fix it)
C2: "i type in google and it doesnt work"
she types in "google" and gets redirected to the website from bing (which is the standard search engine on our network) and sais: see! i don't get google. the internet is broken! (Google was the first search result btw, she just didn't know to click on it...)
Once i showed her the magic of 3 w's and a com, she happily (well or not so happily, it WAS homework after all) browses around and seemingly finds what she needs.