More seniors are testing the social media waters to stay connected with family and friends.

After cruising through her emails, The New York Times and Glendale News-Press, Royal Oaks resident Mary Ann Prelock likes to catch up on family news on Facebook.

“I’m primarily a lurker,” says Prelock. “I want to keep in touch with what my family is doing, all of whom live in the Midwest.”

Mary Ann Prelock

Prelock is one of the many seniors who are joining Facebook and other social networking sites at a fast clip. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 33 percent of people 65 and older are using social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. That’s up from 26 percent in 2010 and 13 percent in 2009, the survey shows.

The attraction to social media is understandable. For many it’s the quickest and best spot to check out what children and grandchildren are up to. That’s become especially true for those who have family who are spread out geographically.

“Our kids have forced us to move into the new age,” says White Sands La Jolla resident Carolyn Shadle.

Shadle joined Facebook two years ago to keep in touch
with children who are in Idaho and New York, among other places. Her oldest daughter was the one who suggested she set up a page if she wanted to keep tabs on her children’s
busy lives.

“When I first got on, I felt like a voyeur,” says Shadle. She’s now posting comments and pictures from her travels a couple of times a month.

“I gradually accepted it, and then I began sharing my thoughts,” she says.

Jane Humphrey

Others are still experiencing a bit of a social media learning curve. Windsor resident Jane Humphrey took a few one-on-one sessions earlier this year at her local Apple store to learn more about Facebook, Twitter and other aspects of the online world. She thought the sessions would help improve her blog,
“Manorisms,” which she has been writing for the past
five years.

Humphrey, who moved to Windsor in 2009 and often takes her readers for a spin around the community via her blog, wanted to learn how to post videos, photos and other media on her page. It’s a work in progress, she says. “I don’t totally understand Facebook and Twitter, but when I had a question the trainer would always help me out. I hope to go back.”

Royal Oaks resident Thelma Heinrich held off for many years before joining a social networking site. She had only recently begun to text, she says. “I sent my first text to my grandson and just said, ‘Hello.’ His response was, ‘Grandma?’” She laughs.

Heinrich says her daughter-in-law helped her set up her Facebook page last summer. While she’s still not completely comfortable with the site, she’s found a few good reasons to stick with it.

“I found a cousin I hadn’t heard from in a long time, about 10 to 15 years,” she says. “I’m happy to be on Facebook for that.”

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