Digital Literacy For Dummies

Though I live in Brazil, I first found Digital Literacy for Dummies, by Faithe Wempen, a long way from home, in a library in Montreal, Canada. It was one of those improbable meetings – I mean between myself and the book. I bought the book and enjoyed it from first to last page. I discovered that I hadn't had a meeting with a book, but rather with its author – as it should happen in every book we read. Through her clear and organized sentences, I was able to see Ms. Wempen mind – clear and organized, but not juiceless. One should not expect poetry in a book about technology, but the very fact that ideas are so cleanly and logically presented is a kind of poetry by itself. So, I found myself reading the book on weekends, when I usually would read light fiction. It was effortless and even pleasurable to learn about technology presented in so precise and clear terms. The book covers such a wide scope – the whole breadth of IT for the personal user – in just the right depth: not too shallow to frustrate you, not too deep to overwhelm you. Just the right balance to make you feel the water, but with your feet on the ground. And that ground has freed me to go deeper. In Digital Literacy for Dummies I could find in one place everything I needed to give me a solid grasp in this world and also to confirm (or desmystify) ideas that I had. How wonderful it is when you confirm what you know by reading somebody else's knowledge and experience. I am an author myself, and I know how much effort must have taken Mrs. Wempen in order to save us from having to spend a lot of effort to be more self-reliant in matters of computers. Because, yes, making things simple it's a hard task. Thank you, Ms. Wempen; this book will remain a reference to me. And while time will take away its value as a reference about computers, it will never take away its value as something done with so much care.

I was hoping to learn details about Google, Apple, smartphones and computers in detail, because often I get confused when either one of those ask me to change my password or do whatever and I can't tell who is who. I sometimes complain to Apple, for example, and they tell me: this is a Verizon issue. This book does not do that. It gives a lot of background information that I don't find useful or already know it.

I was really in need of something to help me to learn Twitter usage better, this is more for people learning about computers. I did not find what I needed but kept it for a reference book in case I have an issue with my computer, it may come in handy.

Part's Are True And Part's Are False. It's A Good Book

Not what I expected

Very helpful!

Very detailed and easy to read.

Painfully outdated. These types of books need to be updated more frequently given pace of technology.