Encouraging the use of the Internet

During the first decade of the 21st century, the impact of the internet began, slowly at first, to gain momentum, as Broadband extended across the country. It is difficult to believe now that prior to broadband,the only access to the Internet was by a 'dial-up' service that operated at 64bps. The process used to take several minute, during which one was entertained by sound effects that were popularly described as 'a host of angels eating crisps'. Images had to be very low resolution if they were not to take ages to load. Web site designers generally worked on a resolution of 800 x 500pixels, and as a rule of thumb kept pages down to an absolute maximum of 100Kb.Winsham got Broadband in 2004, after much lobbying. Winsham Web Museum then felt that it had an obligation to encourage people to use it, at the same time running training courses for residents. Below are pictures of displays used to publicise its efforts. These were produced by Roy Smart. The biggest coup for Winsham Web Museum at that time (2004) was the agreement from the Millennium Book Committee to allow it to be put onto the Winsham Web Museum. This was a massive project that took months. It was also a major learning experience for those responsible for the web site, bearing mind that web design software was still fairly primitive by today's standards, and experience very limited. Although the web site version will never match the experience of handling the actual book, which is now in the custodianship of the Parish Council, the web version is always available to be read, making the hard work carried out in the production of the book in time for the Millennium celebrations, all the more worthwhile. Leading from this the Jubilee Hall from 2007 onwards ran a series of courses for residents ,using its six PCs , ranging from basic introductory courses to photo editing. Some courses ran for just a couple of sessions; others extended over six or eight weeks. A lot of emphasis was also placed on the rapidly evolving digital camera. Talks were also given to the children at Winsham Primary School, and a computer club was formed, when expert s would come and give talks. Self-help was a major aspect of the club's activities, whose motto was 'The blind leading the blind'!Heady days that seemed to pass quickly as people became more expert, and as hardware and software became easier to use. And then came the explosion in the use of Wi-Fi ,portable devices and the Smart Phone.(2016)

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