Web site targets seniors uncomfortable with 'Net

Targeting baby boomers who are inexperienced with computers and the Internet, the livineasy.com gateway site was launched in April.

"This is the Web site where the Internet generation can send their parents," said 61-year-old Livineasy Inc. co-founder and president Barbara McLean in a Livineasy release.

Livineasy.com targets the 42 million to 44 million baby boomers who are interested in using the Internet, but just received a computer or are uncomfortable using one, the company states. This includes 7 million to 9 million adults who now use their computers for e-mail only.

Among AARP members, 38 percent (7.8 million) own a computer, and 17 percent are online. E-mail is their top reason for using the Internet, but seniors also use the Internet for information about travel, health and finance.

"There are currently 74 million men and women in the United States who are over 50 years old. Although they represent only 27 percent of the population, they have a combined annual personal income exceeding $2 trillion and control 70 percent of the total net worth of U.S. households nearly $9 trillion," McLean said in the release.

"The numbers are destined to rise dramatically for decades as the 78 million baby boomers advance into maturity. These people are a very attractive market for anyone who understands how to reach them," she added.

Livineasy.com offers information on such topics as computer and Internet training; tips for first-time computer users; free stuff; health; lifestyles; home and hearth; the workplace; our multicultural community; technology; entertainment and travel; finances; shopping online; and book reviews.

There are also columns about gardening, cooking, and beach living.

The Livineasy.com site states up front that it will not provide information on its users to anyone, and the site has earned the seal of the Better Business Bureau Online.