Geeks, as we all know, rule the world. Would you like to be one, too? Maybe you’re not quite geek enough. Maybe you know somebody who is crying out to be a geek, but they don’t know where to start.

Maybe – heavens, say it ain’t so – you don’t own a Blackberry. Or – and it’s best to whisper this part – even know what one is.

You’re in luck. Verizon, the US telecom company, is offering a series of classes for consumers that will not only reveal what their Blackberrys, PDAs and smartphones can do, but encourage them to use them, too. The program is based in NYC, appears to be free, but may be limited to Verizon clients (check with your supplier).

Now, king of the mountaintop geeks like you and I probably won’t be in need of such a class, but as mobile technology becomes more and more advanced (and feature-packed) it is having the potentially negative side-effect of alienating a lot of the older demographic. Verizon have realized, like many others will do if this turns out to be a hit, that that older demographic is extremely cash-rich, but are less than likely to part with their hard-saved dollars on a Blackberry Bold – and that cash-cow of a monthly contract – if they can’t even figure out how to turn the darn thing on.

The classes, which promise tips on texting, music synchronisation and mobile-based email, could be a potential goldmine, and potentially the start of a mass re-education of the populace. Free classes could be made available for everything. If Google spent ten minutes a week teaching people how to use just their search function properly, let alone all of their other features, I’m pretty confident the world would be a happy, shinier place.

Tags: Blackberry