This story is part of an ongoing series of profiles by CNN about economic survival in this time of financial crisis.



Jean Lindsay records a video telling people to get out of their nightgowns and look for work.



(CNN) -- Jean Lindsay, a spunky 67-year-old with two masters' degrees, panicked after she failed to land a job in the garden center of a Lowe's home-improvement store.



She started to wonder whether a woman of her age ever would be able to find work. She worried about her debt, and weeks of unemployment were turning into months.



After the job interview, she stayed up most of the night in the fits of an anxiety attack -- vomiting and huddling under the bedcovers with her two dogs.



"God, I felt like I was falling off the ends of the earth," she said.



A few days later, though, she tossed on a red sweater, plopped down in front of her computer, flipped on her Web camera -- and, suddenly, while streaming her story onto the Internet, things seemed OK.



"I know I can count on you to send me great letters of support and cheer," Lindsay told viewers on CNN's iReport.com. "And remember, if you're going through this, I'm going through it too. There are lots of us going through this." Watch Lindsay's post



For Lindsay, like many people these days, the Internet has become both a tool for economic recovery and a cure for isolation. iReport.com: Share your survivor story



At a time when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that 1.07 million people 55 and older are unemployed and looking for work, the Internet is an increasingly useful tool for older people looking for jobs and a sense of community, said Deborah Russell the AARP's director of workforce issues.



"It's a great way of being able to network with people who are either in a similar situation or who may have some resources to help you," she said.



The number of people who need this help is on the rise. Some older people are delaying retirement because of the economic recession; and, according to an analysis by the AARP Public Policy Institute, those who are looking for work typically search for about a third longer than people younger than 55.  Watch how one senior goes back to school for a living »



Lindsay had been out of work for about three months before her brother gave her a Web camera for Christmas last year.



Almost immediately, she was hooked.



Her brother intended her to use the Web cam mostly to communicate with family members who are spread out across the country, she said. But Lindsay didn't stop there. She got a creative jolt from filming quirky videos of her own. So, she started posting video monologues for the Internet world to see.



In the past three weeks, she's posted nearly 40 videos on iReport. Her most popular video -- in which she talks about depression while wearing a plaid nightgown -- has been viewed by more than 140,000 people.



"I was in my nightgown at noon, and I wasn't getting at the job search very fast, and I thought, 'this is instructive,' " she said, laughing.



She signs off from the video simply: "Get up, and get out!" Watch Lindsay's tips for getting out of the house



Her own advice compelled her to do the same.



Lindsay says sharing her failures as well as successes online is cathartic, but she also hopes it's helpful for people in similar circumstances.



She's not shy about saying that she suffers from mild bipolar disorder. This economy can push people into depression and mental illness, she said, and she wants people to know they're not alone.



The same goes for her job search.



"This has really invigorated me," she said of her forays with a virtual persona. "It's something where I've had success. And the job search is not always successful -- it's dealing with a lot of
What is Jean Lindsay's advice to  unemployed older people? What was her advice? Who is Jean Lindsay?
get out of their nightgowns and look for work. get out of their nightgowns and look for work. a spunky 67-year-old with two masters' degrees, panicked after she failed to land a job in the garden center of a Lowe's home-improvement store.
question: What is Jean Lindsay's advice to  unemployed older people?, answer: get out of their nightgowns and look for work. | question: What was her advice?, answer: get out of their nightgowns and look for work. | question: Who is Jean Lindsay?, answer: a spunky 67-year-old with two masters' degrees, panicked after she failed to land a job in the garden center of a Lowe's home-improvement store.