Social Networking for Geezers

I have a confession to make: I'm over 50. Despite that, I lead a full Internet life. I surf the web, use search engines, create blogs, upload videos, join in on chats and, in general, socialize online. I'm not the only one, either. General impressions to the contrary, social networking is not just a young person's game. Just as the race is not always to the swift, the social networking world is not always for the young. In the last few years, sites like My Space and Face Book have been getting some competition from old comers like Eons and BoomerTowne. There are some Boomer blogs out there, too.

Social networking for boomers is a relatively new phenomenon. This surprises me, given the size of this demographic. Boomers may not spend every waking minute in front of their computers, but they certainly do use them. What's more, baby boomers have the income and time that younger folks often lack. Perhaps social networkers assume that older people are afraid of their computers. Perhaps they assume that we don't really know how to use them. Nonsense! Who taught all those new employees? We’re just as capable of pointing and clicking as is anyone else. We love to shop, as any retailer will tell you. We enjoy socializing with our peers and keeping up with the latest news. We baby boomers have our own set of needs: healthcare, retirement, etc.

Social networking sites for older users take all of that into account. One of the better-known sites, Eons, even has its own age-appropriate search engine. There are book clubs, "getting to know you" social clubs, travel information, site-based blogs and places for health, relationship-building, elder care, humor, games, money, careers - you name it. It's fun and, like its younger relatives, it's also free. You can laugh to the latest joke, and engage in a political discussion, watch a video, discuss a favorite book or recommend one and, in general, have a wonderful time. All you need is a computer and the desire to use it. Come on in - the water's fine!

www.eons.com
www.boomertowne.com
www.boomergirl.com
www.boomerwomenspeak.com/index.php
www.aginghipsters.com/

Here We Go A'Blogging

I'm a blogging junkie. I have accounts on almost all of the major blogging services: WordPress, Blogger, Vox, Live Journal, Xanga, Podbean, Podcastpeople and TypePad. Some I use regularly, others have yet to see more than the light of day. It depends on the need, my mood and - in some cases - on the others in my blog "neighborhood." Most of these services are either free (at least in their basic form) or extremely inexpensive.

As far as I'm concerned, bogging is the poster child of Web 2.0. For those not in the know, Web 2.0 is a catch-all phrase describing the "new," interactive generation of internet use. If you've heard of YouTube, Wikipedia or MySpace, for example, you're already familiar with the concept. You can interact with others in a number of ways and they can interact with you. You can post your videos or audios online where others can see and/or hear it. They can rate your posts and send you theirs. You can tell others as little or as much as you'd like and they can do the same. It brings the concept of "community" to an entirely new level (although not always a healthy or safe one).

I use blogs primarily for my public and private writing projects. I can collaborate with other writers. Everything is on one place in a blog. It's there forever (or for as long as you want it there) and your chosen group of readers or writers can access it and add to it.

Most of my fiction writing projects are on WordPress, which allows me to have multiple authors and multiple blogs on my one account. Since we've already got outlines for seven novels, I can add additional blogs as needed to accommodate them. I also have a private blog on WordPress, along with some humorous ones that are open to the public.

On the other hand, I use Blogger for my family blogs. I love this type of blogging and have a blog for my immediate family in Buffalo, NY (I'm in Boston, MA) and for my husband's family as well. These are invitation-only blogs, to protect privacy.

Why did I choose WordPress for one and Blogger for the other? Chance, mostly, as well as features. Both WordPress as well as Blogger allow me to create more than one blog per account and also to have multiple blog authors. That was my main criteria.

I also have some "neighborhood" type blogs. These are a bit more social in nature, akin to some of the social networking sites like MySpace. In this case, however, the activity is centered on the blog postings. From there you can "friend" others (i.e., add them to your friends lists), join groups and in general create a little community of like-minded users. It's one more way of getting to know people around this little world of ours. I have accounts on Live Journal, Xanga and on Vox for these purposes. Go ahead: click on the links. You're welcome to have a look!

At some point in the near future I'll be writing about audio and video blogging as well. For now, here's an introduction to the subject:


Gabcast! Blog Updates #1