The difference between Gen Y and Gen Plus. You Tube.
Gen Plussers, 50 plussers, Boomers, children of the 60's...whatever you want to call us...this group of 78 million strong...there is one thing we cherish and will reluctantly give up. Our privacy. I should know. I've been blogging for several years, now. Hundreds of you subscribe and many of you email me. Often. But how many of you feel comfortable or confident making a comment on a post? Very few of you.
Oh, sure, you try to reply to the subscription email that arrives in your inbox and hope that will work (kinda sorta). It doesn't, by the way. Others of you click onto the title or head to the blog site and decide that today is the day you will put your words in a comment. And then you stop. Because it is darn tootin' scary. For us. For the Boomers and 50 plussers who live by our shredders, who won't create a my space or blog.
Well, I cracked up last night listening to the news of a young Mass. man who gave out his cell phone number on You Tube (the video site, where anyone can download/upload their video for the world to see!!) and has received over 5000 phone calls and text messages from strangers who just want to chat. From ALL over the world. WE are afraid to anonymously blog and HE is giving his number, his name, his city and his face out to the world. Forever! If there ever was a clearer illustration of the differences between Gen Y and 50 Plus, this has to be it. My hat is off to Ryan Fitzgerald, the young man, and to his generosity of spirit and sense of adventure. Love it! Won't be doing it myself, mind you...but LOVE it! To see the You Tube broadcast and fall in love with Ryan yourself, just click on this link.
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4 comments:
Hi Wendy!
I’m right there with you: I will not be uploading a video to You Tube, at least, not any time soon.
Still, like you, I also wonder about the privacy preference. I often run across the reluctance of many mid-life individuals to set up a face-to-face networking meeting for career management – let alone post a blog comment, or even put up a LinkedIn profile! Yet, the world is changing in ways that seem to demand putting oneself “out there.”
Increasingly recruiters and employers are using Google to learn about prospective employees. So, at a minimum, I think a person in career transition needs to begin using online networking tools to begin establishing an online identity. Oh, and by the way, using such tools is a great way to connect with other people and grow one’s network.
So, while we may not exactly want to invite the world to give us a call, at least we can help make important connections to help each other with our careers and lives. Who knows? It might even help recapture the exuberance we felt when we loudly exalted “My Generation.”
P.S. You can find a great post on ways to use LinkedIn on Guy Kawasaki’s blog, here: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/ten_ways_to_use.html
Walter, as usual, you hit the nail on the head. Many employers will "google" or "yahoo" potential hires...especially in management positions to see what type of profile comes up on the internet. LinkedIn is a GREAT networking site and a wonderful opportunity to create a web presence without fear of unwanted exposure.
Wendy
what a surprise--thought it was the 60-plus group who did not leave comments due to techphobia. have you seen the button "would it kill ya to comment" on some blogs? i've considered that.
-naomi, seventy-plus
Well, bless you, Naomi. I've not seen that button, but I can understand why a blogger would use it! It is a wonderful, wonderful feeling to receive a comment (good or bad) from a reader. So, you come on back anytime! Your comments are most welcome.
Wendy
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