1. Suggestion: get some more critical acumen when it comes to reading blog posts and comments. I mean…why should or would you believe what I wrote? You didn’t ask for my sources or how I arrived at my conclusions. I’m pretty confident when I indicate the observations, because I’ve been studying the dynamics for several months now, I have a pioneer in the field as a guide and mentor (recently received a copy of her new book), plus I spent a lot of time in the generational marketing track at a recent conference (held the same time as Joe’s speaking gig, except this one boasted close to 900 attendees and it came from a more targeted group of programmers/marketers in lifelong learning). The thing is, hearing and reading about something and judging it against your own experiences and POV is one thing, but to make sure it’s empirical knowledge you have to test the theory with others. And that’s what I’ve been doing in the last couple of months, asking colleagues, friends, family and acquaintances about how they prefer to receive and process knowledge, group dynamics and relationships, etc. Sometimes the person will ask me, “OK, tell me about the preferences of my generation?” Almost without fail, I get a kind of “OMG, that is SO me” kind of reaction.

But, again, don’t automatically believe me. Test it. Or look for other subject experts or sources that either concur or disagree with what I’ve said. And don’t just do it within the confines of the people you know in the blogosphere, particularly the niche groups. Widen your circle.

2. Interesting bit of information (as yet unverified) I heard about this a.m. when chatting with someone from the marketing department (Gen Y) while getting coffee, which goes back to the suggestion that your generation is hard-wired differently. He was telling me that someone was studying the way the various generations use doorbells. Up until now, the preferred digit of choice was the forefinger (a.k.a. second digit or pointer finger); however, it appears that *your* generation tends to use the thumb. The thumb has moved up in the utility index, because the younger generations have become so adept using it in computer games, PDAs, etc.

I find that fascinating! Now I’m going to spend a bit of time observing/asking Gen Y whether this is true or not! Cheers, Judy

I feel you on younger generations wanting to get through the meeting. I feel sick of this conversation already.

Only kidding. I suppose you’re basing that off some personal experience with both groups and your observations with each. I wouldn’t say that’s my experience at all, but I’m you have more than I.

Shafer’s quote is a good one. Simplicity and clarity is something I always strive for in communicating. There’s nothing that frustrates me more than feeling as if all my effort in communicating was wasted because there was a misunderstanding.

I think social media, naturally, will get simpler. That seems to be the trend with most technology. Not all, but most. Hopefully simplifying it will create larger potential for use and implementation.

Thanks for the conversation. I’ve learned quite a bit, which is why I’m here.

Have a good weekend yourself.

Interestingly, for in-person meetings, traditionally it’s the boomers who want to talk all subjects to death and ensure that everyone has a voice and say and is feeling “comfortable” with the final decisions. Gen X just wants to vote on decisions, plow through the agenda quickly, end the meeting so they can get on with the work day and be out the door by 5 p.m. (Meetings with boomers tend to make them crazy). These are all generalizations, of course.

Why doesn’t that translate to more boomers wanting to participate in online conversations? I’d hazard a guess that most find them rather artificial, in both the (lack of) speed (i.e., not asynchronous) and the responses of people. Boomers tend to be more touchy feely, wanting to look directly into someone’s eyes and monitor responses, etc. In sharp contrast, I’m still amazed how teenagers will be in constant communication with friends by IM, e-mail and phone for several hours each evening…even though the friend lives on the same street. (Technology is preferred to in-person contact.)

I have no grand design on the future of all social media, but as mentioned, I see distinct possibilities for lifelong learning for the near and farther future. What education needs to do is adapt the range of tools and accessibility to suit the next-generation of learners and workers. So, information is provided in chunks, through a variety of formats. The learner gets to pick and choose how to access (print, online or audio/individual or group) and in what order to learn. (As opposed to linear learning.) There are downsides to this, but I won’t go into them here.

Today, Jyotika Malhotra, writing in the AIMS blog, published a great quote from Ken Schafer, VP of marketing at Tucows Inc. and publisher and contributing editor at One Degree (www.onedegree.com).

The question I asked key industry types: What are three professional resolutions, goals, to dos or things you’d like to try in 2007?

Ken Shafer: “My resolution this year is simple…. Kill complexity every chance I get. I’m so tired of EVERYTHING being so complicated. Getting clarity and simplicity in what I do and say is crucial for me this year.”

I think Ken’s vision would make SM “more useful.”

http://www.blog.aimscanada.com/aims_canada/2007/01/resolutions_200_2.html

Here’s wishing you a weekend full of fruitful conversations, online or off the grid….

Couldn’t agree more on the complacency and crowd mentality. When I first began participating in blogging and social media it seemed as though there was a lot more of it than now. It was almost as if everyone was saying, “Hey I’m here like you, so you must know what you’re talking about.”

Now I see more disagreements and debates, some of them even getting personal over issues. I don’t monitor much outside the PR realm, but I imagine there’s a bit of the same elsewhere as well.

It is indeed true that I was born post-1980. Nice use of the French/English by the way.

If I understand correctly, you’re saying that older generations, though some may use social media, might not necessarily care for conversation or participation because they are accustomed to receiving information differently. But we also agree that at some point there will be a tipping point in which participation and conversation are accepted as the norm of social media?

When you say ‘more useful,’ what do you have in mind for social media’s future?

I don’t disagree that it could be more useful. And perhaps it’s because I’m younger, but I’ve already found much use in using social media to keep up with news and information about my future profession. Progress, though, is nearly always a good thing.

But don’t forget the other reality that must be acknowledged: that there is a huge segment of the population in the developed world–generally the ones still in the positions of power and leadership–who learned to access and process information differently. Yes, a small percentage of the (defined) generations have glommed on to social media in a big way (with the forward flank serving as relentless cheerleaders, critical mass be damned), but many, many more aren’t interested/don’t care about online participation and conversation. (They use the Internet, but primarily for straight research and commerce.) It remains to be seen when the tipping point will happen, I’m guessing it will be when social media becomes more useful, relevant and intuitive to daily work and personal life.

For the record, generational learning, marketing, preferences and relationships (especially within the work environment) is of enormous interest and use to me. I also see huge potential and possibilities for social media, particularly in the learning sphere, which is why I originally made reference to The Commission on Public Relations Education’s chapter on Communications Technology. Although, as yet, I remain unconvinced that the current iteration of blogs, audio and video bytes, etc., will prove defining in the long run, I’m certainly willing to debate the issues in a collegial and congenial fashion and environment. I’m willing to be dazzled, stimulated and (maybe) convinced with acuity, but I get bored and dulled by comfortable (and unproven) complacencies, crowd mentalities and wagon-circling.

Owen, I did note (positively) that you addressed my ideas rather than criticizing me on a personal basis. Two SM brownie points there. Cheers.

The faster pace of development is how things get implemented anymore.

However I think social media does use newfangled tools and adapt them to old ways of doing, but informing and entertaining as print and broadcast media is only half of social media. The other half is the participation and conversation, which is a huge difference.

Some will use it negatively, but sometimes that’s just as important as the positive.

“My goodness, Judy .. what linkcircles do you travel in?”

That is, if there is a real question buried there. Quite frankly, it’s the kind of “attitude” remark that makes me less enthusiastic about the social media in general. That being the idea that only the cheerleaders are allowed to comment and debate the issues in online forums? Of course, you indicating that connection and conversation are “messy” and “loaded” words speaks volumes in and of themselves….

I am very interested in social media, but I think what we have right now is boomers and older gen Xers trying to take newfangled tools and adapt them to old ways of doing, but without the research and reflective thinking that went into something like print (and to a lesser extent) broadcast media . Whereas for the younger generations it just IS the predominant way to learn and communicate. Not the only one, but the one they know best and enjoy the most.

My goodness, Judy .. what linkcircles do you travel in ? There has been an abundance of negative, criticial and ill-informed press on blogging, social software and social media .. almost as much as the significant volume of cheerleading.

We’re all still new at it, and many many “content providers” will struggle in the first, second and additional attempts to become more-social media.

It IS about connection and conversation, and all the messiness that accompanies both of those loaded words. It will not disappear, it will grow (it can’t not) and attempts to control and regulate (which IMO will come) will teach us all a lot. These are new conditions, and wrt use in and by organizations we have at least 50 years of various degrees of unlearning to undertake while at the same time learning more about these new conditions and dynamics. There’s lots of hierarchy DNA that we have to examine and probably use differently.

it will certainly make for interesting work as PR professionals for the next decade or two.

People who are already into it will be more likely to attend a conference where people share tips and war stories with each other.

Besides, whoever said blogs were up for adoption, anyway. Their parents Egotism and Fanaticism are happily married…