A Day on the Internet and Life in this Digital World
Published February 1, 2010I recently had a conversation with a fellow web designer about the sheer magnitude of the internet and how much data we transfer back and forth every day. It really is amazing when you stop to think about how quickly and flawlessly we’re able to send and receive emails, text messages, and other files from one city or country to another without even a hiccup. Even while I write this blog posting I’m transferring multiple gigabytes of data to my server halfway across the country. I can still recall when I was 10 years old my dad brought home a 14.4 Kb modem and we dialed up for the first time ever… boy did I get hooked! So much that the internet has become my career and virtual office. We sure have come a long way over the past fifteen years. One can only fathom what’s to come in the upcoming decade.
Below is an illustration that a friend of mine sent to me that attaches some statistics to all this tweeting and messaging that we take for granted every morning when we boot up our computers. If all these stats are correct then this article makes 900,001 blog posting today.
Baby Boomers and Social Media Awareness
Published February 1, 2010Source: Center for Media Research
According to a new study conducted by CPH Research on behalf of Continuum Crew, Baby Boomer-aged respondents’ anxiety has shifted from the collapse of the economy to the cost of health care. Most significant is the shift in the media consumption of this age group, as the only media activity to rise dramatically was time spent on the Internet.
This is one of several insights on the emergence of the new ‘social media maven’ among Baby Boomers, and indicates that social media has significantly carved out time generally reserved for traditional media.
Baby Boomers/Boomers are defined as the generation born between 1946 and 1964, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Generation Jones, coined by television director Jonathan Pontell, is commonly considered to be those born between 1954 and 1964, representing the younger segment of Boomers. Generation Ike (Ikes) are those born between 1934 and 1945.
Top Findings on anxiety and life events of Boomers are:
- Anxiety about the economy has decreased in the past year (46% indicated it as the issue they were ‘very nervous’ about in 2008); now the issue of most concern is cost of healthcare, as indicated by 49% in 2009.
- For older parents more adult children are moving back home than are leaving it. This is a previously unprecedented finding within this research series, and markedly shows that Boomers’ lives are in transition.
- Boomers are now re-framing the notion of frugal living into the idea of simplicity. Children moving back in with parents, or delaying leaving their parent’s home, is likely having an effect on the family dynamic and household, which may mean an inclination to the return of the extended family structure of the World War II era.
Top findings on media consumption are:
- Ikes and Boomers still use traditional media more than those of Generation Jones or Generation X, but not all Boomers consume media in the same way, the biggest gap being between older and younger Boomers. This is most striking within traditional print media, with high consumption by older Boomers of newspapers and magazines. Continue reading
Posted in Social Media | 
baby boomers, Facebook, Generation Jones, Generation X, Social Media, Social Media Maven, Twitter | Leave a commentBoomer Sassmann to speak at “Talk of the town: Using Social Media to create buzz”
Published September 7, 2009In this economy, businesses small and large are striving to pull ahead of the crowd- to be heard above the cacophony in the marketplace.
Social Media (ie: Blogs, Facebook,You Tube, Twitter, Flikr, etc) are unique platforms to engage your target audience and create the kind of viral buzz that can make or break your business. These days, consumers want to do business with people they know and trust. And we can effectively forge these relationships, without breaking the bank, using Social Media.
The “Talk of the Town” Workshop Series will delve extensively into each mode of social media, and include knowledgeable speakers as well as peer coaching. We will come alongside you as you navigate the world of new media and customize it to suit your needs.
- Instead of talking into the sea of people and hoping one will hear, learn how to inspire others to talk about you in a positive way!
- Reach out and draw consumers to your message through “permission marketing.”
- Discover how to make Social Media work for you, with specifically tailored workshops and peer coaching, abandoning the “one size fits all” approach!
- Teaming with successful bloggers and social media users to promote your message.
- Overcome the publicity challenges unique to a small town!
Future “Talk of the Town” events will be held monthly, and may be purchased individually or as part of a package. Prices start at $30 per session.
The Introductory Breakfast will be an overview of our “Talk of the Town” Series on using social media (Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, and more) to create buzz for your business. The minimal fee includes a deluxe continental breakfast and a private room facility at the Broyhill Inn.
Speakers/Coaches include:
Scott Dickson is the President of Dickson Interactive, LLC. Scott has been helping businesses and organizations define and reach their target audiences for nearly 15 years. A veteran of traditional media advertising, including broadcast, newspapers, and magazines, Scott embraced the digital world when he became the Director of Online Sales for Media General in the NC region and as a Director of Business Development for the real-estate portal, Listingbook.com. After meeting success in the digital world, Scott realized there was a dire need for businesses to optimize their online marketing strategies to take advantage of the culture shift to the digital world. For the past 3 years, Scott has acted as both a consultant and project manager to help lead customers through the digital maze, maximizing their online presence with organic search engine optimization, usability and functionality analysis, competitive intelligence, conversion metrics, analytics, content development, distribution and social media marketing. A graduate of Appalachian State with a BS in Communications, Scott is also a published author and accomplished musician.
Boomer Sassmann is the President and Digital Technology Director for Big Boom Design. For over a decade Boomer has been building progressive, straightforward, and striking websites that combine the perfect mixture of form and function. His fascination with the internet and website design began in the mid 90’s before the days of Google. At that time website design and search engine techniques were fairly simple compared to today’s standards. Boomer began teaching himself Flash Animation and started incorporating these animations into his website projects whenever possible. This interest in Flash (motion) based websites forced him to become an expert in search engine optimization. As the internet continued to evolve, so did Boomers’ interest. First it was the Open Source movement followed by Content Management based websites, also known as blogs. This “worldly” knowledge of the internet gives Boomer an uncanny ability to select the perfect platform to build any type of website, no matter how complex. Basic HTML, Animated Flash, Content Management, and of course Blog design are all offered by Boomer and his staff at Big Boom Design. A graduate from Appalachian State University with a degree in Industrial Design, Boomer also works on the side tinkering with electric cars and sustainable building designs.
