So what is it with the Baby Boomers and technology? I mean, I was among the first generation to use computers to compose stories and layout publications. Computers saved time and were so much easier to use than paper, typewriters, carbon paper and correction tape. Working on main frame workstations, then the first desktops that took 15 minutes to load the operating system and programs from diskettes was a bit tedious at times, but I never wanted to go back to clunky typewriters and hand-drawn layout sheets.
I figured that everyone in my generation embraced the new technology with the same eager excitement. Boy, was I wrong. Looking around today, I am amazed that many of my Baby Boomer family members and friends are still reluctant technology users. To use pop slang: #boomerfail.
I decided to do some research and find out if the phenomenon exists outside my little world. Guess what? It does. (It's probably something you already knew ... and that's why you're here.) So I decided to refocus my blog on making some of the new technology ... especially the Internet and web-based communication tools like social networks ... more easily understood by my generation.
What keeps nagging at me is this: Why are Boomers reluctant to dive into the technology world? The researchers at Deloitte, an international management consulting firm, might have one answer. Last fall, they published a paper titled Gen Y-ers, Baby Boomers & Technology: Worlds Apart?
It’s a common perception that older workers don’t understand new communication technologies such as e-mail, instant messaging and intranet. The conventional wisdom is that these workers simply are too rooted in traditional technologies to adopt something new.
However, research findings indicate it is geography more than age that influences an employee’s technological preferences. Older workers in emerging nations are quicker to embrace technology communications than their counterparts in industrialized nations.
Now wait a second! Maybe the older workers in emerging nations aren't rooted in traditional technologies as much as we Americans are. The report doesn't address that. (It does have some good tips on using the communication tools that worker prefer, but that's another topic.)
Searching more, I found a study done by TV Land called the Joy of Tech. The thesis is that Boomers want technology to simplify their lives, especially entertainment. Hmmm, seems like a lot of the new web-based technologies are anything but simple. Here's a typical social network: Create your account, verify your account, change the default password, set up your profile, find your friends, set up mobile devices, find groups, join groups.
So perhaps, the complexity of much of the new technology is the stumbling block.
Armed with this insight, a recent study by Forrester Research (summarized quite well by ReadWriteWeb) makes much more sense to me. Sarah Perez at ReadWriteWeb summarizes it this way:
A new report from Forrester Research revealed some surprising information: apparently Baby Boomers aren't exactly the technology Luddites that people think they are. In fact, more than 60 percent of those in this generational group actively consume socially created content like blogs, videos, podcasts, and forums. What's more, the percentage of those participating is on the rise. ...
The best bets for getting Boomers interested in your content is to create blogs or videos that relate to the life or work-style of Boomers, Forrester suggests. And if you're looking for feedback and contributions from the Boomers themselves - like comments or criticisms - make that process dead simple. Don't introduce overly complex sign up forms or processes. Instead, encourage low-effort contributions such as star ratings.
So that's when I had a clear vision of what The Tech World According to Anne could be... a place where Boomers can get simplified introductions, help and hand-holding on getting the most from the Web 2.0 world. You might not need or use everything here. That's okay. Our mission is to make all those buzz words bouncing around today ... like Twitter and Facebook and blogging and more ... easy and accessible.
I have lots of tweaking to do to make the site more aligned with my vision. Looks like my helping you is going to help me too!
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The Practical Travel section over on the New York Times web site has an interesting article today titled 
Call me a Pollyanna, but I believe that Google's concern about providing the best search has our best interest at heart. Some folks think that changes in Google's search algorithms are just to keep Internet marketers on their toes... well, that may be a result, which isn't necessarily a bad (or even good) thing. The goal is to make search results more relevant to us, their humble readers.
(The subtitle is "And how it could work a little bit better." More on that later.)
First, a little background: I've always considered myself forward thinking. Way back in high school, I was the first girl to take mechanical drawing. (It was the only "art" related class at our school. Yes, it was that long ago.) We bought our first desktop computer before desktop computers were common on office desktops. My husband tinkers with all kinds of gadgets and built and rebuilt so many electronic things (including computers) around the house that I've lost track. I used the first generation of MS FrontPage, and my first web page dates back almost 15 years.
The folks over at 