Boomers ? You don’t Impress me Much !

Do you believe that Boomers can contribute to society, rather than be a hindrance ? I do. I am a Boomer, semi retired for eight years, and run a small bookkeeping business. I worked in high technology for 35 years, am well travelled, worked on multiple continents, and did a one year secondment in the UK. My working life in Finance, Manufacturing, Operations and Business Development, the last few on a global scale, tempered and informed  my view of the world. These experiences, added to a major health event I had that gave me a new lease on life,  broadened my view of the challenges we face as a society, and also increased my optimism of what the Boomers could do to fix things, if properly motivated.

I love to read about current events, and daily devour multiple magazines and videos on the what, who, and why of our society, with a real interest in the future. This exposure, which is way more interesting that fiction, paired with my life experiences, give me a unique view of my fellow Boomers, the potential reasons they are sitting on the couch, and what it might take to nudge them into action.  Hopefully enough to start to break the “Me Generation” into participants in the “Share” economy. So, using humor, I will try to produce interesting content that gets them thinking about issues that need fixing, while increasing their motivation to participate in activities they would not have even contemplated previously.

I also have two daughters with families of their own. I have three grandkids, and I undertake this journey partly to ensure that the issues we leave behind do not hinder their own choices. Perhaps of more personal importance, my daughters have started calling me a social dinosaur, and doing this work will keep me being a learning machine.  After all, it would be easy to shrug off the younger generation’s complaints, as ignorance. We had the same concerns when we were young, and look how well we turned out ! My problem with that view is that my parents did not ignore my issues, and were helpful in many ways when I needed them. So, maybe after some due consideration, it’s time to realize it’s our turn !

Social media talks about having a 140-character statement as a short “who are you” pitch.  In business we used to practice our elevator speech, a short hard-hitting answer we could give a senior executive when we met them, a way of making a positive first impression. In our hyper fast paced world, we have to be ready to answer the ” who are you, and what are you doing here” question. My pitch will be:

            Boomerswtf.com is a blog raising Boomers awareness that small positive actions can have a huge effect on the future wellbeing on our grandkids, while enhancing our own self worth and mood.

Simply put, my goal is to get Boomers to stop navel gazing, get off the couch, and get active in our communities towards improving our collective environment, one person at time. This will be tough, as Boomers are professional cynics. We  have seem every type of sales pitch, movie ending, and plot twist. Trying to put a proverbial stick of dynamite under their asses to get them off the couch and engaged will not be successful. It would only turn them off.

I am an optimist, as I believe that my cohort, defined loosely as people around the world aged55 to 75, are the recipients of a vibrant, liberal leaning, safe and wealthy society, thanks to our parents, the so-called Silent Generation. Using humor, I plan on introducing interesting ideas that lead to thought provoking conversations about the future, accentuating the positive aspects of helping fix some of the issues we face. Just like our parents willed us a peaceful planet upon which to grow their grandkids, it’s our turn to take our situation, and improve it.

While monetizing the blog is not in the plan, growth would help me reach a larger audience, perhaps funding a vBlog, or a local cable show, that could galvanize ever more converts to the cause of improving the prospects for our kids.

The blog will start on WordPress. Using Facebook and Twitter as tools to push my content out, I will use free analytics as an initial tool to understand where my audience is, and as the numbers grow, I will use any monetization to buy better analytical services, to hone my message .The blog will start as a weekly 1,000 word article, usually published on Friday, to be available for a weekend morning coffee read.  Any comments received or conversations started on the other social media outlets will help improve the effectiveness of my content. I am a learning machine, after all !  

My current SWOT analysis, a review of my situation and aspirations realistically, would look like this:

Strengths

            –  being retired, I have the time to read and research interesting content

            – my sense of humor will translate into readership.

            – I am not selling anything

            – my passion for this topic comes from family awareness.

            – as a “Ranter”, being extremely opinionated will drive readers to comment.           

            – I have a clear broad objective, am open to changing tactics as warranted.

            – I have a potential world wide audience, as there is no geographic limitations.

            – I have no need for financing.

            – blogging will hone my thinking skills, and help me become a better writer.

Weaknesses

            – I am not an acknowledged expert.

            – I lack educational credentials (i.e. sociology )

            – I am starting small, limiting my early potential audience

            – I stopped once before, and could lose interest again.

            – I have not set SMART Goals as of yet, as I have no data to analyze.

            – I do not know my actual audience characteristics yet, unable to zero in on their likes and dislikes.

            – my sense of humor could limit my audience

            – my opinions could get me “cancelled” !

Opportunities

            – few competitors target their message to Boomers specifically. Most pick a topic, not the audience.

            – I have no political agenda, will not drive 50% of my audience away.

            – overall social media audience continues to grow, not capped.

            – coming at Boomers obliquely, means less reason for reader to be turned off.

            – my reaction time to new events not hindered by large organizational issues.

            – Boomers are the largest cohort worldwide.

            – able to quickly pivot or refine my blog messaging based on results.

            – no financial issues, do not need to see quick public acceptance, can afford to slowly      

                        grow my audience, as opposed to competitors with a profit motive.

            – able to branch out as appropriate – for example, doing a recording of me reading my blogs.

– can adapt to new technology – no existing sunk costs.

            – could drive changes in the environment / education / debt issues.

            – available and open to partnerships that further my goals.

            – tools needed to interact with audience are cheap and available ( i.e. Hootsuite )

Threats:

            – there are millions of content producers, getting noticed will be challenging ( my main obstacle ).

            – potential audience is unknown.

            – talking heads on podcasts may get preferred eyeballs as known entities.

            – decreasing attention span issues could lower people’s interest in long blogs.

            – TikTok inspired video media pull potential readers off reading platforms.

            – lifestyle changes may lower need for my blog.

            – new government regulation on social media could inhibit my blog delivery strategy.

In conclusion, I believe I know my audience, because I am in it. I know my goal, because I am passionate about doing something to improve my kids path forward.  My potential market can be assumed, since there are lots of social media content producers today. How I grow my audience, how I tweak my goals, and how I manage my market will all be part of my blog journey. Paramount to that path are your comments and suggestions, so please initiate a conversation with me in the space below, and let’s get started.