So it appears that I will be attending Quilt Market 2010 in just Two Short Weeks! Melissa's book is launching officially at Quilt Market, she'll be signing books and...
Today on the HubSpot blog I'm attacking one of my (least) favorite internet memes -- that social media is somehow a generational thing, that "kids these days" are somehow wired differently, and that boomers and other, older generations either (a) aren't using these tools, or (b) don't or can't "get it."
Horse hockey, I say.
Read the whole post, Are You Too Old For Social Media.
A related concept that has also always irked me is the concept of the "digital native." As if the year of your birth somehow confers special skills and aptitudes on a person.
Please.
You know what confers skill and aptitude? Practice does, for starters. Diligent, sustained effort works, too.
Ever wonder why "kids these days" are such "naturals" at all things internet? It's because they've had all this free time in their youth to practice. It's all about time spent learning, not time spent on this planet.
I am far more of a "digital native" than many a Gen Y-er, despite my 1971 birthdate, simply because I have spent many hours over the years learning and practicing, messing about and getting my arms dirty up to my elbows in this stuff.
The good news is this:
You are not disqualified from any of this because of your date of birth.
If you want to recuse yourself from the investment of work and time involved in learning a new skill, that's totally fine -- it's entirely up to you. But please stop leaning on this particular excuse to do so.
It's just another new skill to be acquired, and like any new skill, requires practice, discipline, and sustained effort.
Does that sound like a young person's game to you?
