Source: Karl Kapp presentation
Do you think that people on social networking and media are just teens and college students?
There is the well-known YouTube user, Geriatic 1927 who creates videos as a memoir of his WW2 days and has over 45,000 subscribers and 2 million views. And there are a number of bloggers in their 80's, but perhaps the best and most well-known is Millie Garfield. And, if they aren't blogging, they're reading, take for example the AARP Pet Pals Blog and the others identified in the comments here.
Saga, a social networking site for over 50 crowd launched last month according to this Guardian Article.
The site, which has been running in trial mode for four months, has more than 13,000 users so far - and the company hopes this will increase dramatically now it is officially open. "Older people aren't shy of using the internet - they have a verve for life that applies online as well as offline," said Paul Green, a Saga spokesman. "Thirteen thousand is just a drop in the ocean - in theory the membership is practically limitless. Social networking isn't going to be for everyone, but the feedback so far has knocked our socks off."
One wonders if this site will catch on or go the way of Eons which is struggling.
Yes, the social networking site demographics are aging, but maybe as fast as pace as other segments.
Nope - but they don't half get it.
Posted by: Nick Booth | November 08, 2007 at 03:44 PM
Hey, new blog looks nice. You probably did that months ago but since I'm an RSS reader kind of guy...
Old folks use listservs -- the original social media. I think they prefer them to newfangled social media because they are much less comfortable having their discussion being public on the web vs. private in their inbox.
Posted by: Eroc | November 08, 2007 at 07:12 PM
Eroc: I still use listservs, guess because I'm old he he. But, listservs are still being used by a lot of various nonprofits and I find them a valuable source of peer information. I find myself summarizing learnings out here on my blog!
@Nick you're right, although a few do get it.
Posted by: Beth Kanter | November 08, 2007 at 10:13 PM
Here is an interesting chart showing internet usage by age. I think it is pretty telling, after about age 40 it really drops off. So while some older folks are involved in social networking, I think that is the exception not the rule. Check out the chart...What People Are Doing by BusinessWeek
Posted by: Karl Kapp | November 17, 2007 at 10:51 AM
Hi Beth
Thanks for the mention.
It was great seeing you at Podcamp!
Posted by: mildred garfield | November 20, 2007 at 06:26 PM