Babyboomers are drowning in #hashtags & App's

A common challenge for us BabyBoomers is that we are drowning in a sea of #hashtags, @ and suffer a generalised lack of basic knowledge in a world which just keeps throwing curved balls at us. We have the money to purchase technology, we have the desire to learn but is the the challenge just too damn tough to see through?

The challenges are particularly noticeable when building a business from ground up...but wait...... didn't Babyboomers invent the computer and pioneer the fertile technology space? It is true that there are some very tech savvy Babyboomers out there, #Steve Jobs, #Bill Gates are obvious however I am talking about the layman, the guys like me, from home, who give it go!

So here are a few of the challenges I come face to face with every day.

#Facebook
Is it dead or is it alive? Is it really worth collecting "likes". Do people buy based on information they read on posts (apparently they do according to the so called experts) and adverts and what proportion of your marketing spend does it warrant.

Personally I believe it does attract buyers, clients, customers but this is almost impossible to measure based on the stigma attached to the social media portal, though once again I state, the experts will tell you otherwise.

Recently a good friend suggested that if you need Facebook to run a business then you don't have a business. Granted he was a #Babyboomer and as far as I know, he has never owned a business.

Do #Babyboomers understand it? Can they get their heads around the advertising mechanisms? No and No, quite simply put, for the "majority" (oh...... I am not talking about you tech savvy babyboomers) out there, it's just a way of keeping up to speed with friends and relo's "but you wouldn't use it for business"

#hashtags
"What the F$*k is a #hashtag and what do they do?" a friend almost shouted the other night over a beer. After a simple explanation, he looked at me with a glazed stare then went on a rave which brought down the whole fabric of the technology driven world we live in. I counted  30 f$*k's in the delivery as he displayed the collective frustration of a group of people sadly being left behind, gasping for air and drowning in #hashtags & App's.

Twitter
He continued "So tell me what then f$*k is Twitter all about? A million messages a f$*cking minute minute! Tell me what good that does anyone? I would rather watch the f$*cking news! Stick your Ipad's and your iPhones up your arse mate!"

Mmmmm, I did not have the heart to tell him that TV was a dying medium, it would have sparked another tirade with him vehemently denying any such claim.

Needless to say most #Babyboomers just don't get Twitter! Can't say I do fully, however I do find it a tremendous research too,  possibly the best connector out there. I can reach anyone, anywhere, anytime. Anonymity!  #Twitter and anonymity just don't go together in the same sentence.

Instagram
The conversation did not get this far but I can here him saying, "For f$8k's sake, not another bloody pain in the arse App!

Look I could go on all day. For example do you know how to get 30,000 #Twitter followers by following people daily and un-following the ones that did not follow you the next day only to follow more and so and so on day by day. It is quite easy if you know how, but I am not going to tell you how, you will have dive down the rabbit hole to discover these new frontiers.

What ever you do don't end up like my mate and say to heck with it, it is too hard, that is a big mistake. Stick to it and learn, ask questions and read read read!!!!