At 83%, Baby Boomers strongly expressed that they would like to look younger than their age. According to an American Laser Centers survey, when is comes to looking old, Baby Boomers believe they look younger than their actual age. Quick, alert the media!

At least 62% stated they are sure that they do look younger. More women than men said they look younger than their actual age. Whoa...I didn't see that coming. About one third of the survey respondents believe they look at least 10 years younger. According to the book, Boomer Consumer, on average boomers feel some 14 years younger than they actually are. Bottom line - Boomers don't feel nearly as old as they are and they believe that they look much younger than they are.

So how do the Boomers do it? First of all, you have to believe in your own mind that you look younger. 66% of the survey respondents of the American Laser Centers study cited a healthier self image. All those miles on the treadmill and circuit training must be paying off. Don't forget mall walking. Can you think of a better place to workout than at the Mall?  Gyms don't have shoe stores or ice cream vendors, right? Admittedly, more and more Boomers are getting out on their bikes, putting in the miles or hitting the walking and hiking trails.

Of course, as we get older our taste in fashion and grooming becomes considerably more sophisticated. Yes, those pants suits and jump suits are definitely the current rage in Paris and Milan.  Lots of models wear workout pants, right? 50% of the sample said they were definitely more stylish.  I suspect the younger, more hip generations might dispute that point.

Given America's preoccupation with diet and nutrition, 28% of the group cited weight loss as a contributing factor. I wonder about all those folks that are classified as obese and where they fit into the study. They probably weren't looking for a cosmetic procedure and didn't get to participate in the Laser Centers research study.

There is a more rational explanation as to why Boomers believe they look younger and more stylish. The real truth in this matter is that 46% of the respondents said they care less about what people think than they did earlier in their lives. Finally, the truth emerges. It's certainly easier to believe you look younger if you don't care what others think about your appearance. Don't forget, we are legends in our own minds.

Okay, I think there is a point to be made here. American Laser Centers certainly want you Baby Boomers out there to feel compelled to look younger than you are since that is their business.  A nip here, a tuck there, a little unwanted hair removal and voila...You look like you just stepped out of your wedding album.

For those of you who are more concerned about your health and fitness, I applaud your efforts at staying young. I work out, I hike, I ride my mountain bike and play golf. Yeah, I know most of you don't believe golf is much exercise, but if you spent your time navigating the forests, ponds, cactus groves and rock formations like me, you might think otherwise.

Do I think I look younger? Whenever I look in the mirror I routinely jump back and exclaim, "Who is that old guy and how did he get in my mirror?"  Yet when I am out on my mountain bike flying over a jump or traversing a difficult section, I brag to those young people I meet on the trail. I tell them just how old I really am and how they will be lucky to still be engaging in such dangerous activities when they are my age. If I can just get some new titanium, carbon fiber knee and wrist joints, I can do this until I am ninety.

If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined www.Boomer-Insight.com, please take a minute to sign up and join. You can weigh in on all the most pressing issues facing Boomers and America. You can even blog about how young you think you look and feel. Thanks for your support...Mac

Mark Zuckerberg and his colleagues at Facebook believe that by openly acknowledging who we are and behaving consistently among all our friends and business associates we will help create a healthier society. Of course, his business depends on this philosophy. In his book, The Facebook Effect, David Kirkpatrick says that Zuckerberg believes, "that if we live in an ‘open and transparent' world, people will be held to the consequences of their actions and be more likely to behave more responsibly".

In a recently released Pew Internet and American Life Project survey of 895 "tech experts" and "highly engaged internet" users, two thirds responded that today's millennials will continue, as they grow older, to "disclose a great deal of personal information" in order to stay connected, and to "take advantage of social, economic and political opportunities." Bottom line is that the younger generation who has grown up with Myspace and Facebook have no qualms about continuing to post personal information on social media about themselves and their activities throughout their lives.

These are the same people who have posted embarrassing photos and text about their exploits and bad behavior. Some of these people have lost out on good jobs and/or acceptance into graduate programs because of these disclosures on their favorite social media platforms. Have they learned their lessons, or do they just dismiss these missteps as part of becoming an adult?

Is this transparency a good thing? Will it help you expand your professional network? Will it help you land that promotion or get that next dream job by virtue of the fact that your personal postings impress your current or future bosses as much as your resume and job experiences? Mark Zuckerberg hopes so. Or will these postings stifle your career advancement and ruin your chances at moving up the ladder?

According to Zuckerberg, "Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity". His thoughts on this topic basically point out that "the level of transparency the world has now won't support having two identities for a person". Because of the proliferation of information about individuals on the internet, the possibility of maintaining separate identities on the web are all but impossible. Eventually one's professional image will be overwritten by their personal image regardless of how hard they try to separate one from the other. Zuckerberg believes you only have one identity. Maybe he has a point, but a lot of older users seem apprehensive about combining their professional and personal identities.

One of Zuckerberg's early investors and mentors, Reid Hoffman, the founder of the professional online network Linkedin, has done his best to discourage users from posting personal information on Linkedin. Reid said, "Mark doesn't believe that social and professional lives are distinct". He went on to say, "That's a classic college student view. One of the things you learn as you get older is that you have these different contexts." Of course, Mark developed the original version of Facebook while he was in college at Harvard. And even today, he is barely older than most college students.

A former Facebook programmer Charlie Cheever thinks that Zuckerberg doesn't believe in privacy. Privacy has been, and remains to be a big issue with Facebook and its users. There have been numerous user revolts on this issue. To Facebook's credit, the company has responded to its users and provided better privacy controls on numerous occasions since its inception. Of course, the question still remains, "Should one company, Facebook, have sole control over the personal information of nearly 500 million users?"

What are the pros of combining your professional and personal personas? Exposure, networking, common interests with those you might want to do business with. The cons are exposure, documented misbehavior, negative networking through guilt by association and political stances that might be unattractive to prospective business partners.

Bottom line: if you don't want your personal information to be mixed in with your professional online presence, you should not go on any form of social media or join any online clubs, political groups, or other associations. Google will make your personal info available to anyone who searches on your name. Yes, you can limit what is seen on Facebook, but sooner or later you will be outed by association or your friends. Whenever you post something online, just remember the whole world is watching and reading.

What's your opinion on this topic? Has social media hurt your career or the career of someone you know? Have you missed out on a job because of your Myspace or Facebook postings? Are you active on social media? Do your friends on Facebook tag your wall with photos of your misbehavior or document your outrageous activities?

My web community, www.boomeropinion.com  is all about capturing and broadcasting opinions and viewpoints. We provide daily polls, discussion forums, and news about critical issues facing America and Baby Boomers. If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined us, please consider it. It is free and only takes a minute to join. Coming soon you will be able to create your own polls, initiate discussions on topics you choose and ask questions of the membership. We also have a Twitter page, http://twitter.com@boomeropinion.

Everyone knows that smartphones and cameraphones can take photos. But why buy a phone to use as a camera? Almost every cell phone available these days has a built-in camera. So you don't have much choice in the matter.

During the course of your day, you might come upon something or someone interesting that you want to photograph.  Did you know that those cameras can be used for many other purposes that might just make your life easier?

A number of people are using their cameraphones as digital photographic memory aids. They might want to photograph the parking garage sign to remember on what level they parked their car. Others use their cameraphones to photograph the label or a bottle of wine or unusual food item so they don't have to remember the details when they shop for those products. Now with the right apps you can use your phone to scan bar codes and get product info, reviews and best price info.

For example, how many club cards, discount cards, membership cards, big box store cards and other cards do you carry in your wallet? Did you know that you can take a photo of each of those cards with your camera phone and save them as an image file on your phone? Then when you walk into Blockbuster, Sam's Club or your favorite gym, you can pull up that image on your phone and they can scan the club card and associated bar code off your phone's screen, and you won't have to carry the card.

Other bar code apps can make you a better, smarter shopper. Let's say you are shopping and want to ensure you get the best deal on whatever product you are considering. There are several apps available that allow you to scan any bar code with your phone and the app will provide you with a list of the lowest prices for that product, both in the stores and online. Red laser, Shopper and Shazam are three such apps.

Another bar code app, Foodscanner, is a great app for those watching their waistlines. This app lets you scan food item bar codes and provides you with the calorie count of each of those food items you are planning to put in your stomach.

Another app available for smartphones and camera phones is called QR Codes. If you are in unfamiliar part of town or another city out walking around and you see a coffee shop or restaurant that displays a bar code in the window, you can scan it with this app and get reviews and prices for that establishment.

If you have an Android phone, Google Goggles is an application that will be very useful to a lot of you. Once you to photograph an item like a book, a piece of artwork, a landmark, a DVD or maybe a CD cover, this application will return search results on that particular image with pertinent information about that image. It also allows you to photograph a business card and it will automatically add that person's name, address, phone number, email address and web site to your address book.

Image recognition is a growing field and you can be sure that many more apps will come along to make your daily life easier. With the advent of 3G and 4G wireless networks, many more applications will come along. Bandwidth prevented these types of applications in the past, but that issue is becoming a non-issue these days.

What are your favorite smartphone or iPhone apps? Tell us about them and how you benefit from those apps. Our cell phones are becoming an extension of who we are and what we do? Do you have an interesting story about how you use your phone? We want to hear from you.

My web community, www.boomeropinion.com  is all about capturing and broadcasting opinions and viewpoints. We provide daily polls, discussion forums, and news about critical issues facing America and Baby Boomers. If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined us, please consider it. It is free and only takes a minute to join. Coming soon you will be able to create your own polls, initiate discussions on topics you choose and ask questions of the membership. We also have a Twitter page, http://twitter.com@boomeropinion.