In a recent Assoicated Press article titled, With Obama, many say bye-bye to Boomers, the writer Jocelyn Noveck states, "To a number of social analysts, historians, bloggers and ordinary Americans, Jan. 20 will symbolize the passing of an entire generation: the baby boomer years." While I don't believe this for a minute, I am sure a number of people out there take this seriously. By the way, President Obama is a Baby Boomer.

Hopefully, the Boomer elitists and corporate greed mongers will be displaced by the more pragmatic and socially conscious Boomers and Gen Xers that Barack is bringing into the new administration. And this will mean a new agenda for America. This is the only way we can move forward and get America back on track.

In the meantime, I hope that you Boomers out there in internet land will come to our site and others, and let America and Washington know that we don't want to be remembered as the Greediest Generation, but as the generation that continues to change the social and political fabric of this country for the better.

Over the last decade or so, alot of economic and political turmoil has been facilitated by Boomers in positions of power and has reflected badly on our generation.  Under President Obama's leadership, we can join the good fight and help turn America around. Given the fact that we represent one out of every three adults in America and control the majority of wealth in this country, we have the political and economic power to help the new administration return America to its position of leadership in the world.

It won't happen if you don't get involved. Barack's team will be organizing Americans in the coming months to help get our country moving forward once again.  So stay tuned, be ready and get involved when the time comes.

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Baby Boomers are Americans born between 1946 and 1964. You know who you are...don't try to hide from us.

Baby Boomers represent one out of every three adults in the U.S. Boomers control 70% of the wealth in America. Every day 10,000 Boomers turn 50 years of age.  Boomers spend $2.3 trillion annually on consumer goods and products, which is $400 billion more than any other generational group. In the next 10 years. the advertiser's golden demographic(Americans 18-49) will increase in by 1 million while the 50+ age group will increase by 22.5 million. Bottom line...the 77 million Boomers out there have tremendous strength in numbers and buying power. We want to translate that into political power and only you can help us do that.

Why is this important? It is important because being a member of such a powerful demographic should give us a dominant voice in America when it comes to impacting and directing our government leaders and policies. Unfortunately, that has not necessarily been the case in the last 20 years. Yes, we had a significant impact on government policies and social change in the sixties, seventies and eighties, but what have we accomplished recently. Not much. It seems that special interest groups and lobbyists have wielded all the power since the early nineties. 

Given what has taken place in the last few years and particularly the last few months, it seems to me that the Baby Boomers could again become a significant force in shaping social, economic and political direction and policies in America. That is why we have developed the Boomer-Insight internet community. Our mission is to give Boomers a platform to express their views and a polling place to weigh in on the most pressing issues facing America today. If we can draw a significant number of Boomers to our site, and generate enough buzz through our forums and polls, America and Washington will take note and incorporate our ideas and vision into their policy making and direction. Given our numbers and intellectual strength, we can become the most powerful lobby in Washington. Once again the Boomers can transform the social and political fabric of this nation in a positive way. But it can't happen unless you engage in our polls and express your views. This site has no political affiliation and we will ensure that whatever the consensus is on any given subject or policy, it will be communicated to the powers that be.

On a lighter note, we will also provide you with forums and blogs to talk about yourself, your family and your interests. After all, this is your site and you will control the content. The only disclaimer will be regarding taste and appropriateness of the content. No pornography or inappropriate images will be allowed. You are old enough to know what is appropriate and what is not.

Don't let those guys in Washington continue to drive this country into the ditch. It is up to us to get them back on track. We have the numbers and the financial power to make them listen. It's up to you.

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The world wide web has brought people and ideas together far better than anyone could have imagined just a few years ago. Being able to communicate with anyone, anywhere at any time has made the world a much smaller place and provided us access to information and ideas no one dreamed possible a couple of decades earlier.

Citizens across the globe can discuss news, politics or any other subject with impunity. Of course, impunity could be part of the problem that I am addressing. Don't get me wrong, freedom to express one's views is a fundamental right in this country.  It is essential to the evolution of our society for everyone to express their views on what's happening in the world. Of course, spreading misinformation can help a group dominate the debate on any issue and this sort of thing happens all too frequently on the web.

On the web, news is gathered continuously and made available as soon as it happens anywhere in the world. Information about ongoing events can spread across the world in a millisecond. In some cases, this sort of thing happens much to the annoyance of governments or business entities that would prefer such information not be made available to anyone. We have seen this during the Iraq War, the Iranian elections and numerous other events across the world.  Social media has spawned a number of i-reporters that call people to action by giving their versions of news or events as they unfold across the world. Some are quite objective and others are not very close to the truth at all.

A recent example is the "death panel" myth that was broadcast both on the internet and television by numerous conservative groups and individuals. The healthcare provision in question was about compensating doctors for consulting with patients about end of life planning so the patient can determine exactly how they would like to be cared for in their final days...not to determine whether they should get life saving treatments. In the past, doctors were not compensated for this consultation and consequently didn't encourage it. Once a patient reaches their final days of life, the conversation cannot take place and hundreds of thousands of dollars can be spent sustaining a condition the patient might not want sustained. Whether you are for or against healthcare reform, misrepresenting the issues detracts from the real debate. Scare tactics have been a staple of both political parties and I am sure will continue to be part of their arsenal.

When the stories originate from a trusted source like CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS  or a myriad of other credible news organizations, it is as good as it gets. Unfortunately, other interpretations of news events and stories as told by so-called internet journalists can vary from being somewhat slanted to downright fabrications of the truth. Of course, when everyone has access to the same medium for reporting, then one would be naïve not to expect exaggerations, misinterpretations or complete fabrications of the truth to be broadcast. Fortunately, there are sites that deal specifically with uncovering the facts and exposing myths or outright lies on the net such as snopes.com, wikipedia.com, truthorfiction.com, smokinggun.com, etc. Major news organizations take part in the debunking as well.

Okay, we agree that biased and inaccurate reporting will always be an issue on the web. What does that have to do with polarizing of America? The polarization has to do with where we congregate when we go online. Most people are attracted to sites that share their ideological, cultural and lifestyle views. In doing this, we are unknowingly choosing sides and drinking the coolaid. The battle lines are being drawn and we are being told to rail against the other side or group. 

Remember not so long ago when we all got our news from the same broadcasts on television and read the same newspapers? At that time, we used our selective perception and intellect to hone in on stories and news that interested us. But we were all drinking from the same well. It was up to us to assimilate the news of the day and come to our own conclusions. With the advent of the internet, we can have someone else to provide us with our point of view based on where we fit in the political and social spectrum.

We draw our own line on the internet when we determine which special interest group to join. It seems to me that we are letting our group, party or lifestyle affiliation determine what we think and how we perceive the news and the current events of the day. We are being spoon fed our take on America and the world. We get calls to action daily on how we should react to these events and how we should feel about them.

Frankly, that doesn't seem much like democracy in action. And yes, I realize that America is not a true democracy, but a republic, so don't get incensed and correct me. It is easier to let our web groups tell us what to think and how to act. But is that a good thing? Are we becoming the lemmings described by George Orwell in his book, 1984, albeit special interest lemmings? Do we need to let someone else interpret the news and draw conclusions for us? Recent town hall meetings would suggest such behavior, as would the left calling for prosecution of the previous administration for war crimes.

I am not suggesting you cut your ties with your favorite sites relating to your political party, special interest groups or other affiliations. I am only suggesting that you look at more than one side of an issue or event and draw your own conclusions.

It seems to me that the best ideas come from spirited intellectual debate not predetermined conclusions made for us by our party affiliation or Facebook group. One of the reasons my partners and I started www.BoomerOpinion.com was to democratize the process. BoomerOpinion.com has no affiliations with political groups and encourages open discussions on every issue. Sure, each of the partners have their own political views, but our polls and discussions do not reflect those views. Our content is all about the collective voice our membership. So if you are a Baby Boomer and you are ready to independently voice your own opinion, and not your party or group's opinion, then please come join us.

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In the past, Americans have always provided for future generations, but our political leaders reversed that trend. Will a new movement emerge with the aim of providing our children with a brighter future or will we just leave them with budget deficits and mounting debt?

In a recent Op-ed column in the New York Times, David Brooks wrote about the failure of politicians to provide for future generations. In his column, Mr. Brooks wrote, "One of the keys to healthy aging is what George Vaillant of Harvard calls ‘generativity' - providing for future generations."

Mr. Brooks went on to write, "The odd thing is that when you turn to political life, we are living in an age of reverse generativity. Far from serving the young, the old are now taking from them." He brought up the fact that the federal government now spends $7 on the elderly for every $1 it spends on the children. Add to that the enormous debt load we are leaving to future generations and the future doesn't look to bright for our kids and their kids.

The federal government and its policy makers have thrown in the towel when it comes to solving America's financial problems and ceded them to our children and grandchildren. It is like continuing to operate your business at a loss year after year, and then hoping your kids will be able to fix it when they get to take over the business. That is just postponing the inevitable. Not smart.

It should be obvious to most people that our current system of government is self corrupting and has become counter productive. Regardless of how sincere our newly elected representatives are, they can't seem to make any real progress towards getting America back on the right track. The lobbyists and special interest groups have a stranglehold on our political process and only want to pursue programs that serve their own greed and self interests.

Add to that, opposing political factions that seem to only want to ensure that representatives from the opposing party don't succeed in addressing the issues at hand, and you have a recipe for no progress. Consequently, our political leaders are getting nothing accomplished. Their best intentions are ridiculed and lambasted by their political opponents and big business interests. America is marching in place, not moving forward.

What's the solution? I believe there is a solution. Spontaneous social movements have been successful in the past. Anti-war and racial equality movements in the sixties ultimately changed America. Gender equality was another. Where would we be today without those movements? Back then they had only the network broadcast media to help them move their causes into the limelight.

With the internet, the playing field has become wide open to anyone with a voice and a web connection. Recently, web campaigns like the Obama campaign and the Tea Party movement have both been very successful in drumming up support for their agendas. The internet created instant traction for those movements in America.

There are a couple of ways we can get the ball rolling? A great many of you have called for term limits. In reality, your vote is an excellent method of enforcing term limits. All you have to do is register and exercise this privilege. If the incumbents are so totally consumed with raising money from special interest groups to get reelected, whose future will they be voting for in Congress. Not ours.

Recent elections have demonstrated that most folks are fed up with their current representatives or party affiliation. In those elections, most prognosticators have said that those elections were votes against the President and his party. I say the voters were just demonstrating that they wanted a change, regardless of party.

Besides throwing out the old guard, it is up to all of us to weigh in on the issues and voice our opinions. Go to the news and opinion sites and let your collective voices be heard. Isn't that how spontaneous social movements get started. If enough of you speak out against the current political shenanigans going on in Washington, maybe some of these guys will get the message and begin actually doing the job for which they were elected. If not, just vote them out of office.

Taking our elected officials to task is not the complete answer. They obviously need our advice. Unless you think that being advised solely by lobbyists is okay for your representative, then we need to speak up. Broadcasting your ideas about how we can best address the critical issues facing America is another way you can help. Particularly those of us 45 and older need to bring our collective wisdom to the table.

Since we are already being blamed for the majority of problems facing America, we should be the first to offer our political leaders advice on how to fix them. Don't you want to help to ensure that our children and grand children have a bright future? Well, if you do nothing, then nothing will change. You can just sit back or you can jump in with both feet and make a difference. It is up to you. 

My web community, www.boomeropinion.com is all about weighing in on the issues and voicing your opinion. The site already provides polls, discussion forums and articles on critical issues facing America. And we are currently redesigning the site so that each and every one of you can suggest your own polls, ask your own questions of the membership and submit your own discussion topics and follow the discussion as it progresses. Why not join today? It only takes a minute to join.

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The debate has gotten hot and heavy in the last few weeks and I am amazed at the misinformation that is being disseminated by the shouters and disrupters at the Town Hall meetings across the country. I realize there are a lot of legitimate beefs with healthcare reform. You certainly have a right for your voices to heard. Just like you guys, I want my voice to be heard. But, I am not interested in shouting down my Congressional Representative or my Senator. My political views not withstanding, I am most interested in what is best for America and American Business.

First, let me say, that I have health insurance and I am satisfied with my coverage and my provider. I can go to the doctor of my choice for a small co-pay and get my prescriptions filled for a small co-pay. Being an old guy, and a very active one at that, I feel very fortunate to have this insurance. In the last year or so, I have had my knee scoped, my cholesterol checked, my wrist operated on, and several other examinations and consultations. I have been seen by my family doctor, my cardiologist, my orthopedist, and an endocrinologist. 

I can understand why a lot of you guys are skeptical of the government becoming more involved in our healthcare. Based on the government's ability to manage other areas of our lives, you have good reason to be skeptical. Given the fact that the U.S. government has mismanaged numerous projects and contracts over the years from defense to building bridges to nowhere, it stands to reason that you should be concerned about them getting involved in the healthcare business.

That said, I would remind you that the government has been running Medicare for the past forty five years. And they have done a pretty good job with Medicare. Ask any senior if they would give up their Medicare coverage and I am quite confident you wouldn't find any takers.  Is it perfect? Not really, but it is better than a number of private plans. So what does Medicare have to do with healthcare reform? It demonstrates that the government can manage a healthcare program and do it well for the long term. It also dispels a number of myths that many of the dissenters have raised about government run healthcare.

With Medicare you can choose your doctor.  Yes, there are small percentage of doctors who don't participate, but most do. Medicare pays for your prescriptions. Medicare will take you regardless of pre-existing conditions. There are no death panels determining who gets to live and who doesn't. Most private insurance providers want you to convert to Medicare when you turn 65. The older you get the more healthcare you require and the more it would cost those private providers. Medicare doesn't ration treatments or procedures. Medicare doesn't require that you drop your current plan when you turn 65, if you are satisfied with your coverage.

Current private healthcare is responsible for a lot of waste and inefficiencies.  There are many physicians that will recommend tests and procedures that you might not necessarily need just to protect themselves from potential medical malpractice suits. As long as the costs of these procedures and tests fall within provider guidelines, the private providers pay for them with no questions asked. So litigation definitely is a factor in rising healthcare costs. The lack of online universal record keeping systems translates into redundant tests, missed diagnoses, prescription interactions and lots of other problems that result because those practitioners don't have access to your complete medical history. Private providers don't encourage or pay for preventative procedures in most cases. That raises healthcare costs as well.  

 AARP has come out in favor of healthcare reform. Obviously, they want to see the final bill before they endorse it, but they know that the system is broken and needs fixing. They also know that Medicare has been good for Americans and will cost taxpayers less if people received better healthcare before they turn 65. Can the government fix healthcare without putting our great grand children in debt? I certainly hope so. Cost will be a concern, but I believe they can accomplish this through better efficiencies and preventative care. Plus, if there is a public option, that will cause the current providers to become more efficient, put more pressure on the drug companies to be more realistic in their pricing, and in turn make private sector healthcare more affordable. That will be a win/win for everyone concerned.

I would also like to point out, that one of the reasons American businesses have not been able to compete with their foreign competitors is partially the result of skyrocketing healthcare costs they are paying to keep their workers insured. In fact, that is certainly one of the problems our automakers have had to deal with for the last couple of decades. Add to that, the rise in litigation in America relating to corporate, product and service liability and you can see why American business has lost its competitive edge. Tort reform should be next after healthcare reform if America is to regain its competitive position in the world of business.  

What's your take on this issue? Inquiring minds want to know. Comment on Linkedin and/or on my web site, www.BoomerOpinion.com. We are always looking for Baby Boomers with an opinion that don't mind speaking out and can successfully complete a sentence.

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 In the last thirty years I have worked as a product manager, marketing manager and sales manager. I even wrote a book on marketing in 2002 titled Marketing Alignment. Shameless plug number one - my book is available on Amazon.com. Based on my background, one might think it would be improbable that I would be in favor of banning any consumer advertising and marketing.

Sure, most people understand why companies can't advertise automatic weapons or cigarettes on television. And if you NRA members won't to take me to task on that issue, feel free, but remember I am an advocate of the second amendment. I suspect a lot of you would be in favor of at least limiting the TV advertising of fast food late at night or sugary cereal products targeting kids in the morning. After all, thirty percent of Americans are obese.

My complaint has to do with prescription drug advertising. Congress allocates the FDA $2.4 billion to regulate our foods, drugs and cosmetics. The big pharmaceutical companies spend twice that amount each year on consumer advertising.

About six years ago Congress, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the big pharmaceutical companies were wining and dining the healthcare professionals (doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, etc) in order to get them to prescribe their company's drugs. So they passed legislation to put a halt to most of these practices. Well, the executives at the major pharmaceutical companies scratched their heads and came up with a different approach. They decided to go straight to the consumers and advertise their goods on national television. 

I am certain a great many of you would be happy if you didn't have to witness another erectile dysfunction or enlarged prostate commercial ever again. Include me in that group. There is a movement in congress these days to try to put some limits on this advertising. Representative Henry Waxman, (D) California, would like to see the FDA  bar consumer advertising for any drugs until they have proved safe in real world use. Another democrat, James Morgan of Virginia is sponsoring a bill that would ban ads for prescription sexual aids like Viagra and Levitra during prime time on grounds of decency.

The drug makers and their proponents contend that direct to consumer ads educate the public and inform them about medical advances. Personally, I think diagnosing yourself based on a television ad is dangerous and will do more harm than good. I also believe that this television advertising is a significant contributor to the rising cost of healthcare in America. It seems to me that the big pharma companies see this as an easy way to reach the more gullible hypochondriacs out there who will take any pill they can get their hands on. I believe that healthcare reform should include some type of ban on these prescription drug ads.

Marcia Angell, a senior lecturer in social medicine at the Harvard Medical School and former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, says, "Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising does exactly what it is intended to do - increase sales for drug companies. Increasingly, it does that by promoting medical conditions, as well as drugs. If the industry can convince essentially normal people that minor complaints require long-term drug treatment, its market will grow."  She goes on to say, "The argument that ads educate consumers is self-evidently absurd. No one should look to an investor-owned company for objective, unbiased information about products it sells. Do we ask the Ford dealer whether his cars are any good?"

Still, there are those that argue that these advertisements go a long way in educating the American public about specific medical conditions and how to treat them. That would be a good argument if it were true. A study that compared the health literacy between the U.S. and Canada demonstrates the fallacy in that argument. Canada, where these ads are not allowed, has a higher health literacy than here in America where we are bombarded daily with these ads.

James P. Othmer, a former advertising creative director and author of the forthcoming book, Adland: Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet, had this to say about prescription drug marketing, "My all-time favorite pharmaceutical ad is for something called R.L.S. (Restless Leg Syndrome) a condition whose degree of absurdity is topped only by a drug's potential side effects: "Tell your doctor if you experience increased gambling, sexual or other urges." Mr. Othmer went on to say, "If I had a dime for every time I heard the words "ask your doctor" or saw a crude clip of phallic imagery during a commercial break from the evening news, or was forced to contemplate a stomach-turning side effect, I'd be able to afford my own health care."

So what is your take on this topic? Do you think these drug companies should be able to advertise freely on any medium they choose? Are you ready to contact your Senator or Congress person and tell them to ban this advertising?

If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined our community, www.boomeropinion.com, please consider it. It is free and only takes a couple of minutes to sign up. You can share your viewpoint and voice your opinion on the critical issues facing America. And if we recruit enough of you, we can positively impact business and political policies around the country.

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 How could one technology do all of this? Prescription: Networking, an article in the December 2009 issue of Technology Review published by M.I.T., suggests that the implementation of standardized electronic medical records (EMR) would do all of these things.

According to the article, "If you ask how much in total medical spending there is in the country that doesn't need to happen-providing absolutely no clinical benefit-the answer is probably $700 billion a year. Healthcare IT is a fundamental part of getting rid of that." There is no doubt among any healthcare provider you ask that the $2.3 trillion cost of healthcare in America includes a lot of waste. This waste is mainly in the area of duplicated or unneeded diagnoses, treatments and tests.

It is estimated that less than 10% of the hospitals in the U.S. have adopted comprehensive electronic medical record systems. 8.3% of physicians that care for Medicaid patients use them and 13.2% of physicians caring for privately insured patients use them. Doctors that do use electronic medical records report a much higher incidence of being alerted to important lab results, avoiding drug allergies, being alerted to potential drug interactions, ordering critical lab tests, etc. The advantages should be quite obvious.

The real advantages will come once electronic medical record keeping is standardized and shared by every hospital, clinic, private practice and public health facility across the country. This is the only way to ensure that tests and procedures are not duplicated. It will provide every attending physician with all the facts before diagnosing and treating patients. It is amazing to me that these systems haven't been implemented in more medical facilities given the advances in computing and technology over the past 20 years.

The types of jobs that EMR will provide are the best kind-high tech jobs with a future. These jobs will serve the medical community well into this century and the next. The current stimulus package includes $19.5 billion to help fund this program. There will be penalties for those medical facilities that fail to adopt EMR. Medicare will see significant savings from the adoption of EMR over the next ten years.

Hopefully, the stimulus money will provide the catalyst needed to get this program moving quickly. Given all the rhetoric that has been circulating about the cost benefits of the proposed healthcare legislation, electronic medical records should help America jump start the goal of reducing our healthcare costs.

Remaking healthcare through the use of this technology will accomplish a lot of good things for America. Job creation is one of the most important benefits. And by reducing healthcare costs, we can help American business become more competitive around the world. Both of these things will help stimulate our faltering economy. Seems like Win-Win-Win. Let's hope that this movement takes off quickly and gets implemented as soon as possible. It is good for healthcare and good for America.

What's you take on this topic? Do you think electronic medical records can accomplish all of these things?

If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined our community, www.boomeropinion.com, please consider it. It is free and only takes a couple of minutes to sign up. You can share your viewpoint and voice your opinion on the critical issues facing America. And if we recruit enough of you, we can positively impact business and political policies around the country.

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 Folks, you can't make this stuff up. Here is yet another candidate for my 2009 WTF Award. If I were to tell you that there are over 200 iPhone apps available that produce farting noises, would you be surprised? It never ceases to amaze me how far we have come since the invention of the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell is no doubt spinning in his grave as I write about this story.

A quote from Wired magazine illustrates the depths our national psyche has descended to when it states, "The producer of a farting iPhone app is making a legal stink over another flatulence app in a looming trademark battle over the phrase, ‘pull my finger'." The trademark suit was initiated by Air-O-Matic of Florida, the maker of the popular ‘Pull My Finger' app. Air-O-Matic claims that the maker of the rival iFart Mobile application has misappropriated the phrase ‘pull my finger' in its advertisements.

David Kravets, the author of the Wired article couldn't stop with the puns and bodily function references when he went on to write, "Such an assertion, according to iFart Mobile maker InfoMedia of Colorado, reeks of misunderstanding of American fart culture." I guess he just couldn't let go of this issue.

InfoMedia's attorney, Kevin Houchin, explained that the ‘pull my finger' phrase and derivations are generally known and widely understood in American culture as a prank regarding flatulence. The prankster requests the unsuspecting victim to pull his or her finger, and once the digit is pulled the prankster expels an inordinate amount of gas. Consequently, the phrase is understood to be a description of passing gas.

So there you have it. Teenage pranks have moved into the technology world and have brought about trademark infringement cases dealing with flatulence. In this case, the uses of keywords or phrases that have otherwise been thought to be part of the public domain have provided the ammunition for a lawsuit in Federal court. AOM attorney Karen Koster Burr wrote "InfoMedia's efforts have been directed at merging ‘Pull My Finger' and ‘iFart' in the consumers minds, so that searches for ‘Pull My Finger' pull up the iFart application. AOM is demanding $50,000 payment for damages.

On a more serious note, trademark issues have been gaining momentum since the internet came on line. I can tell you from personal experience that setting up a web site, web business or web app requires some serious trademark research and even then there is no guarantee that you won't be slapped with an infringement suit and taken to court. When we set up our web community we thoroughly researched our domain name. Yet, 6 months after our launch we were contacted by a law firm, told that we were in violation of their client's trademark and that we had better cease and desist using that derivation of their mark. Otherwise, they were ready to take us to court. 

 There are a number of considerations that you should take into account if you are in violation of someone's trademark. First, do they have a legitimate case against you? Are the trademark names identical or just similar? Second, how big an organization are you dealing with and how deep are their pockets. In our case, I really didn't believe their case was that strong, but our adversary was a global conglomerate with very deep pockets. My company, on the other hand, was a small startup and we really didn't have the legal resources to take them on in court. 

Fortunately for us, we did our homework and found another domain name that was actually more appropriate, and more in keeping with our value proposition, than our original mark. Since we had only been around for a few months and the transition to the new name was an easy one, we bit the bullet and changed it. In our case, discretion was the better part of valor and we worked through this issue successfully. So, if you are slapped with a trademark infringement suit, it doesn't necessarily mean you are out of business.

What's your take on this issue? Have you been sued for trademark infringement? Do you have a story you can tell about trademark issues. What do you think about the fight for iPhone superiority in the flatulence application business? Inquiring minds want to know. Comment on Linkedin and/or on my web site, www.BoomerOpinion.com. We are always looking for Baby Boomers with an opinion that don't mind speaking out and can successfully complete a sentence.

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 I am sure you have heard it all before. Get yourself a domain name and set up a web site. With the right concept, you will become rich beyond your wildest expectations. You will be jetting around the world and everyone will want face time with you. If you believe that, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you.

You know as well as I do, that it doesn't really work that way. What I do know is that most successful web entrepreneurs built their sites based on one value proposition and before their very eyes their site morphs once, twice or three times before really gaining traction and beginning to grow virally. So where are you? Plan A, Plan B, or Plan Z? Your concept is important, but if you don't build a platform that engages your audience, you will never achieve the level of success you expect.

Take Myspace, for example. When Chris DeWolfe bought the domain name Myspace.com in 2002, he initially expected the domain to become a data storage and file sharing site. The founders of Myspace, Chris DeWolfe, Brad Greenspan, Josh Berman and Tom Anderson met at eUniverse where they worked and were all members of Friendster, one of the earliest social networks. When they left eUniverse, the guys decided to strike out on their own and create their own social network similar to Friendster.

To make their social network different, they made a couple of significant changes. They designed the site to allow users to customize their profile pages and they encouraged anonymity by letting their members use any identity they wanted to use. The early version of Myspace initially targeted an 18-35 demographic and emphasized content revolving around indy rock and alternative music. Their connection to music and musicians helped fuel the early growth of the site and is still a primary driver of their traffic today.

By giving users the ability to customize their web pages within the site and upload their own photos, videos and music, Myspace morphed into a more general social networking site. Myspace's reach began to extend to folks of all ages who wanted to set up their pages any way they wanted. As the site grew virally, their value proposition morphed into something totally different from their original concept of appealing to musicians and music lovers, and the rest as they say, is history. Bottom line, they built a platform that not only engaged their users, but kept them coming back again and again to update their profile pages and see what their friends were posting on their pages.

When Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook, it was originally called Facemash, and his idea was to allow fellow students at Harvard to rank female coeds based on their physical attractiveness. Being a geek, Mr. Zuckerberg was trying to find the hottest coeds on campus and maybe even get a date with one of them. After toying with the original site for a time, Zuckerberg and his roommates determined that they could expand their little network if they changed their site into a campus directory for Harvard.

After recruiting thousands of students at Harvard and validating their new concept, his team then opened Facebook up to other campuses and the site began experiencing exponential growth. The design of the site was such that without purposely intending to do so, it became a social network for everyone, not just college students. The site differed from Myspace in that the users used their real identities and the site was open to application developers that developed apps that the users could use to mess with their friends. It also minimized the banner ads that overwhelm Myspace's pages. And another accidental internet empire was off and running. Bottom line: build a site that your initial users embrace and they will come.

Neither of these two sites became successful based on the founders' original target market, value proposition and vision. And they are two of the most successful web sites in the history of the internet. So lesson Number One is: If your site design does not truly engage your users day after day, month after month, and year after year, then regardless of how brilliant your original vision or concept might be, you've got nothing.

It is important to understand that you can't build a successful site based on content alone. Unless you have a very large global staff of extremely talented editors, journalists, copywriters and reporters, your content will not keep your visitors engaged. The best way to keep them engaged is by ensuring that they are the ones generating the content and interacting with the content generated by the others on your site.

By the way, Facebook is overtaking Myspace in unique visitors and members world wide. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp bought Myspace in 2005 for $580M. Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson initially stayed on to manage and guide Myspace. However since April of this year they have, for all intents and purposes, given up their active participation in the day to day operations and management of Myspace. Mark Zuckerberg is still the guiding visionary at Facebook and the company remains private. He relocated the company to Silicon Valley and has hired a number of highly qualified executives to manage the day to day operations of Facebook.

When I told my wife I was writing this blog, she asked me why I haven't created a billion dollar web site...if I knew all the secrets. My response was that we are in the process of enhancing our web opinion portal, www.BoomerOpinion.com, currently and will launch the new site design before the end of the year. And within a year or less, we should be able to put a down payment on my new Ferrari and arrange financing on that Chateau on Lake Como near Milan. Okay, maybe a new corvette and a house on Lake Travis. We wouldn't want to fritter away our entire fortune the first year would we?

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have a different idea about the secrets to building a successful web property? We want to hear about it. Post your comments and tell us what you really think. Stay tuned and next week, I will reveal secret number two in this series.

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Last week, I began this series on the secrets to building a billion dollar web property by giving a brief analysis of the early development of Facebook and Myspace. I discussed how their visions and value propositions morphed over time. I stated that the number one secret of their success was user engagement. And yes, your vision and value proposition will determine the level and frequency of user engagement, but not always on the first implementation of your concept. You have to continue fine tuning that vision until your growth becomes viral and exponential. If you missed my analysis of how these web properties got their start and want to read the full text, just go to http://tinyurl.com/yggag3z.

Neither Facebook or Myspace became successful based on the founders' original target market, value proposition and vision. And they are two of the most successful web sites in the history of the internet. So lesson Number One is: If your site design does not truly engage your users day after day, month after month, and year after year, then regardless of how brilliant your original vision or concept might be, you've got nothing.

Neither Facebook or Myspace would have been able to accommodate the exponential growth they experienced had they not considered scalability in the overall design of their sites. There are those who still think that building a successful web property is only about offering your visitors content, media or engagement they can't get from another web site. Without scalability, your site will crash often and die an early death once exponential viral growth overwhelms your computing resources. Hopefully, if you are in the process of starting a web community, scalability will be a major consideration.

For you non technical readers, scalability covers four critical areas. These critical areas include development platform and language, development talent, hardware and hosting, and last but not least, caching. Skimp or minimize resources in any one of these areas and you will never make it to the next level. Over time visitors don't return to sites that can't deliver on the promise of their functionality and content availability. It even happens to the major players...I just logged into Twitter and got this message: Twitter is over capacity...Too many tweets...Please wait a moment and try again. Twitter can get away with this now, but for how long?

Let's start with the software platform that was or will be used to develop your site. This includes the language and operating system platform on which your web site is to be built. Bottom line: selecting the right development language and platform is critical to building a scalable startup. If you choose a platform that allows you to get the web site up quickly, but is inherently un-scalable, your gamble will come back to bite you in the butt. If your site engages the users, you will also need a scalable database backend to maintain all the information about your membership and their profiles. If you don't have the technical expertise to understand scalability, then hire a web developer or partner with someone who has that expertise.

That brings me to the second critical factor in achieving scalability. Scalable web startups are willing to make the necessary investment when it comes to securing talent. Hiring and/or seeking advice from a web developers or web architects in the early stages of your site development is absolutely essential to your success down the road. You might counter by telling me that you can't afford such high level talent. My suggestion would be to seek out a web developer or developers with the required expertise and offer them equity in your startup. If you don't have the funding to pay them as regular employees, then maybe getting in on the ground floor will entice them.  If your vision and value proposition have merit in their eyes, then they will be satisfied just to work for a piece of the company.

Since my primary target audience is non-technical, I don't intend to get bogged down in the technical details of hardware and hosting scalability, so I will give the briefest of summaries on those issues. We have already discussed the development platform and talent required, but there are some additional areas that haven't been covered. It is essential to understand bandwidth requirements with respect to your server connections to the internet.

Suffice it to say, through the use of web hosting services, you can scale your bandwidth up over time as needed to accommodate the traffic on your site. Whether you use the hosting site's servers or your own, that should not be an issue. The primary difference has to do with costs and your web developers will help you make those determinations.  If your site really takes off, then you will have to transition to your own in-house server farms.

The last critical factor I will mention has to do with caching. Your development guys will understand the importance of caching and should have it as a very high priority from the beginning. Basically, caching takes the load off the disk drives and processes the routines and requests through temporary memory (mem-caches) which will speed up those processes. Speed and performance is critical to a successful web site and poor performance will have a very negative impact on your traffic. Users tend to stay away from sites that are difficult to log into or navigate.

So there you have it. Secret Number Two is: Scalabilitiy. From concept to launch, scalability has to be a major consideration when developing your site. The best web concept in the world won't make your site successful if you can't provide your users 100% availability and functionality.

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 In the beginning there was normal reality. What you saw was what was there. Then there was altered reality, but that was in the sixties and you needed a competent drug dealer to ensure you could return from your trip on Transcendental Airways. Next came virtual reality and if normal reality didn't do it for you, then you could create your own virtual persona and be as cool as you thought you should be. Now there is Augmented Reality. How many realities will we need to experience before it is all said and done? How about your own robotic surrogate? Wouldn't that be the ultimate augmentation? Well it is the twenty first century.

According to Wikipedia, "Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery - creating a mixed reality. The augmentation is conventionally in real-time and in semantic context with environmental elements, like for example sports scores on TV during a match. With the help of advanced AR technology (e.g. adding computer vision and object recognition) the information about the surrounding real world of the user becomes interactive and digitally usable."

Practical applications for augmented reality are mostly about digitally overlaying information over what you are seeing in real time. These types of applications have been used by the military for years. Head's up displays in jet fighters, helicopters and tanks are just one example. The yellow first down line on a television broadcast of your favorite college or NFL game is another example. Some automobiles have digital displays projected on the inside of the windshield just above the dash board so you can check your speed or fuel level without taking your eyes off the road.

The most popular consumer uses for AR are apps for smart phones. Yelp was one of the first AR companies to develop apps for the iPhone. Using a Yelp app, you can aim your iPhone at a restaurant and it will overlay reviews and other information about that eatery. Another app will allow you to point the iPhone at an historical site and the app will provide you with a summarized history of that landmark or show you what that site looked like 100 years earlier.

There are apps in development that will use facial recognition to find entertainment or business celebrities in a crowd. Another will allow you to aim your phone at a classmate at a reunion and view that person's social networking pages. Of course, there will be apps that provide directions from your location to the closest Starbucks if you point your phone at the street sign in any major city.

What if everyone in New York or London is walking around holding their smart phone in front of their face to augment their own reality. How long will it take for them to run into a wall, another person, a poll or walk into oncoming traffic? You thought it was bad enough just having people around you talking or texting on their smart phones while walking or driving. In the future they might be looking through them.

Of course, if that technology takes off, people will purchase glasses or goggles that provide the digital overlays. I have even read about a company that is working on contact lenses that will provide you with terminator eyes complete with computer graphics layered onto your lenses. Naturally, you can expect Washington to provide legislation that will keep us from harming ourselves or others while using this technology.

In the movie, Surrogates, people had human like robots carrying out there day to day activities, while the humans cloistered themselves indoors in their homes or apartments. The humans controlled their surrogates through virtual eyewear and headset devices they put on when it was time for their robots to leave their homes and go about their daily routine.

Their surrogate robots interacted with other surrogate robots both at work and socially while the humans reclined in their beds and vicariously interacted with the other surrogates. I can't imagine how anyone could go without real human interaction for a long period of time. And if you thought obesity was a problem today, just consider how humans would look if they spent all day reclining in bed.

Is the authenticity of our human existence being supplanted by a digital existence? Social interaction and personal communication are being replaced by digital interaction via smart phones, email and Facebook. And if you think that I am a Luddite rebelling against all forms of technology, you would be wrong. After all, I am writing this blog on my Toshiba notebook computer and publishing it on my web site, Linkedin and Wordpress.

I do believe it is reasonable to question the impact of technology on our daily lives. I did grow up in the fifties when social interaction was the only interaction and the only reality. I can certainly see the value in having instant global communication capabilities and the world's knowledge base at your finger tips. Let's just not replace ourselves with digital devices. There is a lot to be said for the human experience and face to face human interaction. That is, after all, what makes us human isn't it?

What is your take on this topic? Technology evolution is impacting everyone on the planet. Now for my shameless plug: If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined our community, www.boomeropinion.com, please consider it. It is free and only takes a couple of minutes to sign up. You can share your viewpoint and voice your opinion on the critical issues facing America. And if we recruit enough of you, we can positively impact business and political policies around the country.

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 Since the recession began, California's budget deficit issues and double digit unemployment rates have a lot of people wondering if the state can continue leading the nation in technology and innovation. Ask most Californians, and they will tell you they don't believe their state is quite ready to throw in the towel. In fact, their ability to innovate will not only play a role in their recovery, but in America's recovery as well.

And even though I am a Texan living on the Silicon prairie in Austin, a city with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, I am convinced that California will do more than their share in helping lead this country out of recession. Why am I convinced California can bounce back and provide leadership in our nation's recovery? Even when I was a young guy growing up in the fifties, I noticed that most trends began in California and didn't hit the other states for at least six months to a year. Some trends never made it to Dallas, Des Moines or Minneapolis.

Of course, if that were my only evidence, I am not sure I could convince anyone that California would be able to maintain its position as a leader in technology and innovation. First, let's talk about green industries. There's Tesla, Fisker and Better Place. These are three electric car companies that believe they can compete with the big three automakers. California leads the nation in fuel economy standards and registered clean energy vehicles. The state leads the nation in the number of Hybrids, electric cars and natural gas powered vehicles on the road.

40% of the solar roof installations in this country exist in California. Solar prices are falling every day and most of the solar companies reside in California. Companies like SunPower, BrightSource, Solar City, eSolar, Nanosolar, and Solyndra. SunPower has over 5,000 employees and builds solar panels not just for residences, but massive power plants for utilities and roof top installations for big box stores. SunPower's Richmond, California plant assembles the world's most efficient solar panels in a plant where Ford built Model A's before World War II.  

The computer scientists and engineers are moving into renewable energy and combining their computer technology expertise with solar and LED technologies. eSolar is really a software application for controlling solar arrays in order to extract the maximum energy from these arrays regardless of the position of the sun. Biotech has been displacing the defense contractors in the San Diego area.

Biotech covers sectors such as Genomic medicine and photosynthetic algae technology. A number of discoveries and treatments have been developed recently through genomic medicine and they are really just scratching the surface. Photosynthetic algae technology could ultimately produce more fuel than corn, sugarcane or soy in the same space. Exxon Mobil and Synthetic Genomics are working on a $600 Million project together to develop fuel from algae.

Vinod Kosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems has raised $1.1 billion in venture capital to fund clean energy and biotech companies. Mr. Khosla has invested in Calera, a company working on a carbon capturing cement and Soladigm which is using semiconductor technologies to make energy efficient windows. Another of his investments is Amyris, a startup that is working on a process that will turn sugar into diesel fuel.

A major factor that puts the state on the leading edge has to do with the fact that California venture capitalists invested 43% of all the U.S. venture capital that went into high tech, biotech, renewable energy and other leading edge technology companies in 2008. They also have more scientists, engineers, marketers, lawyers, accountants and other knowledge workers than any other state in the union.

Cisco Systems, a California success that provides a significant portion of the infrastructure that powers the internet, spent millions developing their Telepresence system. Telepresence is the ultra high definition video conferencing system that has reduced the carbon footprints of large corporations that in the past found it necessary to meet with their contemporaries in person at locations around the world. One of Steven Speilberg's cinematographers helped create the feeling of intimacy in the video output. This is another example how one sector of California's economy teamed with another sector to improve the breed of both.  

Generally, the little guys like to see the movie star stumble and fall into disfavor. So while the rest of America might be writing off the state governed by a former actor and body builder, folks in California are saying that the recession of 2009 is just another speed bump on the road to glory.  And I, for one, would not  consider counting them out just yet. You know if California were a country, it be in the G-8.

What's you take on this topic? Do you think California will lead the nation out of recession?

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I cringe every year when I have to sit down and do our taxes. When I finish, it is like an enormous burden is lifted off my shoulders. Thank God for Turbo Tax. Frankly, I would prefer a flat tax, but as long as there are politicians running our country, I don't see that happening. Besides, how many thousands of Federal employees would be out of a job if the IRS were shut down.

I spent the first hour trying to locate the computer files for my previouos years taxes with no success. I am not sure how Turbo Tax hides them, but once I began doing my return, Turbo Tax found them immediately and I was off and running.  Even though I have spent the last 30 years in the computer industry, I still haven't learned to follow the prompts on the computer screen and execute the program the way it was designed to function. For some reason, I still think I am smarter than my computer...WRONG!

My wife had been bugging me to get them done assuming we would get a refund. She did work in Iraq most of last year and as long as you have spent at least  12 consecutive months in a war zone, your salary is not taxed.  So I get the shoeboxes and file boxes with all the receipts out and get to work.

I toiled for what seemed to be an eternity and got everything entered into the computer forms and I am ready to run the error check. Well, there were a few omissions and entry errors, but Turbo Tax helped me correct all of those except for one item. When doing the earned income credit form for my wife's tax free income, I inadvertantly entered a date in Part II of Schedule 2555 instead of Part III which created an error. I went in and deleted that entry, made the appropriate entry in Part III and thought I was done. Well, it kept indicating an entry error even though I had deleted that entry. I printed the return out and there was no entry on Part II of that form so I was convinced I was done and good to go. Surprise, surprise...it still didn't work.

Okay, I thought, I will just contact Tech Support. Guess again Leroy...ain't happening unless you get a case number and stand on your head and gargle peanut butter. In reality, software companies like Intuit would prefer you jump though several hoops before you can have the privilege of talking to a live human. There's the Live Community which should have all the answers, unless you have a tough question. Then there is email support...who may be able to provide an answer to your question in 72 hours.  For $29.95 you can talk to a professional. Of course, they don't specify what type of professional you will be chatting with. I call my wife at work and she suggests maybe I could just start over and reenter everything. Not an option thank you, I told her. I know I am smarter than this machine and by God I am going to fix this problem someway somehow. Wait a minute, didn't I already admit to not be smarter than a computer?

So I go back to the form and enter NA for the ending date in Part II, then delete it and danged if that didn't fix it. Why or how I don't know. All I know is that my taxes are e-filed and transmitted off into the intergalactic bit bucket in the sky. Hopefully they will reach Uncle Sam's desk by sometime this year and they will approve our refund. And as soon as our refund comes, my wife and I will do what we can to stimulate the economy.

Well, I am off to the accupuncture clinic for some well deserved poking and prodding. And if you are reading this on one of my blog sites, check out our web site at www.boomer-insight.com. That would make my wife even happier.

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Now that Newsweek has declared that the Recession is Over in their latest issue, we should be able to get the economy jump started and America will be back on its way to prosperity right? Not so fast, Virginia.

The Newsweek article is based on the comments of a number of economists that said that according to the latest economic indicators the economy had stopped contracting. So they are basically saying the since the economy is no longer shrinking, we can assume the recession is over. That is all well and good, but when can we expect to see economic growth start back up in America? Unfortunately, when you look at the demographic factors, the chance of economic growth doesn't look all that promising in the near future.

That is where the Generational Demographics begin to kick into play. The economic downturn which was basically the result of both deregulation of the securities and financial services industry 10 or so years back, along with excessive greed on the part of both Wall Street and the banking industry. The resulting downturn has put a significant damper on the free spending habits of the Baby Boomer generation. They have seen the devaluation of their most valuable assets like their homes', their 401K's and stock portfolios. Add to that the fact that their gainful employment, if they are still employed, is anything but guaranteed in the coming years, and it is easy to understand why they have reigned in their free spending habits of the past.

Since a large proportion of the Boomers have been in their prime with regard to earnings and consumption for the last 18 years, most prognosticators predicted that the Boomers would continue accumulating wealth and buying whatever they wanted until they got close to retirement. The majority of Boomers would retire in the next 10 years or so. Since the Boomer generation covers an 18 year span, a lot of the leading edge Boomers have already retired and the trailing edge Boomers won't retire before 2025. But, once they retire, most of them will move into the thrift mode and not spend their money so freely.

Over the last 15 years or so, most Boomers were only concerned with ensuring that their savings, investments and 401K's were growing at a rate that would satisfy their retirement needs. With the decline in value of their primary retirement funds and home values, they are now focusing on shoring up those accounts and not spending their disposable income on anything but the most basic necessities.

This is certainly a major set back for our economy since Baby Boomers were responsible for more than 75% of the GDP growth in America between 1995 and 2005. Last year, Boomers spent approximately $2 trillion on products and services. That amounts to some $400 billion more than any other generation group. With that kind of drop in consumption, the economy can not continue to grow as fast as it had in the previous 20 years without another generation to take up the slack. Gen Xer's represent a slightly smaller population group and haven't reached their peak earning potential. They won't be able to power up America's next economic growth spurt all by themselves.

But in reality, that is not the biggest issue here. The real problem is not who will replace the Boomers as the next wave of free spending consumers. The problem is that the economic downturn has caused the Boomers to rethink their strategies with regard to saving and spending to such an extent that when the economic recovery begins, the Boomers' consumption will not ramp back up to where it was before the downturn. The Boomers are too concerned about their ability to retire and enjoy the lifestyle they had envisioned prior to the economic downturn.

It is reminiscent of our parents and how they changed their saving and spending habits after the Great Depression of the thirties. So what can we do to get America back on track and restart our economic engine? A great many economists discount the Boomers' ability to kickstart the economy with new technologies like biotech, biomed, alternative energies, environmental remediation, alternative power plants, etc. They say the Boomers are past their prime and can't provide the innovation required to create these new business sectors. They don't believe the Gen'xers or Millennials can get it done either.

So, I guess we are doomed if some techno wizard doesn't step in and invent a whole new industry segment. It should be evident that the Boomers alone can't restart the economic engine. However, Americans have never stepped away from a challenge. It will have to be a multi-generational effort. If we put our considerable talents and expertise to work on meeting this challenge, maybe, just maybe we can return America to its leadership position in the world.

And if you are selling or marketing products to consumers, I would strongly suggest you segment your markets by generation and see to it that your value proposition zeros in on the exact needs of your target customers and the campaign optimizes your return. You also will need to ensure that your market share grows not only domestically, but internationally as well. The pie is smaller, so you will have to work smarter and harder to grow your business and grow America's GDP. Your country expects nothing less.

What's your take on this issue? Inquiring minds want to know. Comment on this blog or any one of our polling questions. Also check out the latest articles and content on our homepage. We are always looking for Baby Boomers with an opinion that don't mind speaking out and can successfully complete a sentence.

 

 

 

 

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Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y will all impact American business in different ways in the future and if companies don't begin trying to understand their differences, they will be left behind. Why is this issue so important? It is important because the primary drivers of our economy, Baby Boomers are reigning in their spending and preparing for retirement. If businesses don't start researching and learning all the subtle nuances between these generationally defined consumer groups, they will indeed be left behind.

Over the past 15-20 years Baby Boomer spending habits have been responsible for more than 75% of America's gross national product. During this period the 78 million Baby Boomers have been in their peak earning years and have basically bought whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. Some researchers have labeled Baby Boomers as hedonists, free spenders and the most self absorbed generation in recent history.

Not exactly, the legacy most Boomers want to be tagged with, but it is hard for them to argue with the facts. During their younger years Boomers fought for social justice, spawned the peace movement and acted as America's social and political conscience. They worked hard at changing the political system and they played hard. Remember sex, drugs and Rock & Roll? If you are a Boomer, your memory from that period might be a little sketchy. After college came marriage, family, careers and integration into normal society. And once the Boomers hit their peak earning years, they began spending like no generation before them. Of course, lax credit policies and intense marketing through an expanding media base helped perpetuate this boom period.

During the recent economic downturn that began last fall, the Boomers' IRAs, stock portfolios and home values lost 20% to 40% of their value. Being so close to retirement, the Baby Boomers hit the panic button and just quit spending money on anything that wasn't a necessity. Consequently, the economic meltdown accelerated. Signs of recovery are beginning to show in a number of sectors, but it isn't going to happen quickly and it is hard to predict whether we will return to the good old days of mass consumption. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but if you are trying to grow your business in a declining market you had better outsmart your competition.

It is important to understand that the next generation after Baby Boomers, the Gen X'ers are quite different than the Boomers and there are fewer Gen X'ers out there. While there are 78 million Baby Boomers, there are somewhere between 47 million and 65 million Gen X'ers depending whose definition of Gen X you use. Some researchers classify Gen X'ers as those people born between 1965 and 1976, while others place the generation birth dates between 1961 and 1981. Gen Xer's are characterized as independent, sometimes adversarial or rebellious, informal, entrepreneurial, and on a quest for emotional security. In the past they have been referred to as slackers and whiners, but I believe that was a mischaracterization originating from their behavior during their youth.

Members of Generation Y (aka Millenials or Echo Boomers) are considerably more like their Baby Boomer parents. They tend to feel empowered because of their overindulgent parents, they have a sense of security and are very optimistic about the future. Gen Y'ers are characterized as loyal and more likely to volunteer and help others. They look for employers that provide flexibility in the workplace. And they are undoubtedly the most technologically savy generation to come along. There are almost 80 million members of Generation Y, which means that they will play a larger role in driving economic growth in America than the Gen X'ers.

Regardless of whether you are targeting these groups for marketing purposes or looking to hire new employees, it is critical that you understand the subtle characteristics and nuances of each demographic on the front end. There are plenty of books, articles and web based research to help you understand the best ways and methods to reach out to these groups for whatever purposes you have in mind. If you plan to market to these groups or manage a multi-generational workforce, your key to success will be understanding what motivates their behavior and leveraging that knowledge. Just remember, it won't be business as usual and you won't succeed if you are not prepared.

 What's your take on this issue? Inquiring minds want to know. Comments are welcomed and encouraged. We are always looking for Baby Boomers with an opinion that don't mind speaking out and can successfully complete a sentence.

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By Mac McKinley, Boomer Opinion. July 16, 2009. Of course, being the CEO of Boomer Opinion, my answer to this question is quite simple. A Boomer is a person born between the years of 1946 and 1964. That is the definition of a Baby Boomer.

However, since I refer to Baby Boomers as Boomers, I have gotten some strange responses from people when I tell them that my partners and I have developed a web community that caters to Boomers. One of my linkedin connections looked up Boomer in the dictionary and discovered that a Boomer could be: A nuclear submarine armed with ballistic missiles. A Boomer could be transient worker, especially one that works on bridge construction.

Or a Boomer could be a large fully grown male kangaroo. I don't believe we have any submarines, transient construction workers or male kangaroos in our membership. More than one of my colleagues ignored myI invitation to join Boomer Opinion because he thought the site was targeting alumni and fans of Oklahoma University...since they are referred to as Boomer Sooners. During the Oklahoma land Boom, the Sooners got their name by racing to their selected land grant locations sooner than the other participants during the free land giveaway. They actually violated the rules by leaving early and got the most select areas available. Being a University of Texas alumni, I can understand why any other self respecting Longhorn would not want to be associated with an OU web site.

In reality, Boomers, are the largest, most powerful generation group in America. Boomers represent one out of every three adults in America, and control 70% of the wealth in this country. Boomers annually spend $400 billion more than any other generation group on consumer products and services. Marketing and Advertising groups are just now beginning to recognize the financial power of the Baby Boomers. In the past, their favored demographic was the 18 to 49 year olds.

One of the primary reasons we founded Boomer Opinion was to get Baby Boomers to re-engage in social and political dialogue and have a positive impact on policy making at the local, state and federal levels. Baby Boomers have risen to the occasion in the past fighting for social and political change. Think about causes like women's rights, minority rights, and social equality.

I believe it is time once again for Boomers to mobilize and get involved. "The next ten years are going to be very defining for America," said David Gergen, former White House adviser and Professor of Public Service at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, "The big question about the Baby Boomer Generation is, is it going to grow up in time and get serious about facing up to the challenges that are going to be here for our children and grandchildren, or are we going to slide by and leave them with a really big mess."

It is up to you. Are you ready to get back in the game, or will you sit on the sidelines. WWW.BoomerOpinion.com is here for you. Why not re-engage and voice your opinion on the most pressing issues facing America.

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Baby Boomers are Americans born between 1946 and 1964. You know who you are...don't try to hide from us.

Baby Boomers represent one out of every three adults in the U.S. Boomers control 70% of the wealth in America. Every day 10,000 Boomers turn 50 years of age. Boomers spend $2.3 trillion annually on consumer goods and products, which is $400 billion more than any other generational group. In the next 10 years. the advertiser's golden demographic(Americans 18-49) will increase in by 1 million while the 50+ age group will increase by 22.5 million. Bottom line...the 77 million Boomers out there have tremendous strength in numbers and buying power. We want to translate that into political power and only you can help us do that.

Why is this important? It is important because being a member of such a powerful demographic should give us a dominant voice in America when it comes to impacting and directing our government leaders and policies. Unfortunately, that has not necessarily been the case in the last 20 years. Yes, we had a significant impact on government policies and social change in the sixties, seventies and eighties, but what have we accomplished recently. Not much. It seems that special interest groups and lobbyists have wielded all the power since the early nineties.

Given what has taken place in the last few years and particularly the last few months, it seems to me that the Baby Boomers could again become a significant force in shaping social, economic and political direction and policies in America. That is why we have developed our new web site, www.Boomer-Insight.com , an opinion web portal. Our mission is to give Boomers a platform to express their views and a polling place to weigh in on the most pressing issues facing America today. If we can draw a significant number of Boomers to our site, and generate enough buzz through our forums and polls, America and Washington will take note and incorporate our ideas and vision into their direction and policy making.

Based on our numbers and intellectual strength, we can become the most powerful lobby in Washington. Once again the Boomers can transform the social and political fabric of this nation in a positive way. But it can't happen unless you engage in our polls and express your views. This site has no political affiliation and we will ensure that whatever the consensus is on any given subject or policy, it will be communicated to the powers that be.

Don't let those guys in Washington continue to drive this country into the ditch. It is up to us to get them back on track. We have the numbers and the financial power to make them listen. It's up to you. Visit http://www.boomer-insight.com/ and re-engage.

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Business life and family life have always been separate entities. Kiss the spouse, hug the kids and the paradigm shift begins. By the time you reach the office, you have shifted gears into your business mode. Why? Because your business life and family life are mutually exclusive and have always been that way since the industrial revolution began. Work by its very nature should be serious and focused on the tasks at hand. Fun has no place in the equation. Work was never meant to be enjoyable or fun, right? You might need to rethink this strategy if you want to be successful in the new millennium.

In an earlier blog on happiness in the workplace, I wrote about the benefits of creating a culture of happy and engaged employees and how that can translate into higher productivity. According to a recent study by Alexander Kjerulf, happy workers work better with others, are more creative, have more energy, are more optimistic, are more motivated, get sick less often, learn faster, make fewer mistakes and make better decisions. Consequently, they are much more productive. But creating a happy workplace is just the beginning.  

Creating a family environment where the employees feel connected and engaged is the next step. Tony Hsieh is the CEO of Zappos, the highly successful online footwear retailer. At the Web 2.0 Conference last year he talked about the first company he started, Link Exchange, and how the workplace changed as it grew. He said it was a fun place to work in the early days, but once it reached 100 employees, he no longer looked forward to going to work. So he sold the company to Microsoft for $240M and walked away. He begin investing in web startups after selling that company. Zappos was a company he helped fund in 1999 and he liked the company and concept so much he later became the CEO. With Zappos, Tony had a second chance to build a company culture that embraced and engaged its employees in a good way.

Last year, Amazon bought Zappos for $920M, but Tony still runs the company and clearly has built a team culture like no other. It is all about aligning your brand with your company culture and seeing to it that the promise of your company is delivered by every employee every day. In my book, Marketing Alignment, I point out that if a company's value proposition is based on customer service and the company isn't delivering the very best customer service available, then the customers will see through the smoke screen and not do business with that company. Fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me.

Zappos prides itself on its customer service and apparently they not only deliver on that promise every day, they over deliver on that promise frequently. You order a product with standard shipping and they might just ship it overnight. So that pair of shoes you are just dying to have, might just get there the next morning. Maybe, you have a problem with your order. Just ship it back free of charge. They provide free shipping both ways on every order. Their call center reps are called Customer Loyalty Reps. Every employee of the company, be it an accountant, Vice President, or factory worker has to spend two weeks working in the call center answering customer calls. No exceptions.

All employees are offered $2,000 to quit at the end of their first 90 days. Tony believes that if any employee is not totally committed to the Zappos mission, it is better for all concerned if that employee takes the cash and leaves. On the other hand, once employees become permanent, they have a lot of freedom to control their work and their environment. They are expected to adhere to Zappos Core Values which are:

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and a Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More with Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

I believe these values would fit into any corporate culture and make any company more successful. While Zappos is a shining example, other 21^st century companies are finding ways to retain the best and most successful people. Google for example, provides onsite healthcare, childcare, recreation, massage therapy, food services, fitness centers and numerous other perks. While these perks will definitely attract employees to your company, only the larger corporate employers can afford them. But, you don't have to provide onsite catering or massage to become very successful. Your team will make your company successful provided they buy into your company's vision and mission.

Bottom line, to create a successful business in the 21^st Century you will need to find employees who can not only sell your vision, but those that truly buy into it and will live it every day of the year. And to retain them, you will need to give them the tools and the freedom to do the job their own way. Treat them like you would treat a member of your family and make sure they are recognized for their contributions, regardless of what they do. Micromanage them or exert too much control over their work or their environment and neither your company, or your employees, will be around very long. It is about building a team.

Diane Crampton, a Linkedin member, recently interviewed Tony Hsieh and wrote about Tony and Zappos on her blog. Read her post at http://www.corevalues.com/products/tigers-newsletters/august-09.html.  

What's your take on this issue? Inquiring minds want to know. Comment on Linkedin and/or on my web site, www.BoomerOpinion.com. We are always looking for Baby Boomers with an opinion that don't mind speaking out and can successfully complete a sentence.

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 In June of this year, Tennessee legislators passed a new law allowing people with concealed carry permits to bring guns into bars and restaurants in that state. They had to override the Governor's veto to get the law passed.  And last month, Arizona legislators enacted a similar bill allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons into bars and restaurants in their state. Needless to say, the National Rifle Association backed these bills and lobbied vigorously for their passage.

The right to carry firearms into establishments that serve alcohol exists in 41 states now. So this is not a new issue that has just surfaced in Arizona and Tennessee. And I am sure that in most of these states, the establishment can post signs forbidding customers from bringing firearms into those establishments, as they can in Arizona and Tennessee.

In Arizona, taking a gun into bar banning weapons is a misdemeanor crime punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a fine up to $500. Of course, there is a partial legal defense if the sign had fallen down, the person was not an Arizona resident or the sign had only been up for 30 days or less. There will always be loopholes.

In both states, patrons who are carrying weapons are not supposed to consume alcohol. I am not sure how they can be prevented from consuming alcohol if their weapons are concealed. I guess they will be operating on the honor system.

Even if the firearm bearing patrons don't consume, their fellow patrons will be consuming and likely as not a dispute or argument could arise between an unarmed patron and a patron who is carrying. So what's to keep a shootout from occurring in the bar or restaurant? It seems to me that we are creating a perfect venue for more gun violence.

According to J.P. Nelson, director of the NRA's western region, "Bad things happen in bars and restaurants." He went on to say, "People want to carry a gun and if the facility owner doesn't have a problem with it, there shouldn't be a problem. If a person starts drinking and gets into a shootout and kills someone, of course they're subject to criminal prosecution." Of course, I not sure the victim's loved ones will feel all that comforted by the fact that the murderer will be brought to justice.

Now the NRA has its view on the subject, but I can't say that Mr. Nelson's statement increases my comfort level. I think every bar owner should be concerned about the consequences of allowing folks to bring guns into their establishments. I am all for the second amendment, but I believe allowing people to bring guns into bars and restaurants just doesn't make much sense. Sure there are those folks who will say that without such laws the only people packing will be the bad seeds and criminals just itching for a gun fight. Sure, there will be those who will carry concealed weapons regardless of the laws.

So I guess the justification is that you need to protect yourself from all those bad guys who will be illegally carrying guns into these establishments. Personally, I don't get it. I believe allowing anyone to carry firearms into establishments that serve alcohol is asking for trouble. Isn't there enough gun violence already in America.

Sorry, I just couldn't let this news story go by without putting in my two cents. I know there are a lot you out there who will take issue with my opinion. That is good. My web community, www.BoomerOpinion.com, is all about discussing issues like this one, so jump in and let me know how you feel about this issue.  We are always looking for new members who aren't afraid to voice their opinions, so please join if you haven't already.  And have a great week while you are at it.

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