Charlie over at Charlie411 is hopeful that 2006 will see an increase in the number of seniors who join the blogosphere...and his assessment of the generational gap is on target:
"One reason for this may lie in the fact that youngsters have grown up with rapidly advancing technology, as opposed to experiences of their elders. Or, maybe people of my era just don't feel the need to express themselves endlessly on a plethora of topics."
Handwritten letters and diaries were the order of the day for Charlie's generation and personal expression tended to be, well, personal and not something that was broadcast.
Since joining the Ageless Project a year or so ago. I have noticed a major jump in the number of bloggers who claim birthdays in the 1950's. The number has swelled to 16 or so from the 4 or 5 when I first discovered the listing...and I suspect that there are many more who simply are not aware (or particularly interested) that there is such a site. I'm with Charlie on this, I would like to see more seniors listed (and that would include Charlie as well).
I take heart when I read that Mildred, at 80+, and Ray White at 90+ are holding up their ends of older generational bloggers (and getting publicity for doing so). Take heart, Charlie, for Nita, born in 1920 and blogging for just a few weeks, has joined the frey. Cheer her on if you have a moment, her comments are open.
Charlie's concerns over the language that is found in many personal blogs is a shared concern by many from older generations...foul language was not something that was acceptable in 'polite conversation'. It is, sadly, a part of today's expression and is even more pervasive in entertainment/cable television/movies. There is at least one blogger aware of language issues. I have my doubts that older bloggers will be easily convinced that their posts will be improved with a peppering of profanity.
The good news about older bloggers is that we may blog more for the connectivity rather than blogging for a particular public agenda. If you have witnessed what happens when a group of local (younger) bloggers meet-up at a local watering hole and discover new friends, imagine how cool it is to discover an antique a blogger from the 1950's and find an instant friend. There is generally enough shared history to make those connections special even if we never have an opportunity to meet face-to-face...remember, previous generations were happy with snail mail...really happy!
Some of us older bloggers are on the down hill side of 50 and we don't talk too much about how old we are. We do wish one another Happy Birthday (including my Alaskan friend Purple Moose who nearly shares my birthday this week)...and we have fun reminiscing, sharing each other's pain, laughing at one another, cooing over cute grand-baby pictures, crying over the loss of close relatives, and generally celebrating each day that we can still sit in front of a computer and blog.