MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

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All of the nips and tucks in the world aren’t going to make me look young again. My workforce is filled with skinny, hip, fashionistas who drink the drink and smoke the smoke. Their heels are as high as skyscrapers and their handbags are as large as bread boxes. Oops, no one knows what that is anymore. The guys in the tech business try to look like rock stars or tattoo artists. Disheveled hair or no hair, crumpled shirts, and dirty, low-hanging jeans are the uniforms. I am not sure if they have showered in the last few days or have any intention to. They all know the latest tech terms and trends and who is developing what before they even surface because they hang in circles where all that is being discussed.

My friends talk Medicare, Metamucil, and Sore Muscles. Sometimes when I am out to dinner with people my age I try to engage them in discussions about the latest apps or improvements in Smartphones. I hate when they cross their arms to tell me that Apple is becoming a monopoly so they refuse to buy iPhones, or they won’t post on Facebook because Big Brother is watching them.

Oh, they are eager to talk tech if the subject is the stock market or who bought what and for how much. All of a sudden you find out that some of these couch potatoes are heavily invested in the tech industry and are angel investors in products they are clueless about. I am not saying that everyone is ignorant but by and large people of my generation invest in companies because they are either “safe” or “cool.” By “cool” I mean because a friend told them the company was ripe for purchase. If you ask them what the company does they will give you the appropriate sound bite but they could never defend their true, practical purpose.

I shouldn’t be pointing my heavily bejeweled finger with its long red acrylic nail at anyone. My husband and I have invested in Broadway productions because of the famous people we might possibly meet or the Tony we could win as a so-called “producer.” Ha!

I really yearn to be around folks who want to experience the technology revolution. We are living in the most exciting times of innovation. We are lucky to be alive and see the things we get to see. Who wouldn’t want to spend every waking hour being a part of it?

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

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One of the first things I want to write about is the desire I have to stay relevant in the work force. I don’t know where this ambition comes from. I have my suspicions but it is too early in this series of blog posts to discuss that. I was never a good student unless I had an excellent teacher who inspired me.

The workplace was a whole different story. I was 18 when I got a job as a copy girl (messenger) at WWD in Greenwich Village on September 9, 1966. The minute I entered that copy room I felt a rush of excitement that has stayed with me for 45 years. Being a part of a content engine that produces editorial has been totally exhilarating. Without it, I am not sure what would happen to me.

I have had friends who felt the same as I do about their fields of work. Months after they retired or got fired, they got debilitating or terminal illnesses. Some say I am exaggerating. Maybe those folks love their retirement so that they don’t understand those of us who identify ourselves by our work. That may be a sad statement to some but not to those who love the rewards of their careers.

RECLAIMING WHAT WE STARTED

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There are very few of me.  Most women my age are either retired or work in fields where seniors are more populous.  I work  in the digital world where 20- and 30- year-olds rule.   I spend my day talking to kids who have no idea who Truman Capote is and that Sonny was the other half of Cher.  They do know things that no one my age, male or female, will ever know or care about. Their conversations revolve around Crowd Sourcing,  Ambient Technology,  Hyperlinks,  Flash and Lead  Harvesting.  There are more millionaire entrepreneurs before the age of 30 than ever before and that number has reached epidemic proportions.  My staff, my clients are more than 30 years my junior.  Every year they get younger and younger, every year I have to become more relevant, productive and creative.

I decided to start this blog because I think it is important to track my success (or lack of it) in a world that is ever changing.  What is new one day in the world of the Internet is old the next.  Keeping up with innovation is like being Lucy packing chocolates from that runaway conveyer belt . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI&feature=fvwrel   While my friends are downsizing and playing golf or spending more time with their grandkids,  I am trying to become knowledgeable about Instagram, Highlight and Pinterest.  The real challenge is just not understanding what these technologies do, but how to use them.  If I don’t use them all the time, then I forget where, how and when to click. I drive everyone crazy asking for help. Our company technology expert constantly says to me “How many times did I tell you…………”

The good news for people my age is that once we become proficient with all of these digital gizmos and applications, we have a deeper understanding of their potential and practicality.  Most younger people want instant gratification and take things at face value.   Their intuition is all about using the mechanics.  Ours is all about applying them to life experiences.

Yes, there is a tremendous value in being older in the digital community. You just have to be strong enough to get through a few embarrassing moments then be ready to claim the territory that we handed to them.