NextGen, Technology, Corporate America, and a whole bunch of conference mumbo jumbo
I'm a techno-geek. Admittedly, I've leveraged the web, e-mail, blogs, wikis, and all things podcast (not here people, at work) to make myself known. Hell, one might say I've over-done it even (gasp!). But here at this conference, one where I am decidedly STILL one of the youngest participants (even at 31 years old), I find that I am considered cutting-edge.
I am lumped in with the NextGen crowd, the 18 - 26 year olds that corporate America is completely freaked out about hiring (it is rumored they want the world by the balls and question everything called The Man). It is laughable really. So hilarious in fact, containing myself during the keynote address was almost impossible. Technology is technology. Computers, computers. And this *NextGen* crowd just use the stuff all the time. And expect corporate America to do the same. So use it to your advantage folks, don't run from it.
Which leads me to my real point--authors and technology. It is very much the same as in corporate America. You (as in the author themselves) either love it or hate it. Embrace or shun it. And then either use it to their advantage... or pretend it doesn't exist. It's a tough choice, as it always distracts from writing itself. But guess what? If you want to have a long and lengthy writing career, you can't ignore computers, the Internet, chats, blogs, podcasts, or virtually anything that might disconnect you from your audience. And these *NextGen* people? Well, they are your audience. So why deter them from finding you?
This is just the third early morning, under-three-cups-of coffee talk yapping away here (and I've had conference speak spewed endlessly into my ears for the last 96 hours (so much I am even dreaming about it)--but come on people. This is common sense. This is what will make you stand out in the crowd! Oh. Well. Yeah. If you are reading THIS blog, that it is likely I am preaching to the choir. And you at least know the term wiki, blog, and podcast-- right? Good. I was feeling a bit big headed. Or even a bit pompish in my *early-adopter* status. Or the fact that I am Up-to-Date.
Which leads me to yet another question-- where the hell are all the other corporate people like me? Where are the conferences that embrace, celebrate, and talk about all this techno-geek stuff (to blog or not to blog about the office, getting the *cool* technology into the office, how techno-geeks rule the world)? Because, being that my company pays for these conference thingies, I'd really like to find one where I learn something.
I am lumped in with the NextGen crowd, the 18 - 26 year olds that corporate America is completely freaked out about hiring (it is rumored they want the world by the balls and question everything called The Man). It is laughable really. So hilarious in fact, containing myself during the keynote address was almost impossible. Technology is technology. Computers, computers. And this *NextGen* crowd just use the stuff all the time. And expect corporate America to do the same. So use it to your advantage folks, don't run from it.
Which leads me to my real point--authors and technology. It is very much the same as in corporate America. You (as in the author themselves) either love it or hate it. Embrace or shun it. And then either use it to their advantage... or pretend it doesn't exist. It's a tough choice, as it always distracts from writing itself. But guess what? If you want to have a long and lengthy writing career, you can't ignore computers, the Internet, chats, blogs, podcasts, or virtually anything that might disconnect you from your audience. And these *NextGen* people? Well, they are your audience. So why deter them from finding you?
This is just the third early morning, under-three-cups-of coffee talk yapping away here (and I've had conference speak spewed endlessly into my ears for the last 96 hours (so much I am even dreaming about it)--but come on people. This is common sense. This is what will make you stand out in the crowd! Oh. Well. Yeah. If you are reading THIS blog, that it is likely I am preaching to the choir. And you at least know the term wiki, blog, and podcast-- right? Good. I was feeling a bit big headed. Or even a bit pompish in my *early-adopter* status. Or the fact that I am Up-to-Date.
Which leads me to yet another question-- where the hell are all the other corporate people like me? Where are the conferences that embrace, celebrate, and talk about all this techno-geek stuff (to blog or not to blog about the office, getting the *cool* technology into the office, how techno-geeks rule the world)? Because, being that my company pays for these conference thingies, I'd really like to find one where I learn something.
