Web 2.0: the boom for Boomers

Citation

Latham, B. (2008), "Web 2.0: the boom for Boomers", Reference Reviews, Vol. 22 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/rr.2008.09922bag.001

Web 2.0: the boom for Boomers

Though it has been in the forefront of the news and library literature recently, the concept of social networking is not a recent development – it has been around for thousands of years. Humans have always formed social networks, it is an integral part of who we are and what we do as a species, but the variation now is the medium: the web. Web 2.0 is most recognizable in its incarnation as collective knowledge tool, such as the ubiquitous Wikipedia, and online social community, such as the equally ubiquitous MySpace. The challenge for libraries, which has almost acquired thoroughly beaten dead horse status in the literature of information science, lies in developing ways to become a part of Web 2.0, since this is where the users are and it is the type of information environment they have come to expect. In a single month in 2007, MySpace logged 114 million visitors from all over the globe. Over 100 million video clips are viewed by YouTube users every day. The library wants a piece of this action, so enter Library 2.0 and its proponents.

When she is not at work or out with her boyfriend, my sister is not at the library – she spends hours sitting in front of the computer, fiddling around in MySpace and Facebook. I know this, because her computer of choice is my Mac. When she wants to know something, she asks me, since I am a librarian and, as such, I know everything. If the unthinkable occurs and I don’t know the answer, she does a Google search, which usually sends her straight to Wikipedia. She doesn’t have an avatar in Second Life yet, but only because it costs money. In short, she is an avid Web 2.0 enthusiast. She is also 20 years old. And this illustrates one of the major precepts behind Web 2.0: it’s the province of youngsters. Or is it?

The 14-34 demographic is a large one, and Madison Avenue keeps track of these things, as does Wall Street. Accordingly, the most visible Web 2.0 sites are those most utilized by youngsters. Do thirty-somethings and up use them? Yes. But they are not in the majority, and the sites are not geared specifically towards them. But while the young demographic is big, that of the Baby Boomers is bigger, much bigger. And recently, technology investors and entrepreneurs have started to take notice and are attempting to tap this human resource with Web 2.0 sites aimed directly at Boomers and people “of a certain age”.

Enter Eons, Rezoom, Multiply, Maya’s Mom, Boomj, Boomertown, and others. As a New York Times article rather unflatteringly described them (Richtel, 2007), “They look like Facebook – with wrinkles”. Eons (see www.eons.com) has a tagline that reads “Lovin’ life on the flip side of 50”. It has the same basic layout as MySpace, and offers the same features: profiles, friends, photos, blogs, interest groups, etc. But there is less techno terminology and what is a given for a MySpace user is explained for an Eons user (e.g. under the blogs section: “A blog is like an online journal. Share your thoughts and experiences and comment on others’ stories!”). Even the games tend to be geared towards those of a certain age – you will not find Kitty Cannon or Maim the Mime here (two of my personal favourites), but rather American History Trivia and how to prolong your life expectancy.

Since mature adults have responsibilities, such as their children, other new social networking sites take this into account. Maya’s Mom (see www.mayasmom.com) is, not surprisingly, a social networking site created to cater to parents. It is an online community where parents can find, share, and save information – where they can learn from others’ parenting experiences. It features the usual blogs, groups, photographs, etc. but there is also a dynamic listing of “kidisms”, where parents share their “kids say the darnedest things” moments and others vote on them.

And then there’s TeeBeeDee (see www.TBD.com), an online community or “experience network” as the founder likes to call it, for people forty and up. The name stands for “To Be Determined”, implying that, according to TeeBeeDee’s press releases, life after 40 is full of opportunity. In this vein, TeeBeeDee provides career reinvention tools to help adults map out their future work plans or career changes. There are also “Real Life Scripts” which offer conversation tips for difficult social situations, from confronting children about drug use to talking with a boss who’s unfairly snubbed you for promotion in favour of that dipstick from Acquisitions. And since the problem of finding a (decent) mate is universal, TeeBeeDee also focuses on dating after 40, even providing free workshops and online dating makeovers.

Many of these sites are still in beta, but the implication is obvious: social networking and Web 2.0 is not just for youngsters, and it does not have to cater specifically to them, leaving a small contingent of “hip” adults and librarians desperate to tag along. Though it may differ in strength, there is a demand from all age groups. And while libraries are figuring out where they fit in the world of Web 2.0 by exploring avenues such as wikis, blogs, creating library presence in Second Life and other online networks, they are also revamping traditional services to make them more Web 2.0 friendly. Take, for instance, OCLC’s bid to add Web 2.0 functionality to its familiar WorldCat services (see www.worldcat.org). Among the new, interactive networking tools that OCLC has added are personal profile accounts. These “My WorldCat” accounts allow for personalization so that users can share info about interests, occupation, photographs, and more. Users can now create and share personalized lists of any items catalogued in WorldCat, much like the lists Amazon allows its users to create (e.g. “Must-Read Tudor Historical Fiction”). Users can also add content such as ratings, reviews, and critiques. In the near future, WorldCat also plans to add social tagging (i.e. informal, user-defined keywords), a recommender feature, and RSS feeds (Storey, 2007). Library 2.0 is about offering library services within or as an extension of Web 2.0 tools, and as OCLC’s Social Networking guru, Jasmine de Gaia, has noted, user-generated content is a big part of this, which is becoming increasingly evident in the information landscape also occupied by libraries. In short, users want to be involved, so libraries will continue to add more me-centred, social aspects to their list of services – for users aged four to 104.

Bethany LathamInternet Editor, Reference Reviews, and Assistant Professor and Electronic Resources/Documents Librarian, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Alabama, USA