Five minutes, 20 slides. What would you say?

At every Ignite, 16 artists, technologists, thinkers, and personalities will take the stage to answer this challenge.

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Washington, D.C. 20001
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Ignite DC #6

Debbie Weil

FRIENDING OVER 50

Did you know that baby boomers are the fastest growing users of social networks? We are on Facebook, we tweet, we blog, we use LinkedIn, we love YouTube. God knows what else we’ll do with social media as we move from middle to old age. Oops, did I say “old”? Boomers never get old. That’s what makes us special. We rejected traditional values in the 1960s, we marched, we protested and we continue to rebel as we head into the final chapter of our lives.

Baby boomers, defined as someone born between 1946 and 1964, are the largest generation in American history. We represent a demographic bulge (the pig in the python) which will have profound effects on every aspect of the future of this country. We also have a unique relationship with Millennials, many of whom happen to be our children.

Millennials are driving much of the innovation that is reshaping our use of the Internet, social media and technology. In other words, you’re cool and (most of us) are not. But let’s turn the tables. What if boomers start demanding new ways to think about and use technology? With so many of us, we could start dominating the digital conversation.

What are the implications of “Friending Over 50”? How might boomers want to use social media and the Web - for 2nd or 3rd careers, for improved healthcare, for retirement, for saving the world? And how will this affect Millennials and the generations behind us? Come to my provocative session and find out.

About Debbie Weil:

Named by Fast Company in 2010 as one of the Most Influential Women in Technology, Debbie Weil is a rare species - a Baby Boomer who is practically a digital native. She launched her first website in 1995. She has been blogging since 2003 and is the author of one of the first and most definitive books about business blogging: THE CORPORATE BLOGGING BOOK.

She has been a card-carrying member of DC’s digerati for close to 25 years and was named a Washington DC Top 100 Tech Titan. In addition to consulting and writing, she has spoken at conferences and events all over the world, including China and Dubai.

FRIENDING OVER 50 is the topic of her next book. She promises an entertaining and provocative look at this intriguing topic.