Baby Boomers and Social Networks.

So we have MySpace and Facebook and LinkedIn and a smattering of other social networking sites out there, but what’s out there for the wired boomer?  How about Eons? I’m not so sure about the name. But maybe that’s intentional? Eons sounds like a nightclub. You know the kind that’s only around for about 3 years and then is reinvented into a country saloon… Almost sounds somewhat presienct..  So before we spell the demise of Eons, Let me digress. Eons features sections on fun, love, money, body – and obituaries, among others. True to the demographic, you won’t be seeing obit notices on MySpace any time soon.

Founded by Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor, Eons.com caters to the 50-plus demographic, aiming to become their MySpace and Facebook, writes Reuters. “These are people who want to spend money to save time rather then spend their time trying to save money,” Taylor is quoted as saying. The site offers interactive games, news on entertainment and hobbies, a longevity calculator and an obituary database that sends alerts when someone you know dies. Note: If I’m starting to send obit notices to friends about friends who bit it in their 50’s, then it’s time to put away the bong and lace up the cross-trainers.

The site creates associations between members with similar goals, some of which, such as “take a trip to Hawaii,” will serve as leads for marketers, writes ClickZ. Site partners hoping for such leads include Verizon, Hyatt, Liberty Mutual, Harrah’s Entertainment, and Humana.

Eons.com also offers standard display ad units as well as high-level sponsorships and targeted contextual placements. Its “Cranky” search engine, which uses Ask.com technology, allows users to rate search results, some of which will be vetted by human editors.

Another Boomer site is Boomj. I’m not sure if that’s pronounced Boom-J or is it Boomja? nevertheless  this site seems to have a little bit more going on than Eons. Here is Boomj’s description:

The name BOOMj derives from the two primary audiences we serve: the Baby Boomers Generation and Generation Jones – both born during the big 20-year, post-World War II boom in births from the mid-1940’s to mid-1960’s.

  • Baby Boomers were born 1942 to 1953; we associate their youth with Howdy Doody, Davy Crocket hats, and later, Woodstock and Vietnam War demonstrations.
  • Generation Jones, born 1954 to 1965, is a newer concept and name that represents the actual children of the sixties (more wide-eyed than tie-dyed); Jonesers were weaned on The Brady Bunch and Easy Bake Ovens and later were the teens of 70’s heavy metal, disco, punk and soul.

At this point it still remains to be seen whether these will actually work in the same fashion as some of the larger more notable social networks. The question is do Boomers want to spend time sitting in front of the pc making friends or would they rather be out in the clubs throwin down? It really does boil down to how the Boomer nation has adapted and adopted to social networking.  Social networking is more an extension of Gen Y and even younger as yet to be named generations.  Boomers with exceptionsl power and influence however may choose to keep it simple to the extent that their cell phones and email are what they consider as being wired in todays culture, Boomers will make a determination very quickly whether Eons and Boomj is for them or not.

3 thoughts on “Baby Boomers and Social Networks.

  1. Yep, you’re asking the right questions on this market niche. It’s definitely a wait and see proposition at this point but so far results aren’t promising but it’s still early.
    I’ve been following and writing on these sites for a few months now. You can see my posts on it including their traffic stats in the Social Networking category on my blog.

  2. Regarding “Baby Boomers and Web 2.0” Baby Boomers & Web 2.0 and “Baby Boomers & Web 2.0”

    I read your posting with interest and found the link to The Savvy Boomer a treasure trove on the topic which I am most grateful to you and the author of the other site for the work he has done on this subject.

    While others have some doubts about the concept of WEB 2.0 age segmentation with or without certain specific lifestyle and/or affinity focus business models, in my opinion the prospect has considerable merit.

    Through others’ trial and error….or trial and success.. I anticipate those entities/teams that:
    – tweak the formula and find the right ingredients;

    -AND can secure a combination of funding to acquire critical mass;

    -AND selected SPONSORSHIP support enhanced eventually with subscription-based and/or advertsing revenue models,

    MAY set a new standard in increasing the penetration of the baby boomer target market’s Internet usage patterns. The social, business and cultural benefits for this important demographic group ( I am a member of) are ENORMOUS.

    To the victor(s), a lucrative future awaits!

    Just one boomer’s opinion.

    Ray Knight
    Chief Envisioneer Officer
    KnightWorks, Inc
    http://www.RayKnight.com

  3. boomersnetwork.com is a new paid members site that is really causing a stir! I checked it out and I can see why. The thing I noticed about it right away is the “no ads” format. I can’t stand all the blinking and craziness of the other boomer sites. Boomers Network is also easy to navigate among other good things.

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