Gen Plus

Couldn’t sleep, so I decided to take a shower at 4:30 am.  When I’m that wired, it usually indicates I’ve got a lot on my plate and I haven’t got my process for dealing with that plate sorted out.  So, shower it was.  And in the shower, my mind has a tendency to wander wherever it needs to go.  Today, it wandered to text messaging.  Chain of thought was: 

Aaaahhhh…good idea to take this shower.  But the water table is still low, so better not take too long a shower.  That’s very green of me.  Gee, I hope that man who emailed  me about his frustration with retooling his skill set has found a path in renewable energies.  Interesting that I’m thinking about jobs when I’m about to sell my home and move up to a new home.  Wonder if I’ll get my new home in time for the tax incentive?  Wonder if there will be enough inventory on the market to find a home?  Damn banks.  Anyway, who cares about the banks when there has just been such devastation in Haiti and Chile?  Interesting how the news seems to have completely forgotten about both Haiti and Chile and are back to talks of broken government.  Such a ridiculous system — two parties that can checkmate each other chronically and never get America moving.  Such rhetoric.  Wonder what would happen if the politicians weren’t allowed to speak?  Only text message? 

That really got me thinking.  The art of conversation is falling a bit by the wayside — people don’t phone anymore…they text.  Men text to ask for a date.  Women break up relationships via text.  In my business, the majority of communication with my team is via text messaging…ditto with my clients.  For those of you who don’t text, basically you have 140 characters to send a message (Twitter works the same way.) So imagine you want to meet your friend for lunch at Il Tramesino on Thursday…here’s how the “conversation” might go…

You:  Lunch Thurs? Il Tram in Encino?

Friend: Thurs no.  Fri, M, W good.  U?

You: M.  C u @ noon?  Want me 2 pick u up? LMK

Friend: Works, BFF.  Pick me up @ home.  Calling in sick.  LOL!  C u Mon.

Lots of shorthand.  C= see, U=you, 2=two, @=at, LMK=let me know, BFF=best friend forever,  LOL=laughing out loud.

The shorthand naturally develops out of necessity — not enough characters to waste on longhand.  And most color commentary is shorthand, like LOL.  When you need to send a more complicated message, there are not enough characters for fluff, feelings, or lots of explanation, sp  texts can be quite “cold”.  As a result,  texters add emoticons (smiley faces, frowns, hearts) to help clarify the tone of the text.  It is nearly impossible to spew rhetoric in a text.  The message just gets to the point. 

So what if politicians could ONLY communicate via text message?  All positioning and posturing would naturally disappear, and politicking as we know it would have to change — to focus on just the issues and not the fluff surrounding positioning.  Image how…

 Dems and Reps wud TM the US re: pros & cons in health care battle. 

D: Single payer!

R: No. 

D: Public option. 

R: No! 

D: 4 the people?

R: NO!  Umm Yes…4 the business people!

D: Insurance Cos not working w/4 all Americans

R: Yes they r. Make profits 4 stockholders

D: Sarah Palin’s family went 2 Cda 4 medicare. 

R: Uhhhhhhh…

I’ve received a slew of info about lots of important stuff related to the Boomer and 50 Plus demographic…yup…you.  So here goes…in no specific order:

1. Have you or someone you know been ripped off or spotted a scam?  If so, the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants to hear about it.  Their new animated How to File a Complaint video shows how and includes examples of the kinds of things someone might complain to the FTC about. View the video at ftc.gov/multimedia/video/scam-watch/file-a-complaint.shtm (in Spanish at http://ftc.gov/multimedia/video/scam-watch/file-a-complaint_es.shtm), or youtube.com/FTCvideos.  People can help stop scams, rip-offs and fraudsters by sharing their experience with the FTC.   The video’s announcement comes as the FTC releases its report listing the kind of consumer complaints filed with the agency in 2009. Read more at http://ftc.gov/opa/2010/02/2009fraud.shtm
2. Also from the FTC — Who are the easiest targets?  People in need.  And right now, jobs are darn hard to find.  It’s hard to believe someone would steal money from a person looking for a job. But unfortunately, no matter how bad the situation, scammers see opportunity. Many people looking for work have been ripped off by scam artists who promise a job, access to special job listings, interviews, or a way to make a big income working from home – that is, if they just pay a fee or turn over their credit or debit card information.  In the end, they’re left with no job…and some are robbed of hundreds of dollars. That’s why the FTC has produced a video warning consumers:  “Don’t Pay for a Promise.” The video, which you can find at ftc.gov/jobscams, features details on how consumers can spot and steer clear of job scammers, and how to report rip-offs to the FTC. Also, the FTC and its partners across the country today announced a law enforcement sweep cracking down on job and work-at-home scams (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/02/bottomdollar.shtm ).
3. From AdvaCAL, a calcium supplement, this interesting finding:  With osteoporosis an increasing concern among women of all ages, a recent report in the medical journal Osteoporosis International found that women taking the AAACa (AdvaCAL®) calcium supplements had the highest bone density increase among 32 different calcium studies conducted between 1977 and 2008. The 32 studies involved 3,169 postmenopausal women, 79 skeletal measures and 7 different types of calcium, including dairy. You can read full report details here:  www.stoposteo.com (Note:  I’m an unusual case — I show early stage bone density loss, yet my calcium levels are too high for me to need a calcium supplement…anyone know what that is all about??)
4. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) has launched a financial workbook series to help folks get their finances in order. You’d think it would be easier, but it’s kind of like repainting your house.  You can try to figure out how to scrape, sand, fill, prime and paint on your own (and figure out how many gallons you need of each color, oil, latex, combo, etc), but bottom line, it is a heck of a lot easier to find a painter who knows his/her stuff who can tell you how and what to do.  The NFCC sees your finances in the same way and has created exclusive workbooks that’ll help get you on track towards that goal. From “Better Fortunes” to “More than One Way Out,” and “Live a Richer Life,” these workbooks are filled with tips, advice and strategies straight from the experts!  You can purchase the workbooks for a low cost by visiting http://www.nfcc.org/publications.
5. The All Eyes on Glaucoma campaign is spreading the word about World Glaucoma Week, March 7-13^th.  Throughout this week people are encouraged to learn about eye health and the importance of regular, comprehensive eye exams. Did you know that John Patrick Shanley, Academy Award Winner for Best Screenplay for Moonstruck and playwright of Doubt, was diagnosed with advanced glaucoma twelve years ago and has experienced significant vision loss? 

 “Although glaucoma runs in my family, I took my sight for granted until I was faced with the harsh reality that I could go permanently blind from this condition.  Fortunately my timely diagnosis and treatment has allowed me to live my life fully and to continue doing what I love.”

To hear more of Shanley’s story and why he encourages everyone to receive regular eye exams, please watch this special iPSA: http://www.westglen.com/online/all_eyes_on_glaucoma.htm

Our group of top bloggers share a few posts over at this week’s Carnival, hosted by the Glam Gals at Fabulous Over 40!

You can’t get too much of a good thing.  Happy Valentine’s Day to family, friends, and my readers, who I also consider extended family and friends.  If you don’t have anyone around to give you a hug or kiss today, then please enjoy this cyberhug and pass along the love!

I’ve joined forces with Tremendous Possibilities and am pleased to announce our first FREE webinar giving you a much-needed , comprehensive (but easy to understand) overview of what social media is all about, how to use it, and why it is important in extending your online footprint.  If you are in a bit of a muddle over what all the Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter fuss is all about, then sign up, get your pen and notepad ready, and learn what you really need to know about these relatively new (and constantly changing) communication vehicles.  Here is the link to sign up for the webinar.   Once you’ve signed up,  you’ll receive an email with a link a couple of hours before broadcast.  Turn up the volume and just click on the link to access the webinar.   

Be your own best Valentine and hope you’ll attend!

I was recently interviewed by Wendy Jaffe, of Tribe magazine about my experiences as an online dater (here’s the article).  I’d always thought it was tough dating as a 40-something (and now 50-something), but what opened my eyes, was reading about the experiences of the younger daters.  They all sound super nice and interesting. I took a look at pics and they are mighty fine looking.  So it isn’t who they are…it is the catalogue nature of online dating that turns you into a quick glance and a yeah or nay.  I know…I do the same thing. 

The article was personally interesting for me because I’ve always felt a bit hampered by the Los Angeles car culture — I’m a very sociable person and prefer environments where you can randomly start conversations — more like in New York, Boston, or Montreal.  So after giving a think (and a great session with my life coach — highly recommend the exercise if you’ve never worked with a life coach before), I’ve changed my own dating strategy and am going to use the same marketing techniques that I encourage jobseekers to use – I decided to develop a multi-pronged strategy for dating.  The strategy is all about finding the things that I like to do, and then find ways to do those things with like-minded people, rather than thinking of dating as an end goal.  Kind of networking for the social scene.  So far, I’ve been enjoying myself so much…heading to events, teas, taking classes.  Not met anyone of any particular dating interest, but certainly pulling in a few business cards for my business rolodex! 

If you are a single, then you should read the article…I’m sure you’ll relate (laugh, cry, cringe…all good).  If you are sitting on the fence thinking the single life is greener, then you might decide to take a second look at who your partner is and rediscover the reasons you fell in love in the first place.  And if you are one of the  lucky happily marrieds, then you’ll be very glad you have a truly significant other that you cherish in your life. 

I’ll let you know how my experiment in reinventing community turns out…

The delightful Ann Harrison is this week’s host of the Blogging Boomers Carnival, issue #148.  A little bit of this and that from our extremely interesting gang of bloggers.  Always worth a visit.

And if you missed carnivals from past weeks, BBC 147 is at Baby Boomer Entrepreneur, and BBC 146 is at Hole in the Donut!

Hi all — as I’m building my Facebook page for Gen Plus I’m also building my fan base.  There will be a few special events coming up that I’ll be updating via Facebook, so please pop on over, become a fan and you’ll be first in line to find out where events will be taking place.  Link to Gen Plus on Facebook   Thanks!

A reader happened upon a post from 2006 (pre-crash) about finding a job at 50 plus.  The comment:

… I really do want to know about starting a NEW career at 50+. I worked my way into my last career, NO COLLEGE DEGREE, making $95k+, laid off, and after two years of searching realize I’ll probably never get back into my old niche. I’m looking at descriptions of Associate Degrees, Certificate Programs, etc. How can I find out which career is more friendly to older applicants? For instance, I’m considering Para Legal (possible La, or Web Design, or Physical Fitness Trainer. Am I fooling myself into thinking anyone will hire someone close to 60 with new degree/certificate in hand?

It’s a good question and one that job seekers are asking even more often.  So let’s look at this situation.  The reader is correct — at close to 60, coming off a $95K job and being jobless for 2 years, the chances of finding someone to employ at this salary level is pretty low, although not impossible.  However, it makes more sense to look at where industry will grow as we come out of the bad economy and either repurpose your skills, or develop new ones to address where the need will be. 

Right now, the job market is so bleak, it really isn’t about whether you are too young or too old.  Any employer looking to fill a position can find exactly the right person, with exactly the right skills set for any given position.  That means finding a job by applying online will put you in the database mix without much of an edge and with no “in” to the company.   There are employers hiring, but there are less open positions than there are available workers.  Think of it this way.  You are hungry.  There is a barrel of apples in front of you and you can choose whichever one you want.  Of course, you’ll look through at least the first part of the barrel and find the best looking apple you can.  That is today’s econony.  Hundreds of people applying for each job.  First, best one to the table gets the foot in the door.

In a good economy, there might only be 3 apples to choose from — so your chances would be much greater of getting picked…especially if you were shiny and unbruised.

Now, take a look at the job market.  Who is hiring?  Well, not many.  The biggest arena is health/medical related jobs.  You’ve got openings in the medical field, which is still pretty stable, although feeling some of the trickle-down this year.  Education looks like it is in for an overhaul, so there will be opportunities there.  And the other great area of advancement is in renewable/sustainable energy solutions and all the companies that support that field.

If I were going to get certified, it would not be as a paralegal, when clients don’t have money to pay their lawyers.  It would not be in web design, where coming in at entry level in a field ripe with talent.  I don’t think I’d go for a physical trainer either, although I’m not going to say to shut the door there.  While there are tons of unemployed physical trainers, there is also several decades of an aging population ahead of us, so if you can find a way to marry a trainer position with healthcare, that might be worth looking at.

But for my money, if I were going to start all over again and I didn’t have the skills to start my own business, I’d get green certified and look for work in that field.  I’d go to green conferences, events,  companies, websites, and network myself into that arena.

Any other thoughts?

Hi all — If you are a subscriber through Feedblitz — my apologies.  There was a technical glitch and it seems that a few subscribers were not getting their email versions of my posts.  In order to fix that glitch, some of you were “reactivated” in the system.  If, however, you were reactivated by mistake, and do not want to receive my Gen Plus posts in your inbox, then simply click on the unsubscribe button and that will stop the morning emails. 

And if you were wondering why you hadn’t heard from me in your inbox lately, that has been fixed and you should be receiving this in your inbox on Sunday morning!