You Don't Have To

Despite what others might tell you,

You don't have to be online.

You don't have to be on Facebook.

You don't have to be on Twitter.

You don't have to have a blog, a website, an email address. You really don't.

You can hide from all of this in the name of Privacy.

I know this because a co-worker of mine who we hired at our radio stations 2 years ago had none of these when he started.

Heck, he didn't have a computer and never used one.

He had a successful sales career selling aerial photography for 25 years to farmers.

Then Google came along.

Google Maps and Google Earth basically wiped out his business.

Now those farmers can go online and see their spread free.

So my co-worker started a new career at age 53. Wednesday he turned 55.

He has an email address. But he is functionally illiterate in this computer/internet/social media world.

See, I respect your decision not to participate but...

You are placing yourself at a disadvantage in a world that will be using these tech tools if they are not already.

Age is not the issue. I have another friend who bought his first computer 2 years ago. He is now 69 and doing more than my co-worker with his computer and online.

We have been entering a tech world that is going to separate the connected from the unconnected. And as each year passes that gap will grow wider and wider.

You don't have to know it all, no one does and no one will.

But if you DO want to do this internet/social media thing, there are plenty of free resources, including this website to help you.

I'll be back Monday with more.