Hello From The Digiboom

Today I’m bringing my own little patch to Patch called Digiboom.  I know the name sounds like a human instrument accompanying a rapper if you say it enough times, but it is about a different connection.

Without uploading my birth certificate (the long form) you must trust me that I am an official boomer, just not eligible for Medicare yet. Would you willingly confess to being that old if you weren’t?

Living in Fairfax County-Vienna for the last six years, my time has been one continuous marathon of community involvement through volunteering and, advocacy opportunities. My latest projects include researching and mapping all things in the "Aging-In" landscape to which I now belong. Did you know there was a 50+ Plan that the Board of Supervisors are sponsoring- yes you read that number correctly :). It includes proposals like aging in place, transportation, and affordable housing. 

But what about learning to make the most of the arsenal of digital tools now available? My Digiboom goals are to tackle the digital divide that exists with many boomers and pre-boomers. Using my professional global communications and media skills -- but primarily my unabashed love of all things digital -- I hope to engage your interest in exploring that arsenal, from smart phones, social media, apps that can help track your quality of life plus those that simply entertain.  I still meet people who pride themselves on being digital luddites, but I’m clear proof that being connected to a digital cloud or two or three has endless intellectual, emotional and community benefits. 

I was an early digital social media adopter, making my first foray with Compuserve in the 1980s, where communication appeared on our ghostly green personal computer screens with new friends from all over the world, who joined topic-specific forums that sprang up by the thousands. 

Now, my daily life now is like a power eater in training.

I confess to shamelessly lobbying my family to justify and acquire as many new digital tools as possible. I confess to enjoying the “aaaah” factor as I demonstrate my gadgets for friends and strangers alike, often in my traveling cafe "offices." Though, I do not have any computer engineering skills (my HTML is as limited as my Japanese: kon'nichiwa, sayōnara, arigatō).

I gobble up insane amounts of news (Patch of course in that mix), surf my many friends on Facebook dispersing "Likes" when their wall posts bring  a smile or enlightenment to me or simply I recognize they need support. I also can: upload photos and videos from my smart phone to Facebook, or Twitter in lightning speed; txt my college son and include photos of our cats with signs that say “go to class”;  or from communities with my friends-- the royal wedding was our most recent keyboard aerobic workout.

I also enjoy graphic designing (did web sites for hire with Front Page in ancient history), composing and playing music on my iPad and, for digital dessert, visiting the beautiful online photo galleries like those National Geographic offers .

I can and do disconnect from my battery devices for long breaks to take walks in my dense woodsy neighborhood, beat up weeds in my garden, visit DC as often as possible to attend numerous Tech Meetups or do lunch using my Groupons/or similar for before they expire, often with a few hours to spare. We will have fun discussing crowd-sourcing possibilities for sure! 

For the young, being connected to their multiple digital clouds, is simply like breathing to them. They expect endless entertainment, intellectual and emotional outlets and community benefits.  Even if you are pushing on those higher decades of your life, all of these digital dividends are available to you as well. Even if we can't use Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," I think anytime is a good time to get involved and learn.