There's a wickedly funny article in this week's Time magazine titled Why Facebook is For Old Fogies. Number 7 of the Top 10 Reasons reads:

We have children. There is very little that old people enjoy more than forcing others to pay attention to pictures of their children. Facebook is the most efficient engine ever devised for this.

So, despite the fact that Facebook was hatched with whipper-snappers in mind, it is the over 35 set growing like gangbusters (3.6 million and counting). Moms log in not only to showcase their latest Disneyland pics, but to look up old flames from high school, join alumni groups, connect with their book club, and so much more. This addictive tool turns your kitchen into the set of "This is Your Life."

Only problem is, once your kids reach 13, they want you off so they can get on. Then you've got a whole new host of worries, including whether or not your daughter will friend you -- or shun you. Not to worry, old fogies, Stanford University will come to your rescue with its new "Facebook for Parents" course.

And as if using Facebook weren't a big enough time-suck, try marketing on it. I'm convinced that advising my clients well about Facebook (and other social media) is a full-time job. The landscape is just changing so fast and there's so little in terms of proven best-practices. That's why I proudly admit that I can't keep up and that I rely on Maternal Instinct's secret weapon, the Guru of New (a.k.a. Sarah Browne) to direct us. After all, us old fogies need all the help we can get.

Labels: Facebook for Old Fogies, Facebook for Parents, Moms on Facebook

Please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below, even if -- no, especially if -- you don't agree with what I've written.

I just finished reading a fascinating business book titled "The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture."
Author Andrew Keen's premise is that the explosive user-generated content of Web 2.0 is taking an enormous toll on us. By leveling the playing field and allowing anyone to become an author/critic/reviewer, we lose the important distinction previously reserved for true experts. We don't know what information we can trust and we unwittingly starve journalists, musicians, and other artists of compensation for their work.

One industry Keen does not examine is childcare. Now that Craigslist and Mothers' Club postings allow moms and nannies to find one another, placement agencies like Stanford Park Nannies (a Maternal Instinct client) and others are struggling to stay afloat.

Somehow using the Internet "validates" the nanny search for moms. Yet, just as Keen explains, the technology doesn't authenticate the information it delivers (or in this case, the candidate it describes). Agencies like Stanford Park Nannies spend countless hours meeting face to face with nanny candidates, checking their references, and determining that elusive thing called chemistry between families and childcare providers. It's a tough gig. And it cannot be "outsourced" by a free online bulletin board without consequences. It might be something small like a less-than-perfect fit or a trend for tardiness. Or it might be something bigger like an undisclosed DUI.

When it comes to caring for kids, the cult of the amateur can have consequences far worse than a disappointing meal at a well-reviewed restaurant. This is one industry that must be left to the experts.

Labels: Book Review, Childcare, Cult of the Amateur, Nanny Agencies

Please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below, even if -- no, especially if -- you don't agree with what I've written.