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The New Coffee House
Boomer Bloggers
by Lindsey Grossman
I Remember JFK
Do you remember baking powder submarines? Or perhaps
the original Easy Bake Oven? Well Ron Enderland does,
and he posts about these and other trips down memory
lane at his nostalgia blog for boomers called I Remember
JFK. Ron says the idea for this blog was literally “a
middle-of-the-night inspiration.” With a special gift for
recalling snapshot memories from childhood, he sees
this site as a great place for those who do not share his
recollection abilities. “Blogging is a great way to exercise
your writing muscles and you can get a pretty instant
response if you hit a chord with people,” he says. “And
there’s also a chance to get paid for something you love,
which is very nice.”
Ron posts 2-3 times per week, attracting hundreds of
readers daily and about 4,000 weekly. A self-proclaimed
“professional geek”, Ron is the first to say that you don’t need
to know about technology to write a blog. User-friendly,
free blog services such as WordPress and Blogger do all the
programming for you, offering easy-to-follow instructions
for getting started.
I Remember JFK categories include cars, music, clothing,
movies, sports, you name it. He even has a special section
dedicated to The Beatles. Do you have a
nostalgic gem that hasn’t been mentioned?
Click on the “Suggest a Memory” link to
share your idea with Ron and you just
might see it in one of his posts. In March
2008, PC Magazine named I Remember
JFK one of “The 10 Best Sites for Baby
Boomers.” See what all the hype’s about
at IRememberJFK.com.
MidLifeBloggers
Jane Gassner started her personal blog, By
Jane (byjane.blogpsot.com) in December
2004. “I was a time in my life when I
was in a real transition,” she says. And
with friends and family spread across
the country, she saw this as a good way
to communicate with them. But it didn’t
turn out that way. “My family and friends
have refused to read my blog,” Jane says,
“People who don’t blog don’t get it.” So she
found friends online who did get it; other bloggers like her,
sharing their lives with each other. Since she started blogging,
Jane has gone through major milestones from moving to
divorce. “That [blogging] has been a lifeline for me,” she says,
“My blogging friends have always been there for me.”
About a year and a half ago, Jane came up with the idea
for MidLifeBloggers after recognizing her generation’s
lack of community and presence in the blogosphere. Jane
emphasizes that this site is not for
how-to’s and service-oriented content;
it’s a place for people to share their life
experiences. Other sites might tell you
how and where to buy the best jeans.
“MidLifeBloggers will be the girlfriend
who’s in the dressing room with you,”
Jane says. One MidLifeBlogger posts
about the first stages of adopting
overseas, while another describes her
first day back at work after chemo.
But you don’t have to be a writer to
blog… she encourages everyone to
submit, “I’m looking for people who are creating their
lives,” she explains, “I want MidLifeBloggers to have good
writing and I’ll help you get there.”
Jane sees a lot of people in their 40s blogging, but it’s just
now taking off with midlife bloggers, “People are spreading
their wings.”
Connect with other boomers and find out how you can
submit your writing and art at MidLifeBloggers.com.
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