Interesting post by Jimmy Biblarz on Gen Y.

I agree that way too often each generation is labeled with names that don’t do any of us a bit of good.  To me, Generation Y is the savviest, most knowledgeable civic-minded generation in our world right now.  Let’s drop the labels and start embracing this generation!

This presentation is in parts 1-4. From the IDC A/P Panel: “Generation Y and the Emerging Power of User  Generated Content

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Penelope Trunk has a great post from yesterday with a few tips on productivity, and I have a few comments to make.

Her post mentions that a study from Robert Half International shows that we are most productive on Tuesday. One thing I want to mention about this is that I usually have more people show up for my teleclasses on Tuesday, and I have more readers to my blog on Tuesdays. So…this study might be true, and Tuesday may be the best day to market. I know that I usually send out press releases on Tuesday. If I send them on Monday, I miss the people who away for a long holiday, and if I send it later in the week, people are already checked out (I know I am.)

On the subject of decision making…she’s got that one nailed. I find that when I don’t go ahead in making a decision that my mind keeps going through a revolving door. “Should I do this? Should I not?” That question usually results in my spending time online for an hour or talking with people about the decision, and of course, we start talking about other things in the process. I recently decided to hire a company to help pitch me to some national radio stations, and I estimate that I spent 11 hours thinking about this darn decision when it should have been a no-brainer. Hmmm…I could have been lying in the bathtub, watching movies or filing my nails during that time.

On the subject of going to church. My grandmother went to church every Sunday of her life. I loved going with her, because I loved being with her and watching her being so happy about being at church (and we also would walk to a little cafe after church and buy cokes from the bottle…now I am dating myself). But…you know what…my grandmother was the most upbeat, optimistic person I knew (she sang and played the piano constantly), and she would always make something major on Monday…a dress, a great cake, a beautiful flower arrangement or something of beauty. I have to admit that I fight going to church. I would much rather lie in bed or go out to eat (my favorite hobby), but I also must admit that I am in a much better mood when I do go to church (which is about one time per month). My minister is a fabulous speaker, and I always run into someone I haven’t seen in a while, and I just feel better during the day. So, again…this one is probably true.

Treadmill in the office. Good suggestion there…if I just had room. I am an exercise nut. I go to the gym every day (to work off all of the eating out I do.) But really…I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am more productive when I work out. Blood flow and oxygen to the brain can really clear out my cobwebs, and I just move more quickly and get er done!

So…thanks Penelope for the great food for thought.

If you want to be inspired by 100 Generation Y leaders, check out 100 Young Americans by Michael Franzini.  It is a beautiful book which represents the diversity in our teenage population America.  The website offers videos and images and the book is available through Amazon.com.

Millennial Leaders 

Simmons Research, an Experian company, has chronicled the predilections of consumers in its National Consumer Study since 1960, and recently added social media to its survey. That includes social-networking sites, blogs, message boards, podcasts and e-mail. Simmons agreed to slice and dice its volumes of data for Advertising Age to identify social-media consumer profiles. The first five are from its bank of 38 consumer personalities; the others are pulled from demographic data.

SOCIALLY ISOLATED

These people are generally unhappy with their lives and feel alone. Not surprisingly, they fall at average or below average for e-mailing. But that doesn’t mean they eschew social media. In fact, they’re 12% more likely than the average person to use blogs, message boards or social-networking sites. They also post comments on blogs at least twice a month; personal, music, consumer-product and video-game blogs are most visited.

APPROVAL SEEKERS

This group buys what others are buying and likes to follow styles and trends. They use social-networking sites to meet like-minded people, express their views, get music and entertainment recommendations, and keep in touch with family and friends. They rate average in e-mailing friends and co-workers but above average in using e-mail to communicate with their parents. They are 23% more likely to instant message and download music.

HEALTH AND IMAGE LEADERS

This is eager to try health and wellness products, experiment with diets, and spend to look younger. The majority are under 50. They prefer reading blogs over posting comments or creating their own blogs and prefer to read about TV shows, video games, music and art/literature. They also like social-networking sites: More than one-fifth visit them more than twice a month.

SMART GREEN

Clearly they prefer to buy products in recycled packages and eschew products that pollute. They are average users of social networking, blogging and podcasting but slightly above average in message boards. They are older (50-plus) and are most likely to go online for health or financial information. And in the spirit of their eco-friendly attitude toward trees, they’re 23% more likely to send electronic greeting cards.

BRAND-LOYAL

This group shies away from buying unknown brands just for a bargain and prefers to buy brand-name goods. They’re very average social-media users, but some subjects of interest drive them to social media more than the average person: They’re 21% more likely to read environmental blogs and 22% more likely to use professional-networking sites to make new contacts.

STAY-AT-HOME MOMS

They’re 25 to 49 and have at least one child living at home. They use social media for a variety of reasons, including staying in touch and parental guidance. They visit parenting blogs five times more often than average. They’re also active on social networks, blogs and chat forums but tend to stay away from podcasting. They visit blogs once or more a week and create their own blogs at a higher than average rate.

UPSCALE GRAYS

These 50-plus consumers with college degrees and household incomes of more than $100,000 are low-level social-media users. They are almost 40% less likely than the average person to have read blogs, visited chat forums or instant messaged and 70% less likely to have visited a social network in the past month. One of the only places they skewed higher than average were professional networking sites.

FIRST-TIME HOME BUYERS

It makes sense that people in the market for a home would look online for information about not only real estate but other products involved in home ownership. But Experian found that this under-35 set also includes very active social networkers, bloggers and message-board users. They also rank high in texting, podcasting and business networking. They use social networks to keep in touch but also to find information.

DIVORCED

Unsurprisingly, both sexes index high for dating sites, but women are more likely to visit social networks than men. Divorced women are also 20% more likely to buy something online, while men are 52% more likely to visit sports sites. Neither is into blogs or chat forums, but women communicate more than average via text message, while men use e-mail 45% more than average to communicate with their children.