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Ken Springer of our staff reported this to me today:

Tiny bit of good news – our unemployment rate dropped by .1% in March from 6.4% in February to 6.3%. Peoria and Champaign also saw a small drop in unemployment, but their rates are still much higher than Bloomington-Normal’s at 8.9% and 6.9% respectively.

The BLS reports that there were a total of 5,627 unemployed people in BN in March compared to 5,793 unemployed people in February – a difference of 166. This could mean that some of those folks either found jobs, left the area or stopped looking for work altogether.

I will look forward to seeing what next months numbers are. If we continue to move in the right direction the light will have seemed to get bigger.

(This is an email I sent my daughter the other day. Please read and feel free to respond)

Dear Eldest Daughter:

I need you opinion on something. You are 21 and smart and energetic, entrepreneurial, and a seeker of the truth. I need your help. Please keep reading.
I have read a book by Donald Tapscott. He is a very well read author in the area of digital commerce and is a noted researcher and professor. I once saw him speak and have read some of his other books, but not in a long time. I came across “Grown Up Digital” and decided to read it. Partly because I wanted to see how and if I could understand my employees work habits better and also to see what insight I might have into the younger generation and how they think, what motivates them and how their world growing up was different from mine. Tapscott has eight “norms” of the NetGen as he calls them. One of them is the following:

“Norm #1: They want freedom in everything they do, from freedom of choice to freedom of expression: An example is their desires for the workforce. Our own NLB has indicated in their preliminary research that NetGen wants the ability to work from home or other remote places and not be a slave to the traditional corporate policies and rules most of us have grown up with. This is hard to break through in traditional companies, but more and more you see this desire having an impact. With the ability to access work with virtual private networks, Skype video phoning and the cost of travel, they may have a point, and they may be getting their wish in the long run.”

What strikes me here are the desires of “freedom of choice and freedom of expression”. What does that mean to you? Do you feel like you have this in your life? Do you even think about this in some way? Here are some additional questions. You don’t have to answer all of them, only some that you have a thought on.

1. How much time do you spend watching TV each day/week?

2. What does freedom of expression mean to you?

3. Do you feel like you can express yourself in school, society, among friends freely and openly? Is that important?

4. What or who limits your ability to express yourself?

5. Do you feel social media, or the internet in general helps you express yourself?

6. Do you have the ability to do anything, go anywhere, or be anyone you want to be?

7. Who or what limits that? Parents, Government, friends, social mores?

This is a pure intellectual exercise. Don’t think about giving me the right “daughter-dad” answer, even if one exists.

Love,Dad

NetGeners want freedom in everything they do, from freedom of choice to freedom of expression.

This is the first norm of eight norms that Donald Tapscott, author of the book Grown up Digital says are critical to understanding and working with the NetGeneration. So what exactly does this mean? “Freedom in everything they do? Freedom of expression?” On the surface this seems slightly ludicrous. Who hasn’t has this freedom over the past, say 30 to 40 years. Doesn’t our own constitution guarantee us this? It seems as though true freedom of expression came about in the sixties with cultural revolutions related to sex, the arts and ant-war protests. The “summer of love” was truly an exercise of freedom of expression, but had few legs and somehow turned ugly by the time scandalous 70s’ came into fore.

Freedom of expression, one would assume requires some suppression of freedom. Is this true? The current availability of information and data on the internet would lead one to believe that the freedom of expression and the freedom of choice are on steroids. Never before in the world have people had the ability to express themselves share information and have the freedom to create. This freedom reaches into not only creative arts ventures, but also in the area of politics and civic engagement.

I have recently embraced the social media. I am truly fascinated, mesmerized and taken by its potential and allure. I wonder sometimes if I am wrong for doing so, yet I just heard someone in a focus group, describe the workers of tomorrow as being wired different than workers today. Their love for video games and other non-television activities consume them and require a different type of brain wiring. In fact, some say that the younger generation’s brains have been impacted by their environment and process information differently than we (baby boomers do). Social Media is an outcome of this change in thinking and view of information.

For the past several years I was always shocked and surprised at how few people picked up and read a newspaper. But NetGens get their news in a different way. The read it online. They view news from a wide variety of sources than ever before. I was despondent when people started saying that the local paper would not be in printed form in a few years. Yet, perhaps I was felt more sorry for my mother who clings to the promise that some stranger will throw a rolled wad of paper on her doorstep every morning. It is a tradition and practice she has enjoyed for almost her entire life. Will she be able to get over the fact that she will have to read her paper on-line? I’m not sure, but she smart and hip and has always embraced change all her life.

This is an era of change. A recent presidential election was won using social media, and I believe the people who lost still don’t understand what happened to them. They are on television, using old school media trying to get their ideas across and the people who affected the change, who are making change, and who are in the process of changing our world are on their computers, checking out news on YouTube, communicating to each other on Facebook, and twittering each other.

At a recent meeting a fellow economic development professional was sitting next to me and announced that “he is sick and tired of Twitter” furthermore he added, “who cares if you just took a shower”. He said “ I guess I am old fashioned and would rather talk to someone on the phone rather than Twittering them or using
Facebook.” I was in a situation where it would be impolite to let him know, that , yes he is old fashioned, and unfortunately that may cost him in the future. His reaction to Twitter was typical of many people who haven’t spent any time looking at it and understanding the value of it, particularly from a business perspective. In addition, his reaction is exactly what mainstream media, particularly television and some printed news want you to believe, that Twitter is mainly for describing your hygiene habits, what you had for breakfast, or that your plane has landed.

So if you are in business today, and you expect a younger generation to respond to your product, what do you have to do? How do you appeal to them? As a manager of a nonprofit, how do you appeal to the younger generation and get them to respond t your offerings? If you are the chairman of the board of the symphony, do you think a mailer and a nice glossy brochure is going to appeal to a new generation of classical music consumers? From what I have seen, I don’t think so.

Freedom of expression is the greatest thing our Constitution provides us. Never before have we had some many people expressing themselves on social media and the internet in general. Teens and college kids all have cameras on their phones or carry digital pocket cameras and take pictures constantly. Videos of lip-snyching kids sitting in their rooms become world-wide phenomena and are copied and mocked by millions. When people can telecast their own television shows on the internet who needs network television. Freedom of speech is on hyperdrive, even though some kids or adults may have no idea what they are doing. It is entertaining and compelling all at the same time.

Several years ago I saw the documentary on Louis Kahn created by his son Nathaniel Kahn and I remember it still. In particular, I was moved by Nathaniel Kahn’s need to learn about his father through people who new him or through his buildings. I recall near the end of the movie, and Nathaniel shows it again in on excerpt at this week’s featured TED talk, the Bangladeshi architect welling up with tears in describing what the building meant to his country. Nathaniel no doubt was proud of his father, but perhaps was about to break down for another reason. Unless you have seen the whole movie, you don’t know that Nathaniel was the product of an affair and Louis Kahn rarely if ever saw his son. The documentary is his son’s quest to know his father through his work. Watch:

Are you caught up in your work? Do you have time for your family? Are you gong to have to have your family look at a building or some other piece of your work to figure out who you were?

So many of you are sitting in your office or at home wondering what Twitter is all about. Yesterday, Oprah opened her twitter account and will probably have over a million followers very shortly. She will probably get to one million followers faster than any Twitter user out there. If Oprah is doing it it must be right.

Seriously, is this hype about Twitter worth it? What is the business case for Twitter or and other social media tools? Is it worth the time and effort for business, large or small to have a presence in the world of social media? If you know me or work with me in any way, you will know that I have embraced this world of social media, because I think I see something compelling and interesting coming down the track. Are you convinced yet?

I am convinced. I am convinced that social media and the many forms of interactive communication we have yet to see or conceive is one way, perhaps the dominant way people will get information in the future. There are many trends and cultural reasons why this will occur. Many of them are outlined in the book I recently read, Grown Up Digital, by Donald Tapscott (and is reviewed here). The NetGeneration is different. If you have teenage and young adult children like I do, I don’t have to tell you that your children are different, and every generation is, however the way our children have grown up is different than the way Baby Boomers or even GenXers have been impacted by technology or media. The world is different and changing fast… very fast.

It would be easy to dismiss it with a hmph, and say, “this isn’t for me”, but if you are in business, and you expect to grow and attract new customers, assuming your new customers are under the age of 40, then you need to wake up to the changing landscape. Throw away the assumptions of marketing, communication and how to reach your customer. Yes, some of the old ways will still work and reach customers, but I am going to place my bets on a younger generation that will hopefully “buy” my authenticity and willingness to embrace their generation and their ideas. Maybe this is my way of avoiding growing old.

Over my next few blog posts, I will spend time looking at Tapscott’s eight norms of the net generation and see how they impact business. I hope you learn from my research and curiosity. For a preview, here they are:

1. NetGeners want freedom in everything they do, from freedom of choice to freedom of expression.

2. NetGeners love to customize and personalize: NetGeners want to be able to customize all their “stuff.” After all, that is what NetGeners have grown up with.

3. NetGeners are the new scrutinizers: NetGeners are, perhaps, the most skeptical generation ever. When they can look up anything on the Internet, they will. There is little you can put past them. NetGeners are only harnessed by their desire.

4. NetGeners look for corporate integrity and openness when deciding what to buy and where to work.

5. NetGeners want entertainment and play in their work, education and social life: NetGen wants their lives to be entertaining and fun, not only when they are home, but also in the workplace and everywhere else they go.

6. NetGeners are a collaboration and relationship generation: The NetGeners want to collaborate on everything. Think of their participation in texting, communicating, gaming and all things Internet. Social sites are all about generating cooperation and teaming up.

7. NetGeners have a need for speed, in everything: Again, re-telling stories about dial-up service and other inconveniences of the early net age are not interesting to the NetGen group.

8. NetGeners are innovators: NetGeners want the latest and greatest innovations. NetGeners want to work for companies that are interested in innovation and can deliver.

Watch for my analysis of each of these norms over the next few months. If any of you have an opinion about this topic, please provide a comment or get a hold of me directly.

There are obviously dozens of sites on the blogosphere about entrepreneurship and other small business tips and solutions. One that I have found and really like is Blogtrepeneur. The site is chock full of all types of good information about entrepreneurship and other small business tips. In fact a recent blog has 101 resources for entrepreneurs. This is one of the best compilation lists I have seen.

In addition there are a number of blogs for women entrepreneurs. One I recently looked at and thought useful was Savor the Success.

Another general site is the Kauffman Foundation site. The Kauffman Foundation is one of the largest foundations in the United States dedicated to the growth and development of entrepreneurs.

Finally, if social networks are your thing, here is a list on Mashable, the blog that is all things social media, of the top ten social media sites for business.

TED is a great website to learn about new ideas in video format. Check out their newly redesigned website: http://www.ted.com/

Several posts ago I talked about social media websites and other trends that younger generations are creating and pushing into our economy, lifestyle and society. The other end of the spectrum deserves some attention as well. What are baby boomers contributing to social change? Right now many are just worried about their 401(k) and other retirement issues related to the economy.

Check out the book Age Power by Ken Dychtwald. He has a lot to say how the 21st Century will be impacted by the millions of baby boomers that are out there waiting to contribute n one way or another. I have reviewed the book in a previous EDC newsletter.

A recent study by entrepreneur expert Erik Pages based in Washington D. C. points out the economic development opportunity. Pages says, “The real strength that these retirees bring comes from their knowledge, career experiences, connections,and networks. Yet, economic developers often fail to tap into this important resource. We must stop simply viewing as migrating retirees as a cash machine that spends money and pays taxes. We must instead find a way to integrate new residents into the center of a community’s economic life“.

What about your community? Can you grow and expand your community and your economic prosperity taking into account the Baby boomers and their needs?

If you haven’t heard the BNBIZ Show, I am here to tell you that you are missing the BN area’s best ongoing discussion about how local entrepreneurs have come been coping, growing and surviving the business climate. But this is more than a show about the recession. This is a show about inspiration and dreams. Each guest on the show (so far) has provided the listener with great detail about how they started, the strengths and weaknesses of their business, mistakes they have made, and how to survive any business climate, good or bad.

We are honored to to have WJBC am 1230 host this show. My co-host, or rather I should say I am her co-host, Beth Whisman is a great interviewer and is learning about how small business operates in McLean County. We have a good time talking about business and about how the EDC can find resources to help small business.

This Tuesday we will move off our regular menu of small business owners and have Jim Greenwood, a consultant currently developing a feasibility plan for the Bloomington Normal’s business incubator. This joint project of the EDC and Illinois State University is funded by a $250,000 grant from the SBA. Jim has years of experience in business start-up, tech transfer and business incubation. We are looking forward to you tuning into our show.

If you can’t sit next to the radio and listen, then you can do it on line. Or, you can catch it later from podcasts available at the WJBC or EDC websites. Give it a try and see if you don’t recognize or learn from one of our many businesses.

If you want to learn what is going on in the world of social networking media, economic development, banking, the local and national economy, entrepreneurship this blog is a great place to start, however I provide up to date ideas and articles at my Twitter page.

To follow me on Twitter go to: http://twitter.com/home. My handle “bnedguy”. If you are signed up on twitter, I will follow you too. See you in the “twitterverse”.