This ain’t yer Daddy’s MySpace!

…er…um… Okay.
Actually it IS your Daddy’s MySpace. Or maybe your great-great granddaddy’s. New website Eons.com has created a social network website ala MySpace for the Boomer generation.

Created by the founder of Monster.com, this social site for the Geritol generation features a longevity calculator, a daily jigsaw puzzle, groups dedicated to activities like walking, and even an obituary alert to keep up to date on the passing of old friends.

Yeesh!
If you’re only as young as you feel — Eons.com doesn’t seem to be doing anyhing to make their members feel any better about their age. Why not just put up a big fat clock o’ death on each page? Google Ads from funeral homes?

I have to wonder if the creators did anything to poll this age bracket and inquire as to the sorts of things they might like to see featured. The focus of the site elements seem to have been created by 20-somethings merely guessing at what people who are that ooooold would be interested in seeing on the site.

Have you seen this guy on YouTube?
He’s close to 80 years old and he’s posted almost 20 videos on one of the hottest internet sites of the moment. His YouTube broadcast has almost 23,000 subscribers, and his page features over 4,000 comments from other users. At least one person has already created a “fan page” dedicated to the guy, and he even has his own wikiopedia entry!

Hell, I just attended a broadcast industry conference and half the guys in the room are still asking what RSS stands for and what the word “Blog” means. Here’s a 79 years old guy from Great Britain recording YouTube videos in his living room, buzzing the streets on a motorcycle, and he’s got more on the ball from a new media standpoint than the so-called “industry professionals.” Traditional media companies don’t really know if 23,000 people are even listening/watching/reading to their programming — and this guy has SUBSCRIBERS.

You think you’re going to stick this guy on a social networking site that asks him to play with jigsaw puzzles and join online groups dedicated to remembering to breath??

Why would this guy bother with what is being positioned as an online retirement home when he most likely already has his own MySpace page — and with probably more friends than Tila Tequila!