If you are one of the 2,000 or so weekly readers of this blog, I truly am flattered and appreciative. But I don’t write for you, I write it entirely out of self-interest.
For me, writing is a form of thinking.
“I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.” — Joan Didion
It’s also a way to keep track of what I read. I frequently use the ‘search’ box on this blog to track down a fact or idea. An RSS feed of my twitter stream gives me a searchable database of my own tweeted links. It seems I’m not the only one who feels this way. There were at last count 133,000,000 other bloggers, and 70% say ‘personal satisfaction‘ is the way they measure success of their blog. For them as for me, that is the main reward – 72% say they make no money from it, despite spending an average of 10 hours a week on an average of 2-3 weekly updates.
I have been asked many times ‘When are you going to write a book on Millennials?’
My standard response is that after 380 posts, I feel as if I already have written one. Granted, the posts are not arranged topically. But if they were, they could tell a pretty comprehensive story. For those waiting for a ‘book’, here is a little light reading:
Chapter 1: Who Are Millennials?
“Fun With Numbers, What is A Millennial?”
“Are Millennials A Predictable Part of the Generational Cycle?”
“Who Is A Millennial? Why Do Marketers Need a Label?”
Chapter 2: What Makes Them Different?
“Millennials See Things Differently, Are You Listening?”
“The Generational Culture Gap”
“Why Many Find Millennials Puzzling”
“Millennials: Still Optimistic”
“Millennial Generation Experiences Stress Differently”
“Gen Y Food Preferences: You Are What You Eat”
Chapter 3: Millennial Values
“The Bucket List: What Motivates Millennials”
“Millennials Redefining ‘Success’”
“For one of four Millennials, the Old Time Religion is Not for Me”
“Millennials More Upright Than Kids 20 Years Ago”
“Millennial Values: Back to the Future”
“Millennials Defined by Creativity, Not Technology”
“The Generation Gap: It’s Back”
“Millennials: A New Generation of Family Values”
“Values Shift: Gen Y Sees Things Differently”
“Gen Y Core Value: Fight for What You Believe In”
Chapter 4: Millennials As Consumers
“When Millennials Rule the Economy”
“Millennials Have Different Spending Priorities”
“Millennials Are Not Romantic About Their Wheels”
“Millennials Becoming Minimalists”
“Millennials Value Few Prestige Brands”
“Millennials’ Love Affair with Food”
“Extra Care Needed to Win Millennial Shoppers Online”
“Millennials: Young and Poor in America”
“Gen Y: The End of the Home Ownership Dream?”
“Millennial Spirits: Make Mine Sophisticated”
Chapter 5: Millennials at Work
“Is Happiness the New Productivity?”
“Millennials Managing Their Personal Brands”
“What Millennials Want at Work (It’s Not What You Think)”
“Gen Y to Bosses: You Just Don’t Understand”
“Listen Up! What Millennials Wish They Could Say to Their Bosses”
“You’re Doing Great! Keeping Millennials Happy at Work”
Chapter 6: Engaging Millennials
“Millennials Say ‘Don’t Waste My Time'”
“For Millennials, Byte-Sized Is Best”
“Millennials Want Deals Not Discounts”
“What’s In It for Me? Engaging Millennials Online”
“The Six Be’s of Millennial Marketing”
“Engaging Millennials: How Marketers Can Break Through”
Chapter 7: Millennials & Media
“TV Viewing Habit Shifts: Generational or Just Age-Related?”
“Millennials Read Differently”
“Mobile Millennials Leading the Way”
“Where Millennials Hang Out Digitally”
“Millennials Lead in Word of Mouth Recommendations”
“Millennials: Watching What I Want, When I Want, Where I Want”
“Observing Teen Media Use In Its Natural Habitat”
“Mind the Gap: Generations Online”
Chapter 8: Brands That Get It Right
“Earth to Gen Y: NASA’s Millennial Makeover”
“The Kia Soul Wins Millennial Hearts”
“Forget the Cool Factor, Focus on Millennials’ Needs” (UMPQA Bank)
“Millennials Discuss the Iconic Brands of Their Generation”
“ABC Family Network: A Deft Millennial Makeover”
“Millennial Target: Ford Fiesta”
Tomorrow: Posts about Millennials and Social Media
