When I was 19 years old, at the dawn of the Internet age, I couldn't figure out why "old people" (basically anyone over 30) didn't inherently understand the Web. 

Now I don't mean they couldn't understand it, I mean they didn't inherently get it.  The way when you were 22 you just knew what music was cool and when you're 42 you have no clue, you're still listening to your Winger cassettes.

You tend to lose important resources when you get older - your friends and your naivete.  You no longer get the benefit of having all of your friends do the homework for you.  You no longer get the benefit of trying new stuff because you don't know any better.

MySpace/Facebook - the Next Generational Gap

Let me illustrate my point by taking a look at the generational gap that MySpace and Facebook have created.

If I hop on Facebook and look at the number of people in the class of 1992 in my high school class that are on Facebook the answer is 1 - me.

If I hop on Facebook and look at the number of people in the Class of 2007 of my high school there are on Facebook the asnwer is 251 - all of them.

So why does this matter?  It matters because social networks are a major cultural phenomenon, and among my age group (32-year-olds) not a single person is on Facebook, while among people roughly half my age (holy hell that's scary to say) the adoption is nearly 100%.

That means people my age don't inherently get it.  Do we understand it?  Maybe.  Do we get it without even thinking about it?  Probably not.

The 251 people in the Class of 2007 aren't any brighter (well, I graduated at the bottom of the Class of 1992, so technically they are all brighter than me).  The 251 people of the Class of 2007 are fully immersed and trained in this cultural phenomenon because everyone else is doing it.  It's how they live. 

The benefit of having everyone around you "teach" you about this phenomena is that you can start to find opportunities within these social networks.  The opportunities seem obvious because you are living with them.  To the rest of us we're still trying to figure out what the hell you'd use Facebook for, like my "elders" couldn't figure out why you'd need a Web site in 1994.

The Power of Naivete

My second point is about the Power of Naivete, or why when you're young, you do important, innovative stuff not because you're so smart, but because you don't know any better.

Fifteen years ago whenever a new piece of hardware or software came out I got my hands on it and learned everything I could about it.  Every new Operating System, software upgrade, and new version of HTML.  I couldn't get enough.

Ultimately I wasted lots of time fiddling with stuff that never worked.  It's also how I learned everything I know without really trying to learn anything at all.

Nowadays I'm much smarter.  Windows Vista comes out - don't care.  I already know it'll drain any computer I put it on, require 100 updates, and I'll spend more time trying to get it to work than doing any work with it.  I have the benefit of experience.

What I'm going to lose is the benefit of learning.  My experience is going to let me avoid mistakes but at the same time avoid learning from those mistakes.

Being smarter and more experienced is very helpful, but blind curiosity without the benefit of knowing any better is incredibly powerful. 

It's Not too Late to be Young Again

Does this mean if you're over 30 you're totally screwed?  No.

It means that in order to stay at the top of your game, you need to recapture the essence of your youth.  I'm not talking about buying a Camaro and a jean jacket with a Metallica patch on the back. 

I'm talking about building a new group of young friends.  Listening and learning from them, not second-guessing their decisions and habits.  Realizing that they have invaluable first-hand experience that you don't, and cannot easily replicate.

I'm talking about pushing yourself back into the wilderness.  Running boldly into territory where you've fallen before, knowing you'll fall once again, yet realizing that this is what makes you stronger.

Being young is an incredibly powerful asset.  Take care not to lose it.