Apartment Blog

“Baby boomers aren’t technology Luddites. More than 60 % of them consume socially created content. You’ll find them leaving their opinions on Web sites and joining social networks.”
- Jeremiah K. Owyang (@jowyang), researcher with Forrester Research

There is this perception that adults over 50 only dabble on the Internet, but research is finding that they are spending more time online and interacting in robust social networking communities. Baby boomers using social networking sites such as Facebook™, MySpace™, LinkedIn®, Twitter and YouTube™ are not as uncommon as you may think.

According to The Pew Internet and American Life Project, boomers now account for 35% of all Americans online. A consumer survey of U.S. consumers, from the NPD group, Inc., a leading provider of reliable consumer research, shows that 61% of baby boomer Internet users (age 44 to 61) had visited sites that offer streaming or downloadable video, while 41% had visited social networks.

Baby boomers are finding social networking sites appealing for the same reasons most people do- to stay in touch with people. They are interested in reconnecting with old friends and classmates whom they haven’t talked to in more than 30 years. They enjoy sharing photos with family and friends and staying connected to their children and grandchildren. High school and college reunions are also being organized via Facebook. Nielsen Reports that moms (aged 40-50 with 3+ children) are heavy online shoppers who stay connected via social networking more so than mom’s 39-54. Some are even replacing e-mail with social networking sites for staying in touch with people on an ongoing basis.  In addition to sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, they are also using boomer-specific sites like eons.com, boommj.com, boomertowne.com and the aarp.org social network. 
According to Facebook, women over 55 remain the fastest growing group on the site, and growth among the teen and college-age set has been relatively paltry. In absolute numbers there are now even slightly more members between the ages of 45 and 65 than there are 13-to 17-year-olds. Analytics company iStrategyLabs has examined the demographics stats from Facebook’s Social Ads platform, and they have found staggering results. Interestingly, they found that the number of users aged 25-34 has grown 60.8%; the number of users aged 35 to 54 has grown 190.2%, while the number of users older than 55 years has grown a tremendous 513.7%.

Baby boomers are making themselves known in the social media space of the online world. Marketers who neglect to speak to them in the language they are now adapting to will miss out on a rewarding opportunity!

Memorial Day weekend is the official kick-off weekend for the summer!  It’s definitely the traveling weekend for the beach and any other hot vacation spots. 

I’m not actually going to the beach, but the country.  I LOVE the country.  My cousin and her husband recently relocated to Greensboro, NC.  It’s interesting because although they live in the country, they’re still close to civilization, the city I mean.

Let me start with the drive.  A lot of people get head starts on their travel because EVERYONE is on the road.  BUT, the drive from Portsmouth, VA to Greensboro, NC is a calm, peaceful one.  For one, the only interstate, if that’s what you want to call it, to take in VA is 58 and there’s never any traffic.  It’s just a nice drive through the countryside.  Of course once you get into Carolina you’re on actual highway, but it’s still not congested.

There’s plenty to do in the TRIAD area.  During the day I’ll probably catch a minor league baseball game. Since the Greensboro Grasshoppers have away games the entire weekend we’ll roll down the way to a Winston-Salem Dash game.  And I can’t go on vacation without shopping.  The actual city part has plenty of shopping, outlets and indoor malls alike.

And there’s some good sight seeing.  Greensboro holds a lot of history.  It’s nice to just be able to drive around and take all of the scenery in.  It’s so pretty, fields of green, houses separated by almost a mile, farms, cows, horses, I could go on…

Of course we can’t forget the nightlife.  The general consensus is that Greensboro doesn’t have much nightlife.  Now if you’re in to going to upscale clubs, then no, Greensboro is NOT for you.  But I like the fact that EVERYONE is so down to earth and so friendly.  We just hit up the nearby bars and chat it up with the locals.  People treat you like family and you can’t get that up north.

Well, I hope everyone has as good a Memorial Day weekend as I’m going to have.

I was watching ‘The Wedding Date’ the other day and I heard an astounding statistic that made me rewind my DVR to hear it again. The commercial stated that according to Harris Interactive research, “On average, 236 members [of a national online dating networking site] get married each day.” Each day!? Are you serious? I couldn’t believe that. On average two hundred and thirty six members who sought out their loved one online get married every day of the year?? That’s amazing!

After hearing that statistic I immediately opened my lap top and looked it up (yes, I am that nerdy). The woman didn’t lie, it was an accurate count. I was shocked. So I then started looking up tips and advice about creating an online dating profile. Not for myself, of course, but just for educational purposes! And here are a few things that I learned….

Good First Impressions:
A good first impression is very important in the online dating realm. You need to make sure what you put out there is an accurate representation of yourself. The two specific areas I’m referencing are screen names and photos. You want to make sure your screen name isn’t too vague, but also accurately portrays you and maybe has something personal to go along with it.  Something like ‘Gillian<3VA’ is too broad, but ‘CreativeGillian’ would be more descriptive (although I will have to admit that still isn’t that interesting). Photographs also help make great first impressions. You want the photo on your profile to show off the real you. You want it to display your features (if you have a bald head, don’t try and cover it up in the photo…it’ll be discovered one way or another). Take lots of different photographs in lots of different backgrounds with different poses and choose wisely which one you want to represent you!

Personal Description:
In the description you write make sure you are first and foremost, honest. You want to show who you really are. Highlight great attributes you have through your profile instead of just stating them (i.e. instead of saying you have a sense of humor, show it through your profile or instead of saying you enjoy music, be specific about what type and what band, etc.).  Another tip is to be conversational in your description. You don’t want to come across as throwing a ‘sales pitch’ on why someone should date you!

Embrace it!
Check out all your matches, go with your gut instinct and find opportunities to meet new people. Date around and have a good time.  Enjoy the dating process until you find ‘the one’, because he or she will come around!!

If you’re relocating to a new area, I can only imagine how hard it is to meet new people. So look at the online dating strategy as an opportunity to get yourself out there in your new hometown. And I would recommend checking out our relocation center as well as our life tips page for more resources.

When post people search for super bowl facts, the more interesting they are the better! So I searched through many websites and weeded out the not-so interesting stuff, to compile a list of 10 random facts I found interesting. I thought I’d share them with you….

1. The name “Super Bowl” was not used officially until the 3rd championship game in January 1969.

2. No NFL team has ever played the Super Bowl in their own stadium.

3. New Orleans and Miami have hosted the Super Bowl the most at 9 times.

4. Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, and Tony Dungy have all won a Super Bowl both as a player and a coach.

5. The following things have never happened in a Super Bowl: a scoreless first half, a shutout, an overtime game and a punt return for a touchdown.

6. 30-second TV commercials are believed to be costing close to $3 million this year. If this reported rate is true, how is it that we are in an economic crisis??

7. According to About.com, the amount of chips consumed on Super Bowl Sunday is over 14 tons!!

8. Eight million pounds of guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.

9. An average of 6% of people will call out on the Monday following Super Bowl Sunday.

10. The Super Bowl is measured in Roman numerals because a football season runs the span over two calendar years.

Now granted I’m a football impaired chick, so these facts may not be an over the moon spectacular or anything. But they sure made me say ‘uh…’ when I read them. Hope they gave you a little something to think about, or a least a much needed break from your busy day!

My father use to say ‘what do you get the person who has everything? A box to put it all in.’ (yes, my father is corny like that) But seriously, what do you do when you have a gift to purchase for someone and it appears that they literally have everything!?! 

Here are a few suggestions from the team at ForRent.com if you really wanna ‘wow’ someone who has everything…..

1. Unveil their inner Monet.  Local art studios and recreation centers typically offer classes starting at the beginner level and work their way up to advanced.  A class like this will let them try a hand at their pottery, wine slumping, or mosaics skills (the list goes on).  Pick a class you think would be of interest and see if it results in a new hobby.

2. Personalized wall art.  You pick the letter-shaped photos and the word; a first or last name is classic, but words like laugh, joy, and peace look great too!  A gift like this can’t be copied!

3. Go local.  Ever been complimented on a one of kind piece that you bought when visiting such and such a place?  Offer someone the same experience by bringing them back something unique from your travels.  Not only are you giving them something they couldn’t find themselves, but you are also supporting small, local businesses at the same time.

4. Everybody wants a good laugh!  Gifts from the heart are great, but every once in awhile someone needs to be thrown for a loop, why not be the person to do so?  Gifts like the below “Ignorance is Bliss” and “Bittersweet” scales are sure to be a hit and are definitely hard to come by.  You’ll walk away knowing this gift will be the source of much laughter! (www.uncommongoods.com)

5. Give to more than just them.  Sometimes people really do have everything and another knick knack isn’t the answer.  Organizations like Farm Africa (www.farmafrica.org/uk) allow you to make a sustainable purchase that benefits those in need under the name of a friend or family member.  Farm Africa actually has you purchase an animal that will be given to families in poverty; these animals help them overcome their poverty.  You can also adopt endangered species through certain organizations and send that animal’s information to your gift recipient.

Does your friend or family member feel passionately about a different cause?  Give them a TisBest Charity Gift Card and let them decide what to support.  All they need to do is log on to http://www.tisbest.org/ and choose from over 200 charities to contribute your predetermined gift amount toward.

6. Cooking Lessons.  Some people need to learn the basics, some people want to go gourmet, and some people would love to learn more recipes that fit their on the go lifestyle.  There are cooking classes out there that cover all these needs.  You could select a gourmet cuisine they may be interested in or lend them a hand with some beginner basics; either way this hands on gift lets them walk away with more than a good food sampling.

You should also check out available classes in your area for wine making or making beer. What an interesting trait to say you have learned? Who knows, you could inspire them to make some for your present next year!! Go for the skill they’d learn and the experience they’d have while doing it.

7. Have you, yourself learned a trade? Why not put it to good use! If you’ve taken scrapebooking lessons, put your talent to work for a friend. If you are a skilled photographer, why not utilize your skills with a photographer the person would love. It’s the personalized gifts that really take the breath away of the recipient. So go ahead….get creative!

8. So they may have everything, but have they done everything?  Think through things they have mentioned wanting to do, but either put off or chickened out.  Maybe they have always wanted to learn to ski, so you buy lessons or they think skydiving looks fun, but are too afraid to sign up.  This gift may take more thought, but they are sure to remember it.

 9. Feeling especially green this season?  Purchase a tree or several in your favored friend’s name and let them feel good about helping to sustain our planet.  Places like http://www.arborday.org/ and http://www.americanforests.org/ make giving gifts like this as easy as planting seeds.

10.  How many people can say they have a star named after them? This is something my brother did for one of his girlfriends and I thought it was the sweetest thing. You can literally name a star after a friend or loved one. Go on http://www.starregistry.com/ for the process!

11. Photo gifts. I am a personal fan of Walgreens.com photo center. They have a really nice collection of gifts you can do for anyone. One year I did a calendar of photos for my mother. There are also mugs, pillow cases, aprons, mouse pads and more! Or you could take a photo that you have, that the recipient would like, and enlarge it. Frame it with a matte and it’s a one of a kind piece of art!

12. Coupon book. This works if you’re a little financially strapped during the holidays as well (who isn’t these days). In a book I created, I had a coupon for various tasks such as: FREE dog sitter one night, hot chocolate and a movie, dinner at your favorite restaurant, NO boys allowed-girls night out, etc. I also incorporated my skills at their disposal whenever they should need it (which I’m sure will happen since I’ve already offered it and they have a coupon saying I’d oblige). This was extremely appreciated as it came from the heart and literally is a gift that keeps on giving (until the coupons run out)!

We hope these gifts have inspired you and given you something to get for that one difficult shopper on your list!  Happy Shopping!

Okay, so everyone who lives in an apartment community is typically invited to a holiday party if their management company is throwing one. But rarely are residents inclined to go. There are a couple reasons, to say the least, but let’s focus on the reasons why they should want to go! And what management companies can do for residents to want to go! Take a look at our tips….

1. Interesting music…..hire a band or a DJ!!

2. Gift incentives! Gift cards are great for the holidays or shoot, how about a discount on rent!

3. Pets are a part of the family too, how about incorporating them in some manner!?

4. Pot Luck Dinner, each resident will feel more a part of the event if they have contributed.

5. Gift or Cookie exchange. Get some interaction and co-mingling.

6. Offer up crafts. Like a make your own Christmas wreath! Or something kid friendly, like the Advent Calendar Craft we posted.

7. Pictures with Santa for either pets or children.

8. A unique beverage assortment. For instance, a hot chocolate bar and sitting area in front of the fireplace.

9. Theme parties are always a lot of fun! Check out our Tacky Christmas Sweater Party Tips.

10. Christmas tree decorating. Have each resident bring an ornament to put on the tree. Have the tree displayed somewhere on the property for guests and residents to see.

11. Provide a greater service. Have the holiday party coincide with a charity donation/event.

12. Residents on the fly?? Have ‘cookies & milk for Santa’ baskets ready as a thank you for stopping by!!

Some other great ideas were providing games, like Cranium or a scavenger hunt, for residents to play; or offering up a wine tasting event with hour d’oeuvres. Whatever your apartment property decides to do, make sure you think of what the residents would actually want. Happy residents make for a happy apartment community!