Points to Share

Quick summary: Understanding how to use blogs and wikis by reading about how one husband and wife couple in their late 80's are using both and their little "digs" at each other.

The scene: I went to the Buick Invitational this past Saturday at the beautiful Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. Unfortunately, I was late getting there so that the only available parking was way in the back of a remote lot and I could only take the shuttle buses to the course. It was a long walk from the car to the already very long lines of people waiting to get on the buses.

An elderly couple In front of me was very concerned about standing in such a long line and they were debating the wisdom having to wait so long to get to the tournament. About that time a security guard stopped to tell the elderly lady that her purse she was carrying was too big to be allowed on the golf course. After a brief, somewhat sharp exchange, she agreed to take her purse all the way back to the car. Turning to her husband, she asked (even though it sounded more like a demand), "Will you wait for me before you get on the bus?!"

"Of course," he replied as she quickly marched off down what I imagined would be a long walk to the car. He watched her walking away and then looked at me and said grinning, "It would cost me a lot less to wait for her than to suffer a divorce from her." He added, more to himself than to me, "Do you think she will likely hurry back by running or will she just walk back?"

Not exactly sure if I should answer him or not, I inquired politely, "How long have you two been married?" "A little over 35 years" he said still grinning. "She'll walk back" I responded slightly ginning.

She did walk back carrying a much smaller purse and reached us just as we were about to board a bus. The couple sat down in the row in front of me and as they settled into their seats, the husband started telling her the discussion he and I had about if she was going to run or walk back to the bus line.

Here's the point of the story: "Of course I was only going to walk but I did hurry for you back and forth and I only grabbed a few items I thought you might need during the day." "Thanks," he said, gently hugging her. Then looking at both her and me, he added, "I bet you are going to write about what you selected in your blog." Now I was interested, "A blog? You write a blog?"

She slightly turned in the seat so she could see me better and stated proudly, "I write a blog about what it is like to be over 80 years old! I tell those insurance companies a thing or two and all those idiots who think we don't understand new things, I tell them too what I think! I get lots of comments back about my postings and we have a lot of fun exchanging views and opinions with those who read my blog postings; but more importantly, I know that they have seen my opinion first and that helps me make sure that I get "heard" first and that I get to direct how the conversation is going."

"I'm impressed, you really do understand the power of blogging," I said, noticing how enthusiastic and energized she had suddenly become.

She nudged her husband, "Why don't you tell him what you do?"

"I am one of the six remaining high school graduates form a small town in the very rural mid west. We have a wiki site where we each write about our days in high school and what we remember of those days and the people we went to school with. Each of us will often edit each other's work, clarifying dates and facts, but we also let each other tell the stories, sometimes fictionalizing the stories, just to entertain ourselves. My online name is 'Wikiy old man," he said jokingly.

The point: As we started getting off the bus, I was thinking how cool is this! Here's an elderly couple in their 80s who know more about using blogs and wikis than some of my executive friends half their age. Blogs to steer and focus conversations and wikis to collaborate facts, brainstorm ideas, and share cultural stories. It is truly an exciting time to play! And then, there's golf….