Fifty years ago, there was no such thing as online marketing. And although computers existed a half-century ago, few imagined how they would evolve into tools for daily living.
I’m mentioning this because I recently attended a milestone high school class reunion (York Suburban High School Class of 1974). Whether 50 years feels like a long time or no time at all, it’s a good place to reflect on a few things.
During one reunion conversation, I mentioned my line of work, and one friend noted that a few classmates work in IT (Information Technology, the computer hardware).
We Barely Knew About Computers
Those classmates were self-taught, he said, because information technology as a career was still a new idea. Back then, if you wanted to work with computers, there was really only one place to go – IBM. (Or the arcade, where games like Pong and Space Invaders were just beginning to emerge.)
I’m not an IT guy. I’m not a software guy. I’m a marketer, a profession as old as the written word. By the time I graduated from high school, marketing had evolved to include radio and television.
The conversation reminded me that my work today – helping businesses with search advertising, search engine optimization, website content, and social media – did not exist when I left high school. The information age created my current business, and I could not have even imagined Facebook or Google.
Learning On My Own
My first career as a newspaper writer and editor made my transition to digital marketing easier. Still, like many modern marketers of a certain age, I learned the new marketing mostly on my own by taking online courses, reading articles online, attending more webinars than I can count, and practicing.
And I’m still learning as online marketing continues to change, and I’m looking for shifts that might affect me and my clients.
It’s one thing to look back 50 years and consider how things have changed. It’s altogether different to try to look ahead 50 years to imagine how things will change. What will replace Google, Microsoft and Apple? Will we entertain ourselves in Star-Trek-like holosuites instead of in front of televisions and computers? How will we learn? What new kinds of work will we do? What diseases will we cure, and what new diseases will we face?
Thinking about the future can be more than a mental exercise. When we imagine what things might be like and share those ideas, we’re more likely to make the future instead of just waiting for it.
The next newsletter arrives Aug. 27. By then, many youngsters will be back in school, so be aware of school bus stops and starts on your daily commute. Aug. 21 is the 65th anniversary of Hawaii’s admission to statehood. If you’re into food and drink, you can celebrate National Rum Day on Aug. 16, National Fajita Day on Aug. 18, and National Sponge Cake Day on Aug. 23.
Until next time, be grateful. Be generous. Be patient. Love.
Thanks for spending some of your time with me, . I appreciate you.
Mark
P.S. - This newsletter was 100 percent created by me, a human.
P.P.S. - Some links in this email might be affiliate links, which could generate small commissions for me at no extra cost to you.
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