New AARP web site

AARP has relaunched of its Web site, AARP.org. In the words of the press release:"The new Web site targets boomers with social networking opportunities, expert content and entertainment tailored to their unique needs. One of the key components of the newly revamped site is the expansion of AARP Bulletin’s print publication into a daily news site, AARP Bulletin Today, the only online news source catering specifically to the 50+ demographic."

I have only had a chance to scan the site but my first impressions are mixed. Yes, I like the contemporary look and feel but I find the complexity of the home page rather off-putting. Also, the amount of the screen available for content is around a third – the rest is taken up with ads and navigation. This ratio doesn’t feel right.

It doesn’t appear that they have done very much to improve the effectiveness of search. There doesn’t appear to be any “Advanced Search” feature or the ability to display the search results by relevance or date (i.e. Google like searching).
I need to have a much longer look at the site but I wonder if AARP hasn’t sacrificed usability to improve the design. These two things are not mutually exclusive.

I would be interested to know what other people think of the site. Dick Stroud

New AARP International Web site

AARP is to be congratulated for creating such a useable new international Web site.

The site can be personalised, so that the data that is displayed is relevant to your interests, which drives customised newsletters. There is an online folder for saving reports.

I think the most useful feature is the ability to compare country data in the same way as you would when buying a new PC online. Want to know how the life expectancy in Australia compares with that in Italy, Japan and South Africa. Easy-peasy. It even provides the ability to export the data to Excel. This shows the shocking fact that a women in South Africa can expect half the life expectancy of one born in Japan.

Somebody in AARP sat down and asked the question: “What do people want to do with the information on our Web site”. The result is excellent. Dick Stroud

Tech companies start to follow the money

Not often do you get CNET talking about technology and the 50-plus. The host of tech companies exhibiting at the recent AARP national conference prompted the publication into action.

Here are a few of the factlets/quotes that caught my eye.

"Nintendo changed our company strategy about two years ago to try to go after what we considered an expanding audience. We'll of course still market to (people) under the age of 25, but as an industry it's getting stagnant. So we set off with the DS and Wii to go after expanding from the age of 25 up to 70" (Senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications at Nintendo)

Nintendo has partnered with building firm Dell Webb to have its systems incorporated into the club houses and lounges in their over-50 communities. It's also partnered with Norwegian Cruise Lines to make Nintendo available on flat-screen TVs in the ship lounges. Now that really is interesting.

Google was present at the AARP convention, registering visitors for Gmail accounts and demonstrating how they can be customized. Microsoft was also present, giving demonstrations of Vista – poor sods. The company was also demonstrating its Xbox 360. "If you gave a new Xbox to your grandmother and grandfather and gave them the manual, they could have it set up in 10 minutes. Why do they need a DVD player and CD player and TiVo when (they've) got everything here?" (Lead software development test engineer on Microsoft's Xbox team).

At long last it seems that the youth obsessed marketing of tech companies is waking up to the reality of the ageing population. Dick Stroud

Books and Boomers a match made in heaven

AARP Publications and Publishers Weekly (the trade magazine of the US book industry) have announced a strategic relationship that will include content sharing, events and sponsorships. This joint effort enables AARP and Publishers Weekly to expand their offerings to the book industry and AARP’s members.
Now here is a factlet for you:

“AARP members are the largest segment of loyal book readers in this country, as well as the largest group of book buyers—of both fiction and nonfiction—purchasing about one in every seven books sold in the U.S.,” said the Director of AARP Publications.

The first fruits of this content sharing initiative is, “Books for Grownups”. I had a quick look through the book titles and they do look interesting. I must suggest this to booksellers in the UK.Dick Stroud

AARP the good and bad news

The circulation of AARP’s magazines has hit 30,000,000 – up from 15,200,000 in the fall of 2000.

To draw attention to this fact AARP has issued a press release that equates its circulation, with amongst others, the viewers of American Idol. Well done AARP.

Having read this item I thought I would have a look at this august organization’s web site. Not so good.

Now don’t get me wrong, I really like soup, but is a recipe for soup the sort of thing you expect to see taking up a sizeable part of the organisation’s home page? I think not.

If anybody from AARP is reading this then please go and look at the way the BBC presents its content about cooking – including soups.

AARP is trying (very laudably) to use innovative ways of communicating with its audiences. For an organisation with 30,000,000 subscribers, its web site, and choice of content, is looking a bit jaded. Dick Stroud

Music for Grownups?

My old chum Chuck Nyren was recently on a radio chat show reviewing AARP’s punt into the world of music.

You can listen to the interview and view (and listen) to the AARP music Web site.

Chuck’s provides a great summary – “as is usually the case, AARP’s grab for Baby Boomers is an admixture of good intentions, some top-notch stuff – and cheesy, insulting schlock”. It is well worth reading the rest of his blog posting.

Yep the venture could be improved but at least AARP is having a go at doing something innovative. Age Concern, Help the Aged and Saga - are you listening? Dick Stroud

Grown-up enough to become an entrepreneur

Nearly half the US’s self-employed workers—7.4 million—are boomers (U.S. Department of Labor). This figure is expected to climb as people retire from one career to start another, lose their jobs or simply want the independence and flexibility of working for themselves.

"I am willing to bet that over the next 10 years, entrepreneurship is going to increase for people 50 and older, and especially for those 65 and older," says the head of research and policy at the Kauffman Foundation, which advances entrepreneurship in America.

This article from AARP gives good background to the subject.

This situation is exactly the same in the UK.

Let me give you a tip that is a sure-fire-winner; services supporting 50-plus start-up businesses and franchise companies are in for a boom time during the next decade. You will see a lot more companies like bizstarters hitting the streets. Dick Stroud

Another AARP ad

This is my final AARP post of the weekend and features the campaign called “Future Champions”. As AARP says: “children deliver compelling messages about the state of healthcare and financial security. The multigenerational focus in this new campaign reinforces the Association’s Divided We Fail coalition”. As I said about the previous AARP ad – this is ambitious stuff. I hope for AARP’s sake it is not a step too far too quickly. Dick Stroud

AARP – how the world has changed

I received one of the AARP’s numerous e-mail newsletters and the first article I see is about mobile fitness electronics.

I didn’t know that Nike and Apple have teamed up to offer a wireless transmitter you insert into your Nike running shoe which syncs with your iPod nano to announce your distance, pace and elapsed time.

Nor did I know that you can program the music to increase your pace. The transmitter can also sync up with the NikePlus website so you can see the results of your workout and monitor your progress.

It suddenly struck me that I was reading this on the AARP web site and reminded me of a new Veer image of the 50-plus. More my style. Dick Stroud