 Todd Davis |
One of the first nursery-industry events I ever attended had a “new-idea session.” The first presenter talked about his new cutting-edge communication device — a fax machine. Audience members were riveted. This was high-tech stuff. Sadly enough, it wasn’t that long ago. It was only 1994. Yes, the nursery/landscape industry typically lags behind the technology front. I know one landscaper who used a beeper until just last year. But we do eventually catch up. I see more customers coming into this nursery with iPhones and other high-tech gadgets. And, yes, they’re typically the younger customers. Generation gap I’m a card-carrying member of Generation X. But if you haven’t been paying attention, a lot of Gen Xers are now middle aged. I turned 40 last year. And now we’re the generation that doesn’t understand kids anymore. The key difference is how we communicate. The proliferation and use of social networking sites has drastically changed how younger people correspond. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace changed the world forever. (And here’s the worst joke I’ve heard this year: Did you hear there’s a new Web site that combines the functionality of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter? It’s called YouTwitFace.com.) But the industry is trying to keep pace. In fact, the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association’s Management Workshop this past January was devoted mostly to social network sites and how nursery professionals could use them for business purposes.  But I’m still skeptical. I’ve seen the conversations that usually take place on Facebook and, quite frankly, they’re pretty frivolous. Most run along the lines of:“Heading to the store for diced tomatoes.” “Woo-hoo!!!” “Watch out for botulism!” “Woo-hoo!!!” How does this help? Still perplexed by how Facebook could be a legitimate business tool, I had a conversation with a long-time industry friend (and one that’s pretty techno savvy). He basically said that this type of chatter is so commonplace among younger adults that it’s a way of life. If my customer is a frequent Facebook user, wouldn’t he or she buy more plants from me if we chatted back and forth on that site? It was a perplexing argument. That said, I still don’t have a Facebook account. Setting up an account has just never made it to the top of my to-do list. Of course by the time you read this column things could have changed. I may very well be a Facebook junkie by now. One last geezer rant But back to the younger generation. Here’s something I’ve noticed: When I really need to get in touch with somebody, my first instinct is to make a phone call. The second—send an e-mail. And third? I don’t know, smoke signals? Most people in their 20s or younger will do anything to avoid using a telephone. It seems almost painful for them to actually talk to somebody one-on-one. That’s a big problem. Good communication begins with the spoken word. If you can’t sit down and have a conversation with somebody, I don’t know if I’m comfortable working with you. So let me wrap this up with a little advice for the youngsters. Social network sites are great. Use them all you want. But every once in a while you’re going to have to quit thumb typing and have an actual conversation. Woo-hoo!!! |
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