The Schiff Report

Meghan McCain Talks Gen. Y on Larry King

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:38:00 +0000

Did you catch Meghan McCain on Larry King on Monday night?

I missed it, but the transcript of her interview is now available online.

McCain--who refers to herself as a "progressive Republican," and is a writer for The Daily Beast (portfolio here)--talked about her recent spat with Laura Ingraham, her thoughts on tattoos and her positive regard for Governor Bobby Jindal.

She said the word, "generation," five times during the interview and said that President Barack Obama is on the "verge" of overexposure, but only when it comes to older generations.

Here's the quote:

"I think he is on the verge of [overexposure]. I do think you have to be careful. But it is a different generation. [My] generation ... we like our celebrities. And I think that he realizes that because he is very much a Generation Y president. However, he is on the risk of alienating his older followers."

*UPDATE:
In an op-ed in the Washington Post today, Kathleen Parker discusses some of the recent media coverage that Meghan McCain has been generating.

She writes, "a 24-year-old political pundette doesn't find her way onto 'Larry King Live' without a famous name," adding, "thanks to the 'Internets,' as our former president liked to say, young people are gaining influence sooner than ever before."

Parker suggests that McCain is a good Gen. Y poster child for the GOP, and I definitely see where she's coming from. McCain certainly has some media savvy (although I searched her on Twitter and didn't find an account... don't be like Luke!) and her message seems to be very much in sync with the under 30 crowd. What do you think? Which other Gen. Y Republicans are making waves like the younger maverick McCain?

*ANOTHER UPDATE:
McCain is a Twitter pro! @kylespector helped me find her, she is @McCainBloggette

Gen. Y Story Without the Gen. Y Angle: Entrepreneurship in the Economic Downturn

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:08:00 +0000

The New York Times published an article on Friday that examines how the economic downturn has led some people to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors rather than focus on a traditional job search.

Many "laid-off workers across the country, burned out by a merciless job market, are building business plans instead of sending out résumés. For these people, recession has become the mother of invention," according to the Times. I'm definitely seeing a lot of this online and offline--laid-off workers are increasingly creating their own projects while they try to find a full-time position or focusing on entrepreneurial pursuits indefinitely.

The article reports on the experiences of five people who are doing just this, and the interesting thing about the coverage is that although four of the five people mentioned are millennials, the article doesn't make any mention of Generation Y or raise the Gen. Y/entrepreneurial angle. And of course, there's lots of buzz about Gen. Y being an especially entrepreneurial generation.

While the article includes analysis from a few people who are probably not members of Gen. Y (their ages aren't listed), the only other non-millennial mentioned is a 35 year old who was laid off from Yahoo.

Since there was really no mention of this being a strictly generational phenomenon, it's interesting that the reporter only included examples of people who are younger. Obviously there are reasons why entrepreneurship is more feesible for people in their twenties, but I wonder if the depth of entrepreneurial response to the economy amongst younger workers is uniquely Gen. Y.

Should Luke Russert be on Twitter?

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:08:00 +0000

It was President's Day. I was off work and traipsing around on Twitter. Ok, I guess you can't really traipse there in a literal sense, but I was doing the virtual equivalent. MSNBC was on in the background. Luke Russert comes on. He's interviewing Bill Clinton. I look up.

Something about advice for yong people in this economy? I don't really remember, but then as the anchor was closing out with Russert, something caught my ear. The anchor said something about how people can connect with Russert and mentioned Twitter. Russert then said something like, "I'm not on Twitter yet, still looking into that."

Still looking into that?! That's the sort of response I might expect to hear from a 60 year old. I hit the keyboard and in fewer than 140 characters I tweet some version of what I'm thinking:

Immediately I get some responses. A few DMs, some @replies. Some interesting tweeting ensues. Here's a selection:
------------------
henrim @jwschiff how is that absurd? The youth population on Twitter is not at all representative the rest of youth population.

jwschiff @henrim it's not about representation, but huge part of the Gen. Y story is technology, social media, seems silly not to monitor that part

KathleenLD @henrim agreed. The youth demographic on Twitter is not representative of youth as a whole. More tech/journ heavy than the general pop, even

jwschiff @KathleenLD @henrim don't you think it's a problem Russert doesn't have access to this convo? Twitter isn't everything, but imp. 2 follow

henrim @jwschiff @KathleenLD we are overachievers, hyper-connected, overely-political geeks... i say that in the nicest way possible.

jwschiff @henrim yes, but u don't think with the thousands of twittr articles there's a youth angle? and if not, that's worth reporting too

henrim @jwschiff @KathleenLD I would gladly give up the youth angle coverage on twitter if he covers college cost/debt in more dept.

Some other thoughts:

Nextvoice247 @jwschiff he cvers youth issues as an observer & not actve participant; "sees" youth, but finds himself n role of old guard w fresh face

nishachittal @jwschiff interesting about Luke Russert. But I think most journos still dont get Twitter. Just look at @andersoncooper or @gstephanopoulos
------------------
So henrim and KathleenLD have valid points. Yes, those of us on Twitter are part of a small group of the "youth" demographic or pretty much any other age group. But we're also part of an emerging trend, and that's a story.

But here's the gist of why I was shocked to hear that Russert isn't on Twitter:

As an NBC News correspondent-at-large (bio here), he is tasked with reporting on stories with a youth angle. NBC brought him aboard just as the presidential elections were heading into the home stretch and announced that Russert would cover the youth vote during the election cycle.

Social media is a huge part of some of these stories. Russert even talked about the importance of the Internet angle. Gen. Y and younger generations are notriously plugged in and spend a lot of time interacting online. A journalist who is on a youth beat needs to be monitoring what happens online, this MediaShift post raises a lot of these issues and at the very least shows that Twitter is a part of the conversation.

Twitter certainly isn't the entire story, but leaving it out is like covering a school district and only attending official meetings. Good reporters would dig deeper. They interact with students, parents, teachers and administrators in a variety of settings. They pay attention to informal channels, off-the-cuff remarks and read between the lines.

In all fairness to Russert, he is blogging, kind of (no updates since October and very few links, posts look like articles). But seriously, I don't know what he's up against with bureaucracy and other barriers at NBC. Perhaps contracts and other things prevent him from being enterprising in this way, and he only graduated from college last May! He also freely admits that nepotism certainly plays a role in how he ended up in this gig -- in October, he told MediaBistro, "Did my name get my foot in the door? Absolutely, I'll be the first to admit that. But has my performance and ability got my butt through the door? Yes."

But with all that considered, I think Russert would have been better off if he were plugged in and paying attention.

*If you're not already doing so, follow me on Twitter - @jwschiff *

National Journal Examine Millennials' Poltical Involvement

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:25:00 +0000

National Journal Magazine has published an article analyzing Gen. Y's political involvement.

If you're familiar with Morley Winograd and Michael Hais, then there's nothing especially eye-opening about what Ronald Brownstein has written. But if you haven't read a lot of media coverage about how millennials' are thought of as a political demographic, then this is a quick and comprehensive read.

Brownstein writes:

Generational comparisons can simplify, but early indications are that Millennials may balance idealism and pragmatism better than either Baby Boomers (who have favored the former, at times to self-righteous extremes) or Generation X-ers (who have often had trouble rising above self-interest).

How Many Millennials Made Forbes' "Web Celeb 25" List?

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:51:00 +0000

Depends of course on who you count as a member of Gen. Y!

Let's go with people under the age of 30 who are on the list.

They are:

Perez Hilton - 30 years old (made the top spot)

Pete Cashmore of Mashable - 23 years old (#6 on the list and the youngest)

Nate Silver who blogs at FiveThirtyEight.com - 30 years old (#15)

NY Times Examines Niche Community That Struggles to Attract Younger Members

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:43:00 +0000

The New York Times on Friday published an article that describes the challenges that lesbian communities are facing when it comes to attracting younger members.

The article alludes to it, but part of the reason that I'd imagine young women aren't so interested in joining these communities is because mainstream society isn't as uncomfortable a place for gays as lesbians as it was when these communities were first formed a few decades ago.

More on the Merits of Gen. Y Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:38:00 +0000

After Lance Haun took a look at my post about the value of being a Gen. Y blogger, he crafted a whole post with his ideas on the topic. There's also some great discussion going on about this on his blog, so be sure to check it out.

Lots of noteworthy points from Emily Stoddard Furrow, Renegade HR's Chris, and others. Here's an excerpt from one of Rebecca Thorman's comments:

Thinking Aloud: The Value of the Gen. Y Niche. Does it Help or Hurt?

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:03:00 +0000

Ever since I started this blog, I've found my decision to associate it with the Gen. Y blogosphere to be a blessing and a curse.

Being a blogger with a Gen. Y niche has been a fantastic vehicle for making connections with a variety of incredible writers, upwardly mobile young professionals, entrepreneurs and PR gurus. It seems that anyone who uses his or her blog as a networking tool will be able to connect with high quality people regardless of what the blogging niche is. But identifying as a Gen. Y writer and blogging about Gen. Y issues has made it easy to connect with fantastic people who are at similar life/career stages and I've gained a lot from that peer-group connection.

"Your youth is an amazing thing. Blogging will give you a clear advantage when socializing with others and in the job search process," writes Dan Schawbel, a Gen. Y personal branding expert. True. I agree.

Schawbel also points out that social media can help Gen. Yers "accomplish a lot in a very little time." Schawbel is obviously living proof of this. "You sacrifice your time, not your piggy bank. The key is that people are impressed with successful Gen-Yers because they are amazed at their accomplishments at a young age."

Another fair point. But I've always wondered whether you need to brand yourself as a millennial or write about Gen. Y to really get these benefits. It seems unnecessary and perhaps even harmful.

Why harmful? Well, first it seems like the whole concept of Gen. Y is kind of ambiguous. Miriam Kagan of Generation Y Give wrote this excellent post about who is considered a member of Gen. Y. Kagan highlights the vagueness of the term and the lack of overlap between definitions. The problem with this is that if you do blog about Gen. Y--unless you define it for the purposes of your writing, which is part of what adds to the lack of clarity--readers might have different ideas of who you're talking about and what you mean.

Now even if people are somewhat on the same page about this, the media coverage of this generation mostly gives us a bad rap. Lilly Mongeau of Millennial Voices, points out that many descriptions of Gen. Y are negative. And there certainly isn't a shortage of authors and writers who are willing to criticize Gen. Y's shortcomings.

If you immerse yourself in the Gen. Y blogosphere, you might be tempted to agree with these criticisms of millennials. I'm not just talking about bad writing and mediocre ideas, although some have pointed out that there's a lot of that on Gen. Y blogs. The fact is, you'll find trash anywhere you look on the blogosphere. But there are many articulate and smart Gen. Y bloggers writing about work and corporate life and how it all needs to change. There's a lot to be said for the contributions generations can make, but maybe some of this talk comes off sounding just a little naive. Maybe the best way to really change things is to work the system and only talk about shaking things up after you know your way around enough to know what that might take.

Aside from all this, there's just not all too much to say about Gen. Y. At least not in a really meaningful way. I think it's part of why Twenty Set, one of my favorite blogs, is changing its focus. Real generational analysis and trends are fascinating, but so often bloggers use Gen. Y terms as a synonym for people who are twenty-something or post-college. It's not often used to discuss large-scale patterns. In all fairness, substantive generational analysis takes time and it doesn't really lend itself to updating a blog with the frequency it takes to build an audience and increase traffic.

For the most part, the most successful Gen. Y bloggers--those who have used blogs to market themselves and further their career paths--seem to be blogging about a topic and happen to be Gen. Y. Schawbel is a notable exception because Gen. Y is certainly part of his branding.

So I continue to wonder, is this a valuable niche? Do the negatives outweigh the benefits? Maybe every blogging niche is created equal, it's just the bloggers who aren't.

Which Generation is Most Likely to Shop Online?

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:40:00 +0000

Not Generation Y, according to recent findings from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Apparently Gen. X is most likely to bank, shop and look for health information online. But millennials are the largest generational group online, comprising 30% of the adult Internet population.

Additional results and details available here.

In Our Own Words

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 05:10:00 +0000

I love the concept of this new blog, "Millennial Voices." According to Lillian Mongeau, the blog's editor, Millennial Voices aims to be "a collection of essays and thoughts from Millennials across the country."

Mongeau announced the birth of her blog over at OregonLive.com and wrote, "For the most part, young people are not well-represented as voices in the mainstream media." I like that she's attempting to address this because there are a growing number of non-millennials weighing in on discussions about the characterization of Gen. Y. Former Washington Post Ombudsman Deborah Howell made a related observation in a 2008 column. She noted, "The Post's op-ed page is too male and too white. And there aren't a lot of youthful opinions, either."

Judging by the first few entries, it seems like Mongeau is trying to solicit pieces from articulate, intelligent writers -- a welcome addition to the Gen. Y blogosphere, which can be whiney and flippant at times. Also, as someone with a journalism background, I appreciate that she has some editorial conditions.

Unemployment Rates Highest for Gen. Y Workers, MSNBC.com Reports

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Not such great news:

MSNBC.com is reporting that unemployment rates in December were higher for employees under the age of 29 than for older workers (h/t rachelschonwald). It also includes some information about Gen. Y's reluctance to settle for a job that doesn't meet expectations (yes, we know) and career coach J.T. O'Donnell is quoted.

Chicagoan Lyndsay Rush, 25, also features in the article. She blogs about her unemployment at Bob Loblaw's Job Blog, which is named after a character from the show "Arrested Development."

Gosh, didn't really need another reminder about the distressing state of the economy this week. On Wednesday, two of my friends learned that they were laid off from their jobs at an organization that took a major hit from the Madoff Ponzi scheme.

I'm just feeling overwhelmed at how this has been "hitting home" for me in the last two weeks or so. Is there anyone out there who does not know of someone who has been laid off at this point?! If so, where do you live and what line of work are you in?

The First Millennial Member of U.S. Congress

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:47:00 +0000

In true Gen. Y fashion, Aaron Schock, 27 (seems to be the magic number, at least in politics), has fast-tracked his way into Congress.

CBSNews.com reports:

Schock is the first member of Congress born in the 1980s.

He started in politics when the school board in his hometown of Peoria refused to allow him to graduate high school early, even though he'd completed the work.

His mother, Jan Knapp, says Schock doesn't take rejection lightly and, "If you tell Aaron that he can't do something, well look out, because he will do it!"

Today Time published an interview with Schock that includes some questions about what he thinks of Gen. Y and millennials' political leanings.

A highlight from the interview:

Time: That's true, your generation was very active politically last year. But most supported Democrats. Is there something your party doesn't "get" about younger voters?

Aaron: I think at times elected officials lose sight of the fact that the younger generation uses different means of communications. They don't necessarily pick up The New York Times to get their news. They may go online, and they may use more things like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube— things that members of the older generation aren't as accustomed to using to communicate with constituents.
If President-elect Obama's campaign taught us anything, it was how to use new media to reach out to youth. If your source of information is your iPhone and your Facebook page, then hands-down Sen. Obama did a much better job than Sen. McCain. Job one is just reaching out and communicating.

Gen. Y Articles in The Economist

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:46:00 +0000

The good editors at The Economist must have saved the best for last. Or maybe as December puttered to a halt, the slower news cycle cleared the way for some softer news items.

Either way, the magazine's final 2008 edition includes a piece examining how the global recession is effecting the Generation Y work ethic, an analytical article about how managers and millennials are responding to the slow economy and two pieces that explore higher education around the world.

From Managing the Facebookers:
"Having grown up in good times, Net Geners have laboured under the illusion that the world owed them a living. But hopping between jobs to find one that meets your inner spiritual needs is not so easy when there are no jobs to hop to."

Also worth a click of your mouse:
Politicoholic's Nisha Chittal recently blogged about the challenges of being a new college grad and finding a job during a recession. Chittal writes insightfully about the Gen. Y mind set and wonders, "In a recession, should you settle?" Her post touches on a lot of the issues raised in The Economist.

The Bromance Generation

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 04:19:00 +0000

Brian Till in the Post Chronicle describes the changing patterns of friendship amongst Gen. Y males.

From the article:

Deep male friendships, which have traditionally given way in the post-college years, appear to be more resilient now than they were as our fathers grew up. I wonder if this generation, when confronted by the time in which most men replace friends with wives and children, might struggle to strike a balance.

Pop culture, I would argue, has been gradually increasing the importance of intra-gender relationships throughout our upbringing. Family sitcoms hardly exist today, having been replaced by shows like "Sex and the City," "Entourage," "The O.C.," and "The Hills" -- shows that dwell as much, if not more, in friendships as they do in male-female relationships.

I sure do know a lot of men in their 20s who are enthusiastic about setting up "man dates" and "nights out with the boys," although this might have technically started with Gen. X. Jerry and George on "Seinfeld" certainly had the sort of relationship that the columnist describes. Either way, the columnist might just describing an aspect of the "Guyland" social phenomenon.

Gen. Y Obama Team Member to Have Prominent Role in the White House

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:43:00 +0000

At age 27, Jon Favreau will become the youngest ever White House chief speechwriter. Today the Washington Post profiled Favreau, Obama's "mind reader."

From the article:

The job requires him to work unnoticed, even in plain view, so Jon Favreau settles into a wooden chair at a busy Starbucks in the center of Penn Quarter. Deadline looms, and he needs to write at least half a page by the end of the day. As the espresso machines whir, Favreau opens his laptop, calls up a document titled "rough draft of inaugural" and goes to work on the most anticipated speech of Barack Obama's life.

Ethically-Challenged Millennials

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:47:00 +0000

It seems like there's pretty much a consensus on this one: Generation Y is made up of a bunch of cheaters.

CNN wrote about this back in 2002 and now a new survey from the Josephson Institute in Los Angeles finds that cheating among high school students is rampant. Amongst other things, the survey of almost 30,000 high school students in the U.S. finds that 64 percent cheated on a test during the past year, which is probably lower than the actual number because 26 percent admitted to lying on at least one of the questions in the survey.

I'm really not sure about what sort of level of accuracy you can hope for when you survey cheaters about cheating, but nevertheless....
The results have received some attention, but I did not come across an article that compared the results to similar studies from previous generations. I looked around a bit for research that compares current academic cheating rates with rates from 20 or 30 years ago, but didn't find anything along those lines. I'm sure something like this is out there and I'd be interested to see it.

Even without the data, it's not hard to buy that cheating is more prevalent now than it has been in previous generations thanks to the Internet, which has made it easier to cheat than ever before, as Plagiarism.org explains here. I suspect that a thorough analysis of the proliferation of cheating that the Josephson survey and others are identifying has more to do with problems regarding how people manage the information explosion rather than the moral caliber of an entire generation. This is why William C. Kashatus' op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer is disappointing. Kashatus, a college lecturer, references the same survey and blames the results on the character of the Generation Y.

He writes:

So please excuse me for sounding like a Dutch uncle, but I believe that this generation of students - the so-called millennial generation - lacks accountability. That does not bode well for our future.

Members of the millennial generation - those born between 1982 and 2002 - expect to be granted privileges without having to work for them. They've grown up in a world of instant gratification, dominated by computer games, e-mail and cell phones. They expect their teachers to "entertain" them, not challenge them. Often, when there is a challenge, few students rise to meet it.

He absolves himself and his fellow teachers of any blame, concluding:

Nor will I criticize my fellow teachers for the failures of the millennial generation. Most of them are experienced educators who are doing the best they can.

Ultimately, the millennials are accountable for themselves. Let's hope it doesn't take another Great Depression for them to meet the challenge.

It's unfortunate that Mr. Kashatus decided to highlight an important issue with such shallow analysis. Arm any nineteen year old student from any generation with Internet search tools the day before his or her 20-page history paper, of which nothing has been written, is due and you're playing with fire. At least the educators in this article appear to take a broader approach to the problem.

What's in a Generation's Name?

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:30:00 +0000

William Safire has a fun piece in the New York Times Magazine about the grammatical issues involved with naming generations. Safire writes:

Welcome to the socio-literary parlor game of “Name That Generation.”

It all began in a quotation Ernest Hemingway attributed to his Paris patron, the poet and salonkeeper Gertrude Stein. On the title page of his novel “The Sun Also Rises,” published in 1926, he quoted her saying to her circle of creatively disaffected writers, artists and intellectuals in the aftermath of World War I, “You are all a lost generation.”

In the cultural nomenclature after that, the noun generation was applied to those “coming of age” in an era. Anne Soukhanov, U.S. editor of the excellent Encarta dictionary, observes, “Young people’s attitudes, behavior and contributions, while being shaped by the ethos of, and major events during, their time, came in turn to represent the tenor of the time.”

CBS Evening News Examines Gen. Y's Love for Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:43:00 +0000

CBS Evening News on Friday examined Gen. Y's relationship with technology and how it is affecting the workplace culture. Video segment appears below.

The Single-Sex Workplace

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:58:00 +0000

*This generated a lot of comments at Brazen Careerist, see it here*

Hannah Seligson is onto something.

"I left the egalitarianism of the classroom for the cubicle, and everything changed. The realization that the knowledge and skills acquired in school don’t always translate at the office is something that all college graduates, men and women, must face. But for women, I have found, the adjustment tends to be much harder," Seligson writes in a New York Times article.

She continues:

The more traditionally “feminine” trait of sensitivity, while often appreciated, is not always an asset in the work world. I have spent too much time being rattled by terse e-mail from editors, agents who have told me that I’d never get a book deal, and bosses who have berated me as not being “detail-oriented.” I think that in order to break through any kind of glass ceiling, or simply to get through the day, you have to become impervious to the daily gruffness that’s a part of any job.

I used to think that perfection was the pathway to success. Not so, according to women I have interviewed who have reached the apex of their professions. Rather, it can lead to paralysis. Women, I have found, can let perfectionism stop them from speaking up or taking risks. For men, especially if they are thick-skinned, the thought of someone telling them “no” tends not to be viewed as earth-shattering.

A Crisis of Confidence

I don't have to dig deep into my work experiences to relate to what she is suggesting, and listening to female friends' concerns about the workplace has made me realize I'm certainly not unique. As Seligson and others have pointed out, there are a number of reasons why women have a tough time getting ahead in the workplace. But when it comes to women who have recently graduated from college and entered the working world, a lack of self-confidence, which is a critical factor for succeeding at work, is the likely source of these issues.

Earlier this year, at a conference that focused on the relationship between confidence and leadership in women's lives, Professor Georgia Duerst-Lahti, an expert on women and politics, noted, "Men and women, on average, start out college with the same level of confidence, but, by the time they are done, women’s confidence comes in much lower than men’s."

Her analysis rings true. When I was in college, I saw this on campus a lot. Class discussions were one of the clearest illustrations. Although I went to a university with a noticeably higher percentage of females than males, guys raised their hands and spoke up more often.

The self-confidence gap is a glaring problem. Since 2006, we've even had a day to promote women's self-esteem. Negotiating salary, asking for guidance etc. is that much more challenging without the confidence to do it all forcefully. Maybe all those Ivy League women that have opted to leave the workforce to instead focus on motherhood are really just lacking the confidence to stay. Perhaps if women can focus on boosting their confidence early in their careers, it will eliminate some of the problematic transitional issues.

So here's a suggestion: single-sex offices.

I'm serious.

For decades, proponents of single-sex education have highlighted the advantages of female-only classrooms and single-sex environments have been found to greatly benefit girls' confidence. I don't see this working at a workplace that just happens to be female-only. I've heard of too many female-dominated workplaces where competitiveness and catiness prevails. It would have to be an environment that is deliberately and proudly single-sex for the purpose of empowerment.

Starting a career in a single-sex environment could offer a safe space to learn and develop skills for the workplace without the risk of dealing with gender discrimination issues during those first few years. And maybe if women had a few years to develop confidence in their skills before entering co-ed office environments, that confidence would spill over into other areas, which would make navigating the co-ed office less daunting.

-------------
What do you think? I'm especially curious to hear from people who work in offices similar to what I've described above.

Same Generation, Different Name (Again)

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:15:00 +0000

Eric Greenberg, a business man who appears to be involved in a number of other endeavors, is the latest person to weigh in on the discussion about youth voter turnout in 2008. In the Huffington Post, Greenberg writes:

I am making a bold prediction: 0ver 85%, up to 90%, of registered 18-29 year olds will vote on Election Day, meaning that the overall turnout will be a minimum of 65%, a 35% increase in just four years. That is the sound of the world changing. The familiar rhetoric of the young being self-absorbed and not engaged will be put to rest. This election is about the young becoming active participants in our political process and millions of them saying, "Enough".

He's also the latest non-millennial to attempt to define Generation Y or "Generation We," his preferred term. So, why am I bringing this to your attention? I have nothing against Greenberg's analysis. At this point, I really haven't read enough of it to make a conclusion. From what I've seen, he likes Gen-We. A lot. But it's worth noting that so many of the voices participating in the discussion about what Gen. Y is, how millennials think, what echo-boomers need etc. are from people who don't consider themselves a part of the generation they're attempting to define.

It's just an observation. In fact, it's not necessarily a bad thing. People from different generations have valuable perspectives about Gen. Y that only generational outsiders can provide. And while there are many millennials writing about generational issues in the blogosphere, I haven't seen a lot of careful analysis from Gen. Yers attempting to define this generation from the inside and for a broad audience. Maybe it's because of our different, kind of quiet leadership style. Or maybe I'm overlooking some key voices...

Am I?

A video from Greenberg. Reminds me of the "I'm a PC" ads.

Where Have I Been?

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:47:00 +0000

Hello readers, yes, I'm talking to the three of you who have loyally kept checking back despite my glaring lack of updates...

As you can see this is the first time I'm posting in more than two months and my posting was very spotty for a while before that. My absence has been partly the result of a job change and an apartment move. But it's also because I've been thinking a lot about why I'm blogging, what I should be blogging about, the focus of The Schiff Report etc.

After working as an online journalist for just over a year, I made a very deliberate decision to switch to PR and dive into the world of publicity and media relations. With mixed feelings about the future of journalism and specifically my future (which I alluded to here) in journalism, I felt that giving PR a shot at this point in my career would be a worthwhile move. After a relatively short period of networking, I received a good job offer at a small firm (jackpot!) with an interesting niche.

Since starting the job a few months ago, the learning curve has been big. The truth is, it has been bigger than I imagined. Going from being the person who decides what the news is to being the person who tries to sell a journalist on what the news should be is quite a paradigm shift. But I'm learning a lot and getting an intimate understanding of the news business from all sides. It is giving me great strategic tools, which will be useful for my career in the future whether it is in PR, journalism or some other industry. But the learning and adjusting has not left me with a whole lot of energy for hobbies, like blogging and writing. I'm also working more hours and different hours than I did in my previous job, which has left me feeling like I have way less free time.

Also, as I mentioned, I've been preoccupied with thoughts about the what and why of blogging. Back in July, Monica took a lot of the words right out of my mouth. I've oscillated between thinking that this blog's focus is too narrow and thinking I should define it more or alter what I write about. Basically, I was doing a lot of thinking and very little writing.

I haven't come up with many conclusions, but I do have a road map--which includes posting more and becoming an active participant in the blogosphere once again. I was tempted to start over, delete old posts, maybe start a new blog. But right now, it doesn't make sense for me to do any of that. So consider this the first post of the rest of my life. Or something like that.

Research Identifies Gen. Y's Favorite 'Green Brands'

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:52:00 +0000

What do Aveda, Ikea and American Apparel have in common? They are all part of Generation Y's top 15 "green brands," according to recent research from Outlaw Consulting. Full results and analysis are available online.

Here are the brands that made the top 5:

1) Whole Foods
2) Trader Joes
3) Toyota
4) Honda
5) Google

Gen. Y Hungry for Clean Energy, Opinion Piece Says

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:02:00 +0000

Interesting op-ed published in the San Francisco Chronicle about energy policy in the U.S. and how millennials can take charge when it comes to clean energy.

The Generation Y authors write:
Our generation is ready. As two members of the millennial generation and leaders in the youth energy and climate movement, we have seen a hunger for an inspirational vision and purpose for our nation. We simply need our government to embrace this moment and provide the leadership and resources necessary to confront the American energy challenge.

The writers are affiliated with the Breakthrough Generation, a project that aims to encourage government leaders to invest in a clean energy future.

Luke Russert To Cover Youth Issues For NBC

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:02:00 +0000

Tim Russert's son has a new job. According to TV Decoder:

Before his father’s unexpected death in June, Mr. Russert already had extensive media experience. For two years he has co-hosted an XM radio show with the political pundit James Carville. Two weeks after his father died, he appeared on “Larry King Live” and discussed the dramatic rise in the number of young people who are showing interest in this year’s election.

“The availability of the Internet has allowed kids to be very engaged in the political process and also be very educated,” he said on CNN. “I myself am a religious reader of political Web sites, as are a lot of my friends.”

Russert's first assignment will be at the Democratic National Convention.

Many Twentysomethings Not Focused on Financial Independence

noreply@blogger.com (Jaclyn) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:59:00 +0000

A thoughtful piece from 25-year-old Melody Serafino, recently published in Newsweek. Serafino writes that she is surrounded by few peers who work towards financial independence. Here's an excerpt:

The stakes are higher in a city, which is why many young people feel the need to compete with each other. But when parental handouts are not only offered but expected, what is Generation Y learning about living on its own?

It is disturbing when "adults" don't have their own credit cards linked to their own accounts for fear of overspending. A friend confessed to me that she didn't need to build credit. If the need for a loan ever arises, she told me, she can go to her parents or—as she secretly hopes—a husband who will take care of it.