Fuse Blog

Share the Joy!

Recently I introduced a coworker to Facebook.  I had read that the fast growing demographic on Facebook is Baby Boomers.  Now I know why.  My Baby Boomer coworker was a little nervous about the amount of work that would go into maintaining a profile, but  excited about the opportunities.

Immediately after creating a page the "friend requests" came pouring in.  People from her childhood past, high school, family members from around the country.  "Unbelievable!" she exclaimed as she went through the names.  Some of the relationships of years past will now be rekindled.  Conversations will begin and her network is refreshed.

What an amazing gift to give her.  I encourage you to get a Baby Boomer connected today.  Share the joy and help grow someone else's network.  Remember, givers gain. 

Fusers Check Out Social Networking Conference

 Last week, the Chamber hosted a first ever conference on the topic of social networking.  The conference was geared towards the baby boomer generation that wants to get connected to this new technology.  To the surprise of most there were several young adults who attended.  

The reality is there are no experts on social media.  As soon as something new comes out or a trend appears the experts become the novice.  I did ask one participant (a young professional), "What have you learned so far."  His response, "I am surprised at how much I already know."  The conference was a great way to refresh what you already knew and to learn new tips and tricks.

Check out the news coverage of the event from our sponsor Northland's NewsCenter.  Click here.

Housing in the Duluth Area - 5 Takeaways

This week, Fuse Duluth hosted the third Lunch Panel event of the year.  The topic was housing. The conversation was all over the place.  Out of my two pages of scribbled notes, I want to share my top 5 takeaways. 

5 Takeaways From the Panel:

• The population in Duluth is 85,000.  The number of students in our community is 19,000.  That means that 1 out of every 4.5 people in our city is a student. -Wow!
• Curious about our local real estate industry?  Check out the 2008 Housing Indicator to learn how long houses stay on the market and other unique items about our community.  click here and go to page 25.
• When buying a house do your research on value of the house and property.  It may seem like a good deal, but it could be over priced.  Don't get caught paying too much especially if you are planning to sell in a few years.
• Last year we had 500 foreclosures in our community.
• Gone are the days of 0% down and 100% financing.  If you are looking to buy a home, plan to have anywhere from 10-20% of the purchase price saved up.  For help with financing you can turn to organizations like NHS, Norhtern Communities Land Trust and HRA.

5 Myths About Millenials/Gen Y

A couple weeks ago I had the opportuntity hear Buddy Hobart speak. Buddy is the co-author of "Gen Y Now -How Generation Y Changes Your Workplace and Why It Requires a New Leadership Style."  He shared with us 5 Gen Y Myths.  Here they are:

1. "Gen Y are slackers and lazy"; Truth = Gen Y wants to know the "Why" of their work.  Tell them what the purpose is of each project and task that they are assigned to do.

2. "Gen Y wants instant gratification"; Truth = Gen Y wants real time feedback. Gone are the days of an annual performance review.  How about an hourly performance review?

3. "Gen Y are disloyal and job jumpers"; Truth = Gen Y will work harder and longer if they believe and understand the mission of the company.

4. "Gen Y is self centered"; Truth = Gen Y is the most caring and socially conscious generation out of the current 4 in the workplace. They may ask about vacation time during a job interview but they are asking because they want to take a week off to help victims of a hurricane.

5. "Gen Y is pampered and spoiled"; Truth = Gen Y is open to having parents help them financially and to help them make big decisions.  Also, their parents are "helicopter" parents.  They hover over their children!

For more information on Buddy's book and to learn about Gen Y go to www.genynow.com. 

New Fuse Duluth Desktop Design

Just in time for the summer season!  A fresh new Fuse Duluth desktop for you to download and enjoy.  See attached below for the new design.  This is the third in a 4 part series of desktops designed by Martin Sawinski of 3FIVE Designs, Inc.  Martin also designed fuseduluth.com.

Read the full blog to download files