Web 2.0 Summit: Baby-Boomer Civilians Are Coo-Coo For CraigslistWeb 2.0 Summit: Baby-Boomer Civilians Are Coo-Coo For Craigslist

The Web 2.0 Summit got a delightful dose of reality from a panel of a half-dozen baby boomers, giving the point of view from a group usually unrepresented at industry conferences: The ordinary Joes and Janes who have to use the technology the industry builds.

These boomers are way outside the industry. One panelist, 55-year-old Ev, is a spinning instructor who didn't even use a computer until last year. But her year online has been long enough for her to fall in love with Craigslist.

"I buy everything on Craigslist. I find jobs on Craigslist. It's my life. My life is Craig," said Ev (most of the panelists did not give their last names). Ev said Craigslist was the first Web site she visited when she started using the Internet, and computers, last year. "You can find everything on Craigslist. Even a wife for my son. I love it," she said.

Conference organizer John Battelle billed the panel as a way for the Web 2.0 industry to get feedback from the regular people who use their technology. Baby boomers make up 25% of the U.S. population, 38% to 40% of the online population, and they spend money online out of proportion to their presence.

Safa Rashtchy, until recently managing director and search analyst for Piper Jaffray, moderated the panel, which was called "The Forgotten Generation."

Ev and Les, her 59-year-old husband, were the panel's Ralph and Alice Kramden (to use a boomer reference). Les made jokes about his wife and looked pleased with himself, and Ev gave him dirty looks in response. Les is going to be sleeping on the couch for the next month.

Ev and Les are spinning instructors, and Les said he's been on the Internet and using computers 7-1/2 years.

Rashtchy asked if the panelists use YouTube.

"YouTube is fun. We love YouTube. You see people doing the stupidest things on YouTube," Les said. Ev added, "Like us."

Sure enough, Les and Ev have a video on YouTube promoting spinning, "Spinning Keeps You Young." The conference organizers showed excerpts on the giant presentation screen. Here it is:

The panelists all love to shop online. In addition to Craigslist, Ev loves eBay. She likes to put in a winning bid at the last second. "It's so exciting!" she said.

She said she plans to do most of her Christmas shopping on the Internet, even though she's only been online a year. The malls, she said, have been taken over by merchandise for teen-agers. On the Internet, she said, you can find merchandise for adults.

A panelist named Alma said she got ripped off on eBay buying handbags once, but loves PayPal because they gave her her money back. Another panelist, Dee, said she also was ripped off -- but only once, out of a hundred purchases, and PayPal made good. "PayPal is like an insurance policy," she said.

Dee said she works nights at a hospital, where (she said) she does most of her surfing when she should be working. At home, she has a dial-up connection.