May 10, 2007

YouTube, Now Including Senior Citizens Imparting Wisdom/Expertise

Link: Using YouTube for Posterity - WSJ.com.

When Paul Gordon wanted to show off the piano he built, he turned to one of the Web's hottest performance venues: YouTube. But at 92 years old, Mr. Gordon was housebound and didn't own a video camera. So he asked for help from an acquaintance who brought meals to his house.

Now an eight-minute clip of Mr. Gordon playing jazz on the piano has been viewed on the video site more than a thousand times. "I figured I would like to leave something around after I am gone," says Mr. Gordon, who now resides in a nursing home in Purdys, N.Y.

Online video-sharing sites are a magnet for technology-crazed teens, aspiring actors and people who like to show off their pets. Now they are starting to attract another demographic: those people's grandparents.

As making home-grown online videos becomes ever easier, senior citizens -- some of whom don't even own computers -- are seeking to preserve their legacy through videos showcasing the famous family chicken-soup recipe or stories detailing the provenance of cherished family heirlooms. The clips take on special meaning for relatives who are finding new meaning in old stories brought to life and the assurance they will stay in the family.

... Some older Internet users are finding posting a digital memoir far less technologically imposing than they expected. Bev Sykes, 64, of Davis, Calif., recently started a video blog, which she films with a digital camera or videocamera and a tripod. Her topics follow what's on her mind -- from her husband's retirement party to her shots of her new puppy exploring her house. Recently she's featured her 87-year-old mother reminiscing about when movie tickets were a dime. "It's no longer a special thing for people with special equipment," Ms. Sykes says.

Posted by Anupam Chander on May 10, 2007 at 11:08 AM in Digitization | Permalink