By Stevie Smith Nov 2, 2007, 14:55 GMT
Current social networking trends on the Internet dictate that the likes of MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo are a huge draw for the younger surfing demographic. Yet, the social networking phenomenon isn’t just for the kids following the introduction of Saga Zone, a social networking site developed specifically for those over the age of 50.
Saga Group reveals the Saga Zone, a social networking Web site tailored for the over 50s. Credit: Saga Zone.
The BBC News site reports that Kent-based Saga Group, which actively focuses on developing services for an over-50 audience, has created the Saga Zone and its wealth of specialist forums, personal profiles, online groups, and contact possibilities.
According to Saga Group, the site has thus far amassed some 13,000 registered users during its ongoing four-month trial period, with the oldest member being spring-heeled 87-year-old Thelma Hind of Northern Ireland who thinks Saga Zone is "a real lifeline for older people who can sometimes feel cut off and lonely."
"The Internet is a place where the over-50s are thriving," enthused Saga Group CEO Andrew Goodsell, "Saga Zone is a place where they can mingle and chat about issues important to them, be they amusing or serious."
And that’s a claim echoed by UK communications watchdog Ofcom, which has recently revealed related data that shows the over-50 demographic now accounts for some 30 percent of all time spent online in the United Kingdom.
In terms of bringing older people closer to the communicative power of the online experience, University of Lancaster psychology professor Cary Cooper has commented that Saga Zone will help the over 50s to reach their extended family through another form of technology. However, Cooper also notes that the older generation "will never stop eyeball-to-eyeball contact because that it what they are used to and that’s what they like to do."
Your Talkback on this Story