Young Uns

[lzver]

Okay, I resent all of these "old people can't use the internet" comments. I'll have you all know that I am 36 (37 on Thursday) and I have a firm grasp on all this new fangled technology. In fact, my generation started the internet so there!

I'm with you pchela I'm 34 and have been working in the IT field for over 12 years now and been using a computer for a lot longer than that.

I think a lot of people 40 and above are definitely starting to come around and use the Internet a lot more. My mom is almost 60 and it may have taken a while, but even she uses a computer and the Internet now.

I can't speak for those under 30, but what keeps me coming back are the regular members that are knowledgeable and mature - even if they are younger.

[MandyG]

I'm in my early 20's and got my first parrot when I was 22.

When it comes to younger vs. older individuals owning parrots I'm really curious as to how old their parrots are moreso then is it older people that usually own parrots. Is there more older people that are buying new parrots? Or are there more older people that have had the same bird for 20+ years?

I think forums in general draw a younger crowd because we are newer to parrots (this also applies to new birds owners that are under 50 or 60yrs). Where do the younger generations look for information? The internet. The older individuals who have owned parrots for years would have gotten their information from breeders or books. Now that they've been keeping parrots for many years they have a lot of personal experience as well so they might not feel the need to use the internet to find additional information on how to keep their birds.

The age of other forum members doesn't really matter to me. I do appreciate the knowledge that comes from some of the older members that have been keeping parrots for years, but there are younger members that also have a lot of information to share. So for me I appreciate the amount of information available on this forum more than the fact that there are many people here that are around my age.

[rebeccaturpeinen]

im 29, i havent posted a picture cos i feel it should be one together with my little Joe but he has to be tame first..... anyway, age is absolutly not important to be. it is interesting to hear from more experienced people and from people that are new to the bird world, they might have different views and that makes me think differently on some subjects.

[Michael]

So what it sounds like is that the younger demographic of the forum is coincidental and is mainly in proportion to the amount of young people using the internet for information rather than anything specific to this forum?

[rebeccaturpeinen]

So what it sounds like is that the younger demographic of the forum is coincidental and is mainly in proportion to the amount of young people using the internet for information rather than anything specific to this forum?

yepp i would agree on that. as soon as i got my Joey i started googling rosella parakeet instead of going to the library. for me its a big plus that you can ask questions when you look for info online.

[Titanius]

I'm 15 , 16 in Nov. To me, seeing a larger crowd of younger people does make me feel somewhat like I belong since lots of the joking/banter between the older people usually goes over my head . I read through other forums but they all just seemed too big for me and I never really felt any sense of community in them. The age demographic doesn't matter to me to be honest since I do come here for parrot advice and information and I value the input of people who have owned birds for a longer period of time. I actually had been thinking about getting a parrot a couple weeks before I discovered Michael on Youtube with Kili and it just really brought back memories of owning budgies when I was even younger. So that's partially what brought me here and the kind intelligent members of the forum have been a factor in making me continually return.

[Kim S]

I'm 15 , 16 in Nov. To me, seeing a larger crowd of younger people does make me feel somewhat like I belong since lots of the joking/banter between the older people usually goes over my head .

I would like to comment that I feel the same way. Not because of my age, but the language. Since english is a second (actually third) language for me, I sometimes find it difficult to follow conversations. I miss a lot of the finer subtleties.
But thats another reason I enjoy this forum. Everyone here is prepared to go the extra mile to explain things.

[issy]

I'm turning 19 in July and got Sheldon mid last year =D

[Brittanyv326]

I think maybe younger people are more prone to being excited to talk about their birds and share opinions about parrots. I do think younger people are also more accustomed to using computers, but it seems to me that most people from 30-50 years old know computers pretty well too. In my opinion, the older parrot owners have older parrots and talking about them becomes less interesting after having lived with them for 10+ years. You don't see many people on this forum who have had a bird for over 10 years. I think the only one I recall is Mona and she shares information rather than just talking out of plain adoration of a particular bird.

[pchela]

I'm 15 , 16 in Nov. To me, seeing a larger crowd of younger people does make me feel somewhat like I belong since lots of the joking/banter between the older people usually goes over my head .

I would like to comment that I feel the same way. Not because of my age, but the language. Since english is a second (actually third) language for me, I sometimes find it difficult to follow conversations. I miss a lot of the finer subtleties.
But thats another reason I enjoy this forum. Everyone here is prepared to go the extra mile to explain things.

I have to say that your English is excellent Kim.