Maybe a rude question! How old are you?

[C clearly]

Just out of curiosity about forum members, and since this is anonymous, how old are you?

 

[David]

Have cast but do wonder if the results will show our age variations or the most common age groups that respond to questionnaires.

 

[OzAnnie]

Have cast but do wonder if the results will show our age variations or the most common age groups that respond to questionnaires.

Similar thought about responders.
I rarely respond to polls but this one is pretty harmless.

 

[David with new Kit!]

It seems that we attract few "spring chickens"

 

[David]

It seems that we attract few "spring chickens"

Still sleeping?

 

[woody66]

I imagine that for your run of the mill survey ie How was your experience today, rate you delivery driver in no more than a thousand words will get short shrift!
This is a tick in a box nano second response !
I am going to look daft if i am wrong

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Still sleeping?

Some of them might be at work!

 

[Robo]

Some good marketing insights for you here @ivar

 

[David]

Some good marketing insights for you here @ivar

Zimmer frames with scallop shell motif? Scallop shell shaped wigs? Shell stamped incontinence pads?
Large print guides? Shell shaped name label to pin on coat? Slippers, blue and yellow dressing gowns?

 

[Robo]

Zimmer frames with scallop shell motif? Scallop shell shaped wigs? Shell stamped incontinence pads?
Large print guides? Shell shaped name label to pin on coat? Slippers, blue and yellow dressing gowns?

Hmm. I was thinking more along the lines of........
How to tap into the younger market

 

[EricJR]

Zimmer frames with scallop shell motif? Scallop shell shaped wigs? Shell stamped incontinence pads?
Large print guides? Shell shaped name label to pin on coat? Slippers, blue and yellow dressing gowns?

Camino-themed retirement homes...

 

[Robo]

Camino-themed retirement homes...

Oh, let's not go down that rabbit hole again.
I recall a long thread about us buying a Spanish village somewhere in the mountains on the Camino!

 

[Paul Wilson]

Funny story about age…I walked my first camino with my father in law and when we went to receive our compostelas he thought he would probably be the oldest that day at 75…well as fate would have it the name above his in the registrar that day was 76 year old gentleman he had a good chuckle to himself and said he would just have to come back again…he’s 80 now and we are planning again

 

[Camino Chrissy]

...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I walked in a younger age group than the one I answered with but I figured that was okay since I expect to walk at least once more.

 

[C clearly]

I walked in a younger age group than the one I answered with but I figured that was okay since I expect to walk at least once more.

If this poll stays open, you can come back next year and change your vote, if you hit a new decade!

 

[SabsP]

Lots of younger people on the Camino but they find a forum ancient, just like they do not use FB anymore.
Younger generation are on Instagram.
The real young ones TikTok etc.

 

[Bradypus]

Lots of younger people on the Camino but they find a forum ancient,

Last year's Compostela figures by age. In the overall scheme of things the under-18s and the over-65s are a fairly small part of the total. From the poll results so far we seem to be a disproportionately aged bunch on here!

 

[trecile]

Lots of younger people on the Camino but they find a forum ancient, just like they do not use FB anymore.
Younger generation are on Instagram.
The real young ones TikTok etc.

Which is too bad, because I find the Camino information on those types of platforms to be disjointed. IMHO this forum is the best source of Camino information, but I might be biased.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Which is too bad, because I find the Camino information on those types of platforms to be disjointed. IMHO this forum is the best source of Camino information, but I might be biased.

This is the only "platform" I am on, so I am extremely biased and I'm not even a moderator.

 

[SabsP]

Which is too bad, because I find the Camino information on those types of platforms to be disjointed. IMHO this forum is the best source of Camino information, but I might be biased.

Just my very subjective observations when talking to younger workmates and apprentices .

 

[TravellingMan22]

Which is too bad, because I find the Camino information on those types of platforms to be disjointed. IMHO this forum is the best source of Camino information, but I might be biased.

Yes I am not on any other platforms! I guess perfect world would have a broader membership age and nationality wise, but there are certainly a good number of experts that are able to answer any questions which is the main thing and we are spared the kind of hyberbole the FB groups seem to engender!

 

[TravellingMan22]

U

Just my very subjective observations when talking to younger workmates and apprentices .

Yes young folks don’t do forums where I’m from in the same way as they don’t do cash, phone calls, or regular TV!

 

[SabsP]

U

Yes young folks don’t do forums where I’m from in the same way as they don’t do cash, phone calls, or regular TV!

Exactly! I actually had to explain our young apprentices that in our line of work you still use landlines to call other social services .
Though I too, at 54 , gave up on regular tv. My mum finds it " peculiar " that I now watch tv via my laptop and a chromecast...

 

[Former member 104756]

Exactly! I actually had to explain our young apprentices that in our line of work you still use landlines to call other social services .
Though I too, at 54 , gave up on regular tv. My mum finds it " peculiar " that I now watch tv via my laptop and a chromecast...

The changes that our parents and grandparents have lived through would challenge the best of us. I am in awe of their ability to adapt.

My mum is almost 95 and lives in a retirement village. A few years ago she had to 'let go' of her landline because the village no longer provided the landline service. She is now pretty good on her iPhone. She is extremely intelligent and still with 'all her marbles'. But she says some funny things, e.g. when the battery on her phone looks low she says 'I think my phone is out of money'. She doesn't necessarily know how all the devices work or interact - but that's ok, she doesn't have to.

For some years, she has had an iPad instead of a computer. I don't use FB - but she does - to keep track of her many children, grandchildren and great grand children. She also uses Messenger which makes for some alarming (and accidental) video calls during the night - often on a group family chat that involves many time zones. We used to Facetime, but it was disconcerting to be looking at her chin or the floor the whole time. All that aside, I am constantly amazed at her ability and willingness to adapt to new technologies. And just last week - when we were travelling in the Maltese Islands, she posted a comment on my Find Penguins blog! She's amazing.

A diversion - but as @Robo touched on, perhaps there are some interesting marketing challenges ahead for Ivar to 'future proof' this forum.

 

[trecile]

@Pelerina - your mother sounds a lot like mine, who is 93 and still lives in her own home with her boyfriend of the same age and drives on road trips (the road trip part makes me nervous though!). She and her boyfriend go to the gym at least twice a week, play bridge regularly, and have a more active social life than I do! She has all the gadgets - iPhone, iPad, Apple watch, etc. She's great at finding travel deals online, and was the first person that I knew to use Airbnb back in 2012 when she visited London. She's an inspiration to me on how to age with gusto.

 

[trecile]

She doesn't necessarily know how all the devices work or interact

How many of us do?!

 

[Former member 104756]

How many of us do?!

Ain't that the truth! PS Your mum sounds awesome. My mum doesn't have a boyfriend or an Apple watch but otherwise ... kindred spirits. Travelling in Malta these past few weeks, I thought of my Mum often - she is the first person I ever knew who had been to Malta - her first visit was 30 or 40 years ago!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@nycwalking's dad is in his 90's and has had a girlfriend for many years. She has "chaperoned" and driven them on vacation in northern California a few years ago.
I haven't been so fortunate. I lost both my parents and older sister a tad before their 70th birthdays.

 

[dbier]

Hem. Y'all didn't ask, but given how much time I've been spending with doctors lately, you're stuck.

Alzheimer’s took my adoptive mother in her 90s, long before her body gave up. Cancer from smoking took my bio mom right before 78. Adoptive father was the longest lived in his family when a cardiac arrest got him at 77. And I have no idea who my bio dad is, so there's a mystery.

Thus, as often as my work and our lives permit (maybe every 2-3 years), my directionally challenged, limping, back hurting self will go. Before my mind does.

 

[lalaone]

When 40s places you among the youngest 16%, what a rare gift! When 50s are still among the youngest third, who can’t love that too? It’s like the Fountain of Youth. Times and technology change, that never goes out of fashion.

In all seriousness, I think there are bright prospects for the forum. As many have observed, it might be the kindest and most civilized corner of the internet. In addition, as we age it's natural to want to reflect more on experiences like this, and in different fashions. There might always be a curve in ages, but todays 30s and under-30s may be here in larger numbers given another decade? Hope so and hope to be here to see it, along with all the pilgrims in older age groups. There is so much wisdom here and theirs is surely the backbone.

 

[natefaith]

I'm one of the younger folks on the Forum, and I have so enjoyed being here over the last 13(!) years. I think the older you get, the more you learn what to take dead seriously and what to have a little fun with. You all teach me many things about handling things on the Camino and in life, and you all also crack me up, regularly.

 

[Robo]

U

Yes young folks don’t do forums where I’m from in the same way as they don’t do cash, phone calls, or regular TV!

Nor do I. It's not just young folks

 

[C clearly]

Speaking for myself, I am here on a forum, not because I am unable or unwilling to participate on other internet platforms, but because the forum platform IS much better than Facebook or Instagram or Tiktok, for building the type of sharing community that we enjoy so much.

I suspect that a lot of younger people come to the forum to get information but don't use the forum as a social community centre, like many of us older habitual pilgrims do. They have other priorities and demands on their time, and yes they use other platforms for socializing and for doing what they need to do.

I suspect that the average age of foreign English-speaking pilgrims (i.e. most forum members) is significantly higher than the average age of Spanish pilgrims, so the statistics from the Pilgrim Office would not reflect forum membership.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

That's a great reply, @C clearly.

 

[jmaher]

I wonder if it would be useful to rearrange the age brackets in the survey to match those published by the Camino Statistics that @Bradypus posted in the excel sheet earlier.

I have a hunch that the ages of people on the forum would actually closely align with the ages of those who walk the Camino, rather than this forum, being an outlet only for older pilgrims, versus younger ones hanging out only on social media. As a spritely 35 year old, I've no issue hanging out in this forum!

The statistics from the Camino age survey that @Bradypus posted insinuate that:

Under 18: 36,460 8.4%
18-45: 171,747 39.5%
46-65: 177,531 40.9%
65+: 48,136 11.2%

Be interested to see how the survey results, grouped by these age brackets compare.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

That survey says that 47.9% are under 45. Whereas the forum survey says that 83.9% of forum members are over 50.

 

[Former member 104756]

That survey says that 47.9% are under 45. Whereas the forum survey says that 83.9% of forum members are over 50.

Good point Molly. And the sample size so far is 182 responses out of a membership of ???. Not sure how much one can draw from the results about the population of the forum. Maybe it's representative or maybe the 'older' cohort are on the forum more frequently, are more likely to respond to the poll etc. Who knows. Polls are tricky.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

I will also say, I am a member of another forum (with a much smaller membership) and I am the youngest active participant at 43.

 

[Robo]

I think Forums and Facebook Groups attract very different people.
I have run both in the past, (business related) and whilst I'm active on this Forum have recently dipped my toe in the water in a couple of Facebook Groups.

To me......

A Forum is like a Library with a Book Club.
It's easy to search topics and answers, that are there to be found for all time.
They are indexed. So finding information is not hard.
They are generally quite well moderated.
I think they attract people with the time to engage and help.

A Facebook Group, is more like a Newspaper.
It's a stream of topics that are forever changing and then repeating.
In one group the same luggage transfer question seems to get asked every day!
Whilst they do have search features, it is like going through the back copies of the Newspaper as the topics and engagement has expired...and the archives are not easy to investigate.

The whole 'feel' is more immediate.
Quick question, quick answer, share lots of opinions and move on..........
Next post.

They tend to attract in my view, a more 'shallow' audience.
I don't mean that in any derogatory sense at all.
It's just the nature of the platform.

This Forum is for me like an old English Pub.
Or at least as I remember them 30 years ago.
We can sit by the fire and have a good yarn.........

A Facebook Group for me is more like a Highway Diner.
A few locals hang out there, but the main clientele is just passing through....
They get their answer (burger), and move on.

Maybe it's just me

 

[SarahTheKiwi]

I will fit into a different age category in six months' time, so I'm taking advantage by voting promptly!

 

[Thornley]

Similar thought about responders.
I rarely respond to polls but this one is pretty harmless.

I hope you don't have a Rioja and ticked the 2nd or third box ......lol

 

[OzAnnie]

Hi @Thornley
This poll is a bit like watching the Melbourne cup . (over a longer duration !) I keep checking to see who is winning.

We were doing well at the beginning , but the 60’s group has pulled ahead strongly now. .

 

[TravellingMan22]

Nor do I. It's not just young folks

Actually corne to think of it neither do I! Haven’t owned a TV for 20 years, never carry cash) unless in a country where cash is needed) and the only person I ever phone is my mum!

 

[TravellingMan22]

I wonder if it would be useful to rearrange the age brackets in the survey to match those published by the Camino Statistics that @Bradypus posted in the excel sheet earlier.

I have a hunch that the ages of people on the forum would actually closely align with the ages of those who walk the Camino, rather than this forum, being an outlet only for older pilgrims, versus younger ones hanging out only on social media. As a spritely 35 year old, I've no issue hanging out in this forum!

The statistics from the Camino age survey that @Bradypus posted insinuate that:

Under 18: 36,460 8.4%
18-45: 171,747 39.5%
46-65: 177,531 40.9%
65+: 48,136 11.2%

Be interested to see how the survey results, grouped by these age brackets compare.

I used to get involved in surveys from a career standpoint and we used 25-34, 35-44, 45-54 and so on, I think ending at 75-84 and then 85+. One of my ‘I am getting old’ moments was always crossing the ‘questionnaire threshold’ and moving into the higher bracket!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Nor do I. It's not just young folks

Nor do I!

Actually corne to think of it neither do I! Haven’t owned a TV for 20 years, never carry cash) unless in a country where cash is needed) and the only person I ever phone is my mum!

I own a tv, but it is only used for streaming Youtube or a movie, but no longer for regular programming. I carry very little cash, and I rarely "talk" on the phone...I must still be young!

 

[natefaith]

Young people tend to catch me off guard these days. First of all, both our 23-year-old teammate and our teenage son laughed hysterically when they saw this video:

(Seriously - what?! And why does this video have 13 million views?)

And about 10 years ago, we hosted a bunch of college students, and I was talking to them about Ethan Hawke. For a while they had no clue who he was. Me: "You know, Uma Thurman's husband?" Blank stares. Me: "He was in Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Boyhood?" Blank stares. We went back and forth like this for a while, and I think I even showed them a few pictures. Then I finally said, "This is way before your time, but he was in Dead Poets Society." At that point they all knew who he was: "Oh! I've seen that and I love that movie! I know him!"

Interacting with people is always entertaining.

 

[David]

I live in this world I think ...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

In job interview classes I've taken they say the answer for the age question is something like "I'm on the better side of 50."

That question is not supposed to be asked and managers should know better but often your possible future coworkers don't know that.

Edit: Later I remembered what a boss told me about what she did interviewing candidates. She would casually mention an old TV western checking to see if the candidate knew of it. However she was looking for older candidates that did. I passed by knowing the lead actor's name.

 

[natefaith]

I live in this world I think ...

Never seen that video. So funny! And clean.