An Interview with Nathaniel Briggs - CEO/ Founder of SeniorsGrandCentral.com

Social Networking? Baby boomers hear this term and often are not yet sure what it means. Ask most people between 18 and 25 and discussion is done. It is a part of the current culture for them. Never fear, though, like all good things, social networking is becoming a part of life for baby boomers too.

Nathaniel Briggs, a southwest American native, decided to open a new arena for the over 50 set. His answer to this growing demand is a social network site named Senior Grand Central. As a David meeting Goliath, Briggs developed his site for $ 300.00- a lot less than sites like Eons.com. But, SGC has assets that are not available on Eons. Primarily, the ability to reach out to all members of the boomer and senior demographic.

Briggs was born in Wyoming and has been writing software since the fourth grade! He has worked with companies like Disney, American Express, Hyatt, AAA, and a long list of others. Briggs has also successfully launched over 100 internet properties as a team member or sole engineer.

Briggs sat down recently and was kind enough to answer some important questions, about Senior Grand Central, his future, and how he sees the world of the Web evolving.

ABS) - What factors played into your development of Senior Grand Central?

NB) - Both the reality of there being an underserved market, and a lack of useful easy-to-use technology for it.

For the Internet user age 50 and up, there hasn't been a web site offering a fun, educational and helpful place that harnesses the power of the web, and presents it in a digestible manner. Instead, they are left to sort through a veritable cornucopia of web sites that are targeted toward ages 15-35, and most often populated by the same.

I wanted to build an internet community that allowed those of age 50 and up to feel comfortable both with the other members and the technology. After all it was with their dollars that the internet was born, so why shouldn't they reap the rewards?

ABS) - When did you begin to develop SGC and who supported the effort?

NB) - The development path of Seniors Grand Central is interesting in that it didn't begin with millions of dollars, dozens of focus groups, or corporate investment- instead it began as the software component of an entirely different technology service that I had developed, and while my rival was founded with 10 million dollars in venture capital funding, SGC was started with just $300.00, intense work, and focus driven by member requests.

ABS) - What do you think of Eons.com?

NB) - It's great to see my rival, Eons, helping blaze the trail by offering an internet destination for those age fifty and up. However, like many corporate sponsored ventures, advertising and product sales are heavily entwined right out of the gate. My philosophy is quite different, however.

I believe it you build it, and they like it, they will come. If people find real value in what I offer them, then in the future I can find ways to monetize, and incorporate it in such a way that again real value is added to the consumer's experience.

In contrast, if you build a service around a revenue engine then your focus isn't on the consumer, and the service is just a revenue engine wearing a guise acceptable to your target market.

The landscape encompassing my competition outside of what I've mentioned embodies a barren landscape of a few attempts to duplicate popular web destinations, and unfortunately no yet seen any innovative ventures propelled toward servicing the 50+ internet surfer.

ABS) - What obstacles were in your way when you began to develop SGC? What obstacles are still present?

NB) - The biggest obstacle has to be the fact that no one knows what the 50+ internet user like with respect to an internet destination. While we've utilized a great deal of user feedback to help shed light on our path, there are many differences that exist between how people age 15-35 communicate , and how those 50+ and up communicate. Sure we all use language, but for example young people feel more comfortable communicating via email, and text message, while from what I've seen people over 50 are more comfortable engaging with others in a physical real world environment.

ABS) - Do you view Boomers and seniors in the same way?

NB) - Boomers and seniors are the same in that they both comprise in total form an underserved market with respect to internet, and technology services. The major differences I see are those that separate all age generations. Each generation has its own set of comfort zones. One of our challenges has been to embrace both age groups, and offer a common ground that all those over 50 enjoy.

ABS) - Finally, what is your vision for Senior Grand Central in the future?

NB) - I want to see Senior Grand Central better people's lives. I'd like to expand the Connect, Learn, and Explore fundamentals into a robust set of tools, and services that are about as easy as using a toaster over. Anyone can make something complicated, but simplicity is genius.

Nathaniel Briggs developed an idea into a reality. Not, by throwing a lot of money at the wall, but by being creative and compelling. We would be naive to think that page views and Google ranking does not propel the commerce of the Web today. However, convincing content and easy-to-understand tools -targeting those demographics that are not yet sure of their place on the Internet is an idea whose time has come. Baby-boomers are coming into their own -they are a generation that is not only Internet savvy but one that has a lot of money to spend. Marketers, business people, and internet entrepreneurs would do well, to follow Nathaniel Briggs intelligent lead.