Blogging not just for the young

Blogging may have started off as the niche hobby of savvy young technology enthusiasts, but it has certainly grown immensely over the years and now entices people in all age ranges. Nothing proves this more than the fact that the world’s oldest blogger, Florida resident Randall Butisingh, recently turned 96 years old. Butisingh has been blogging for the past ten years, but he recently came to the attention of the blogosphere when the web-based organization Life Begins at 80 gave the veteran blogger the “Greypow Award.” Butisingh, in fact, played an important role in spreading awareness of computers and the internet among the world’s senior citizens and his own blog continues to encourage these generations to embrace online opportunities.

Butisingh is hardly the only blogger who has passed 80 years of age but still enjoys publishing written content on the internet. Until recently, Butisingh was only the world’s second oldest blogger, since 97 year old Maria Amelia Lopez Solino of Spain held this title until her death in May 2009. Maria Amelia’s blog was read by a staggering 150 million visitors and it focused on Spanish politics, as well as more personal recollections of growing up in Spain.

Butisingh plans to carry on the blogging mantle and says that he is in great health. Without a need to take any medications, no outstanding illnesses and the ability to perform all daily tasks without assistance, Butisingh will likely have many more blog entries to come. What all of this shows, however, is that blogging is now embraced by a wide cross section of society, both in Europe as well as in North America. If Butisingh’s generation is blogging, they are clearly also reading other blogs, and this opens up a world of possibilities for companies around the world.