There's a strongly held belief that older people struggle with technology. There is certainly some truth to this stereotype. It's just a fact of life that as you advance in age it becomes harder to cope with change.

Without a doubt the pace of change has been dizzyingly fast in the last decade or so -- particularly when it comes to technology. I think this is one of the main reasons many seniors are reticent about getting into social media. They think it's only something geeks -- and young ones at that -- can master and enjoy.

There's also the pace of the medium. You do slow down the older you get. Being almost fifty years old myself I know this from personal experience.

But these are minor disadvantages. I think that mature folk should just ignore them. There are so many reasons to get involved in social networking. You can expand your social circle, learn heaps, have a lot of fun -- even make some money.

Older and wiser

And being older puts you in a really good position. That's because when you've been around a while, you have wisdom and maturity. You've learned what people are like. And you've accumulated this knowledge through years of observing your own behavior as well as that of others.

If you're older you're going to think before posting things that are defamatory, or embarrassing to yourself. And as we know from the numerous tales of epic social media fails that crowd the media, young people make these kinds of errors all the time.

A gentler pace

And being older, you're usually happy to take things slowly. You're not likely to jeopardize the relationships you are building (be they social or otherwise) by asking too much, too soon.

I find that this is one of the big pitfalls in connecting with others online. So often, people alienate others by moving too fast. On Twitter, for example, time and again I've followed people and had a bit of interaction. Almost immediately this has occurred they start offering services I didn't ask for. This annoys me because I'm not on the site primarily to buy stuff. I, like many others, want to connect with like-minded people, socialize and learn. 

Of course not all these eager beavers are whippersnappers, but a lot of them are. Older people tend not to be so full on. If you're mellow like that and just keep chipping away in a friendly and helpful manner, you'll keep those relationships going. So, if you do have something to sell, odds are you'll make more sales in the long run because people will end up trusting and respecting you.

Calmer in the storm

Another way that maturity is beneficial: You tend to know when to turn the other cheek. This is useful on all social networking platforms, but is particularly valuable during political discussions on Twitter.

Needless to say, this particular realm of the site can be an absolute bloodbath! People are not only fired up emotionally about various issues; they are emboldened by the anonymity the medium affords. They can become extremely nasty very quickly. And if you're not careful you can easily end up in vicious and ongoing flame wars that can become very ugly -- sometimes spilling out into the offline world, and even resulting in legal stoushes.

Again, such conflicts are not the sole preserve of the young and impetuous. But members of this demographic do seem to dominate in this regard. That's simply because mature aged people tend to have greater command of their emotions. They can keep calm in a storm of derision and either ignore those provoking them, or manage to respond calmly, thereby disarming their online adversaries. 

There are countless blog posts about the advantages of blogging. But there are negative aspects too. Ironically, a big downside stems from one of the best things about it, namely the freedom it affords. This is because too much freedom can actually spoil you. 

The immediacy of blogging means you can satisfy your desire for self expression very easily. If you're passionate and creative this is reason enough to throw yourself into it.

Liberating and exciting

You don't have to be making any money from it. You don't even have to have many readers. Just getting your thoughts out onto the web for others to read is immensely liberating and exciting. Best of all, you can do it in your own way without having anyone demand any changes.

But the obvious freedom this medium affords contains within it a kind of trap: The longer you write whatever you want, whenever you want, the less able you are to take criticism. You can even become inflexible when it comes to writing style.

Becoming selfish is a risk

This can have an effect on your earning potential if you do make money from freelance writing. Being so used to doing things entirely on your own terms, you can become not only less adept, but also less motivated to write in the way that your prospective clients require.

Even if you don't write for money, it can be deleterious to the blog itself. This is because you can end up blogging for yourself entirely, and eventually end up figuratively disappearing into your own mind! You can alienate many readers this way and ultimately lose them.

Your readers should come first

The way to counter this tendency is to constantly remind yourself to keep your readers in mind. Before posting, ask yourself: Am I only doing this for myself, or is there value for readers? Would they enjoy this content and want to share it?

Do this and you'll retain the buzz of writing on your own terms, while still offering value to readers and thereby growing your audience. And if you write for money you'll remain open to outside opportunities and flexible enough to complete them in an accomplished manner.