Giving Thanks wwwwY Style

It’s that time of year.
“Black Friday” ads are being “leaked” left and right, and every time I turn on the Food Network I see another new recipe for stuffing.  Boy do I love Thanksgiving.

I love everything about the holiday; I love the football, the food, the family, the trip home and the sales.  It’s my favorite holiday.

This year at wwwwY we’re going to do our own take on a Thanksgiving tradition.  The act of “giving thanks” is common, and Devin and I have decided to give thanks to that which we are thankful for this year.

Yes, I am thankful for my friends, thankful for my health and thankful for my wonderful family; but this isn’t that kind of “thanks”.  I want to give thanks wwwwY style.  Give thanks to those things that I as a member of Gen Y use and appreciate every day, that we may now take for granted.

So here it goes: I am thankful for…

Apple – When I custom ordered my Mac Book Pro two years ago it would be an understatement to say I was excited.  I couldn’t wait to ditch windows, its freezing, crashing and slowness.  I felt like my personal efficiency would be increased ten-fold.  I had no idea how right I would be.  My Mac is by far the best computer I have ever used.  To be able to have four programs open and not have to worry about the computer crashing, is nice piece of mind to have.  It’s sleek, it’s sexy, it’s productivity in a nutshell, it’s a Mac.  No wonder why half of all computer owning college students own Macs.

Mashable – I want to dub them the king of social media; the king of the internet; the king of technology… I’ll just call them the king of everything Gen Y.  Mashable is one of the most informative, entertaining, cutting edge sites out there.  Chances are, if you have any sort of interest in social media, you know and visit Mashable regularly.  If you don’t, you should probably crawl out from under your rock and go there now and catch up on what you have been missing.  Hats off to the staff at Mashable.  Way to be the best source of internet information on the internet.

Tivo/Netflix – I am thankful for my two main forms of consumption of media.  I have been a devoted Tivo’er for years.  I constantly see others with cable companys’ DVRs and it frankly they just don’t cut it.  Tivo is a far simpler and easier product.  It makes it so I can watch TV on my own time; and when you’re busy, it’s a great freedom to have.  Netflix is another great entertainment service which has become a major player in the entertainment game.  In the past couple of years they have really stepped up their service and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves TV and movies. 

No longer is Netflix just about the well run home delivery.  They have evolved into an instant form of entertainment.  With their highly reliable online streaming option you always have the opportunity to watch something good, and they’re always adding new content.  Within the last month Netflix has taken their “instant” capabilities to the next level by adding their service to the PS3 and making their other streaming compatible devices much more available.  Netflix has done a lot to not only improve their service, but their branding as well.  They have done a great job advertising over all sorts of different mediums and been entertaining while doing it. 

Commercials that Think Outside the Box – I’m so tired of the same old product based commercial formula: introduce the product, show the product, talk about it’s advantages, and sign off the product.  This formula, although effective at times, can be so boring.  We’ve seen it a hundred times.  I want commercials to SHOW ME SOMETHING.  I appreciate when commercials take a risk.  Call someone out like Carl’s Junior is calling out McDonalds or Droid called out the iPhone.  Make a bold claim like the new salad mix commercials with no dressing necessary, or push the envelope like Reebok.  Clutter and overstimulation are something that Gen Y has learned to overcome.  Push the envelope and pull us in, you’ll be rewarded.

GPS – I thought Mapquest was an amazing invention, but thats so 2004.  Since GPS is easily available and affordable (like on my cell phone), there is no excuse to be lost ever again.  With turn-by-turn live directions, I always know where I’m going.  This has saved me from more potential headaches than any other product.  I would recommend everyone, young and old, get a GPS system – you’ll never get lost and never need a map again.  This I am very thankful for

Texting (SMS) – The tried and true method of communication for Gen Y. Texting is the form of communication which became popular because of Gen Y and will stay popular because of Gen Y.  It’s our medium.  Sometimes I don’t need to have a full phone conversation.  Sometimes I need a quick question answered.  Sometimes I need to talk to someone when a phone call isn’t appropriate.  Text messaging solves all these problems.  Gotta love it.

I am a very thankful person, I am very grateful for all I have.  To my friends and family I love you all and you are the reason I am who I am today.  Thank you for being the most important part of my life.  To all the things I mentioned above, thank you for being innovative and making my life a little better and easier.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

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