Words, in illegible type, arranged rather than poured, suffered rather than celebrated, were simply the stuff clients supplied, written most often by the nearest intern or mid level manager.

These sites were short lived, as has been the reign of the designer as god.  Because just as advertising developed and deepened, so has the consumer hunger and corporate awakening about the value of smart language, effective writing and multi dimensional communications that connect the vocabulary and brand presence with the consumer expectation and product and service attributes.  Websites are finally being truly understood for what they are, a grand, flexible cousin of the direct response so ghetto-ized in the late ’80′s.  Websites are at their best when they are built, designed, written and implemented by a team who understands that with each page of a site, each word, each especially chosen element, a smarter consumer is persuaded, engaged and excited by the conversation and the experience.

This is the new site world.  Words.  Design.  And outstanding products and services.  All served up to a loyal audience, discerning yet gracious; impatient yet absolutely on board when you bring your best to the table.

You see us 40+s at various events that border the peripheries of this – networking socials, conferences and the like.  One such conference was fairly eye opening for me recently.

The Massachusetts Conference for Women has a particular place in my heart.  I happened on the annual event one December in which a new baby and a new business intersected and I discovered an ad for it with Maya Angelo as hero.  I signed up, jumped in a cab and attended for just two hours and listened as Maya lingered through a speech that was more like a vocal pudding river than the typical podium driven spectacle.

So when invited to this year’s event, I hesitated but gave it a try.  I ended up there for just 3 hours, plugged into some early morning uber-pep talks and took notes.  The notes, as I read them through now, all relate to breaking free of the 40+place and finding that new dynamic.  Just three speakers seen and I was charged, as they volunteered thoughts like: “Women work together to rise above!” and “what do you love to do?  here’s how you do it!” and “Here is how you generate the courage to make a change!” better still “Here’s how you do it!”.  Inspired and tight with deadlines I left.

Then came the aftermath.  I checked out each speaker’s site.  Nothing but marketing for their books or their theories.  I checked out their materials.  All branded with their personal logos and ‘taglines’ (really?  it’s come to this?).  Finally, I emailed some thoughts on how the conference could build it’s ideas and the database they created to manifest a more satisfying experience and create a real place for itself for the professional women of our area.  The response?  Of course.

‘Thank you for your email’, it read.

Yes.  Believe it.  Decide it.  But in the end it’s all smoke and mirrors marketing.  And I think, frankly, that’s what makes this 40+ place tough.  Sorting through the smoke to reality.