In thinking of what is insanely popular by the next gen* crowd, IM (instant messaging) popped into my head (just like an IM itself.)  Here’s a service that truly caters to the next gen market, and notice how applicable it is to CoolTowns:

Next gen-ers are infinitely comfortable using the internet.  Why?  They’ve had a lot of practice using it all through their high school and college life.  Period.  There’s really not much more to it than that.

Next gen-ers are very used to a bottom-up structure, that is, structure created through the collective result of a large number of individual people with little individual power, as opposed to a few with significant power.  This translates into the ease of talking to anyone, anytime, without fear of crossing power lines.

Next gen-ers have a tremendous diversity of friends and associates, and more of them, so they have frequent spontaneous conversations with different people.  IM-ing allows this with any number of people.

Next gen-ers hate routines.  Spontaneity is where it’s at, and you never know when an IM is going to pop up from who.

*next gen-er - anyone who wants to live in a next gen town.

Next blog I’ll relate these principles to living/working in a CoolTown.