I am speaking to a Rotary club in Roanoke about differences between generations and the communication barriers multiple media channels are causing.

An example I will be using to illustrate this disconnect can be found at Obie’s My Space page.

Obie sent RoanokeWantsU a friends request recently and I caught his blog post about Happy 125th Birthday Roanoke. Obie went to Virginia Tech, is 28 years old and lives in FREDERICKSBURG, VA.

His blog post about Roanoke turning 125 yielded three responses.

1. Daniel said, "…this blog is the ONLY commemoration of this day I saw – and I was sitting in the very middle of Roanoke all day!!!"

2. Gregory said, "I had no idea especially since my folks live in the city now instead of the county. This is pretty nice."

3. another user said, "Who knew. Good find."

I think it is fascinating that someone from Fredericksburg on a personal social networking blog is telling three Roanokers that their community is turning 125 years old.

The City of Roanoke is planning a series of events celebrating the 125 anniversary in 2007 and have done a wonderful job publicizing this in traditional media. Again, they have done a wonderful job. It is not their fault these three did not know about the 125th. It is a result of the complexity multiple channels are having on communicating with people form different generations.

Here is the dilemma. How can this message of Roanoke turning 125 be sent to the masses? Can a mass message be received? These are challenging questions we must overcome.   

Roanoke native, serial entrepreneur and 22 year old Cameron Johnson will be speaking in Dr. Chris Neck’s Management Theory and Leadership in Practice class on Friday, February 16 from 2:30 pm – 5 pm. in McBryde 100 on the campus of Virginia Tech.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP.

Cameron is the author of You Call the Shots, which is making its way up many bestseller lists. Dr. Neck has authored five books and has been named by the Virginia Tech student body as the best professor on campus SEVEN different times.

This event is a joint effort between Cameron, Dr. Neck, the City of Roanoke, and the Department of Business Assistance to encourage more young people to think about starting their own businesses.

Hope you can make it.

The City of Roanoke introduced MyRetailRoanoke.com today at a press conference at Valley View Mall. The site allows users to voice their opinion on which retailers should come to the region. It is a unique way to provide consumer-generated content to assist with the business recruitment process. This site should spread by viral networks and really present Roanoke in a unique light to these developers and retailers. Complete a profile and voice your opinion.

In Sunday’s Roanoke Times there was a front page article announcing the formation of Valley Forward compiled of high-achieving Generation Xers in the region. Also, NewVa Connects was also mentioned in the article.

The establishment of these two groups along with others such as the Contemporaries, Square Society, Young @ Art, Greek fraternities and sororities (Deltas and Alphas) demonstrates the wide range of young adult organizations in the region.

Additionally the healthy amount of media exposure these groups have received, coupled with the City of Roanoke’s initiatives, are enhancing the awareness of the "brain drain" phenomenon. It is slowly but steadily shifting the paradigm of thinking among young adults about how they view Roanoke – a destination for working, living and playing.

Please click on these organizational links, email them, find out when their next event is, go to the event, and bring another friend along. There are many wonderful opportunities that exist for young adults in the region and these organization provide an outlet to connect. 

Grand Canyon University in Phoenix has created the first college of entrepreneurship. This is an interesting model and one that is needed to encourage this career option for young people. a $4.5 million VC fund is also part of the mix that will better connect the undergraduate studies to making the leap. Read the article on this program at CNN Money.