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Web site we like

By TOM ZUCCO

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 5, 2000

They are a sizable group -- about 76-million people, or 30 percent of the U.S. population. They lived through the riots and the assassinations, the protests and the lunar landings. And they have enormous buying power. They are, of course, the baby boomer generation. It's not an exclusive club; anyone born between 1946 and 1964 qualifies. But it differs from other generations in that so much change occurred during the 1960s and '70s, when boomers were young and impressionable.

That one generation has spawned countless books and articles and miniseries, so it was only natural that several Web sites emerged as the official spokes-site for boomers. Among the best is bbhq.com. Not because it has a complete listing of all the oldies radio stations in America. Or because it's a local company (based in Tampa) and very hippie-like (its small staff is all-volunteer).

It's because it provides boomers with something they've always wanted -- the lyrics to more than 350 songs, including Louie, Louie and Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues. ("Keep a clean nose, watch the plainclothes. You don't need a weatherman, to know which way the wind blows.")

Of course, the site has to pay the bills, so it became associated with Amazon.com to sell books, and Second Spin to sell music. But it's not blatant.

That description better fits the largest boomer site on the Web: thirdage.com. Here, the main topics are serious and more serious -- from financial and health issues to (ugh) Social Security reform. This is thirdage's idea of brevity: why Cokie Roberts and her husband Steve have stayed together so long. Oooo. Can't wait for that answer.

If a Web site could reflect the all that is boomerism, it would be bbhq.com. It feels more like the generation. You won't feel like you're caught in a time warp; you'll just have fun.

Peace, baby.

-- If you'd like to nominate a site, drop me an e-mail at zucco@sptimes.com

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