Bruce Sallan

Preface: Bruce Sallan began his technological journey back in the days of transistor radios and when NBC first introduced the peacock and color TV.  As he grew older,  he adapted to all the “improvements” along the way, until he had kids, hit middle age, and started to resist.  Around that time everyone had discovered Napster and “free music” and he began to use the computer for something other than just e-mail.

First, it was just “stealing” music.  Then, when he got divorced, it was learning and becoming hooked on online dating.  Then he said, “ENOUGH!” and started resisting again.  He had a cell-phone, but he clung to his 35 mm camera for a long time.  When he finally bought a digital camera, he left the unopened box on his desk for literally weeks because he just didn’t want to deal with learning a new device.

He finally opened that box, struggled to learn digital photography, had a friend show him the basics, but pretty much stayed there for the next few years, during which time the Social Media revolution began.  That “Bruce” is the “Bruce” that writes many of BoomeTechTalk’s rants and other lighter pieces in which he remembers the struggles and frustrations he had with new technology.  That “Bruce” is what partly inspired the creation of this site because that “Bruce” had one tech savvy friend, at the time, who was his only resource for help.  But, that friend started walking away every time that “Bruce” approached — enough already he said and thought — learn it yourself!

But, there was no site for that “Bruce,” only very dry websites and magazines that were, for all intents and purposes, written in a foreign language.  Nothing existed for him. Nothing that was easy to understand and wasn’t overwhelming!  BoomerTechTalk now fills that void!

When Bruce began his writing career, he heard about and hired Linda Sherman Gordon to help him “learn the ropes” of Social Media and many other technological innovations.  He was hooked.  She gently took him through the steps of going on Facebook, learning Twitter (which Bruce insisted made no sense because why did he need to know where someone was at any given moment — the common “urban myth” falsehood about Twitter that many people still believe), and much more.

With Linda’s guidance, and Bruce’s own initiative, he became pretty savvy with Facebook, Twitter, Posterous, Google Analytics, more recently HubPages, switching from a PC to Apple, and more.  Bruce’s journey continues, but Bruce will be often writing from the point-of-view of “that Bruce” of a few year’s back.  Following is a more complete bio:

Bruce Sallan grew up in the fifties and sixties.  He actually remembers the day JFK died.  He also saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan on his parent’s Black & White TV, their only one (without a remote).

His passions when he was a kid were riding his Schwinn Continental, reading DC comic books (he didn’t discover Marvel till college – bummer ‘cause he’d have a great collection if he’d bought them when they first came out), and watching his favorite TV shows, “Superman,” “Leave It to Beaver,” “The Rifleman,” and “The Flintstones.”

The movies that influenced him were “The Dirty Dozen, “ “The Great Escape,” and the first “The Parent Trap” which was the first movie he was allowed to see at night (that was a big deal then!).

A film course in college set him on his course in showbiz, though it was his tennis game that got him his first job – in television.  He produced his first TV-movie at 24, was a VP at ABC-TV at 29, ran several television divisions after that stint, and retired from showbiz at 45.  When Bruce was at ABC, there were just three networks that accounted for 90% of the audience – ABC, CBS, and NBC.  No cable; no Internet!

Bruce likes to write about himself in the “third person!”

Bruce quit showbiz shortly after he became a dad.  A few years after that, his marriage ended and he became a 24/7 full-time single dad.  Later, Bruce began writing about his experiences as a single dad, as a divorced man returning to the dating world, which was now “online,” and about other men’s issues.  When Bruce re-married in late 2008, he added the topic of blended families to his subject matter and brought all of it to KZSB AM1290 in May, 2010, for the radio show he hosts based on his “A Dad’s Point-of-View” columns.

Aaron is Bruce’s second son, pictured above, and is just 14-years-old and the creator, writer, and artist of the original comic strip, “It’s a Tech World After All,” which is premiering in BoomerTechTalk.  Aaron loves manga, wants to live in Japan one day and create his own manga series, and is a terrific student.  He also loves movies!  He uses his cell-phone constantly and probably texts several hundred times a day.  He’s also becoming an accomplished baker!

Bruce’s column appears in over 100 newspapers and web-sites, internationally.  His “A Dad’s Point-of-View” Facebook page has over 3000 fans/members/”likes” in its short existence – from literally ALL over the world.

Below is a video of Bruce, October 5, 2010 – BoomerTechTalk launch day – speaking about “Giving Back to the World” at the #140conf LA. It is a special moment for him and captures who he is completely.

Find Bruce at:

His web-site — BruceSallan.com

The “A Dad’s Point-of-View” Facebook page (please “like” it and join the worldwide community of parents that all strive to be the best dad or mom they can be!).

Twitter – @BruceSallan

His “A Dad’s POV” blog on Posterous, that carries all his random blogs and Radio Show updates.

Or, e-mail Bruce directly at [email protected]