Gen Y and being Fratty

Ryan Paugh (who, since he went to Penn State, and we have a chapter there, could be a fraternity brother of mine) posted about how being a blogger is much like being in a fraternity.

As a former fraternity president, I have to agree with him on several points. First, and most generally, a good fraternity isn't nearly as homogeneous or as focused as the stereotype. You can and should have a lot of brothers (or sisters, for a sorority) involved in a wide variety of activities, from drama to sports and student government.

Secondly, Ryan makes a point about relationships, and how to work with people while still being competitive. One of the ways this comes up in a fraternity is elections - I have to admit that I didn't do as well as I might have liked keeping things together after elections. This sort of team basis is one of the things that Generation Y is supposed to be great at and is a key skill I see at work - we all want the same promotions, but can only get there by working with each other and having the company do well.

Finally, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that a lot of bloggers are Greek. I think the greek/non Greek decision varies from person to person and school to school, but I think the personality of a blogger, or any community leader, is one that would go Greek at certain schools. At others, it might be something else, like running the school government or the newspaper. Either way, its the personality that wants to get everyone together because "its all about the party." It's the type of person that deals with the inter-personal relationships and to keep working with someone and motivating them even if you disagree.

Pushing Paper

Looking back, there are things I did, things I wanted to do and didn't, and things that I did that I shouldn't have. In the end, it was all worth it.