This IS a column about how different things are in the span of only 30 years.

Here's a rundown of how a few things were back in the day:

- I was very happy to have a "push button" phone instead of rotary dial. Had just bought a longer phone cord so I could actually walk around my apartment. Not that it took a long cord to walk around 450 square feet.

- I kept my addresses and phone numbers on a small legal pad on my bedside table.

- Listened to my huge record and cassette tape collection on my component stereo system, including turntable for albums, that I bought with part of my student loan. I paid mine back though...

- For my wake up alarm, I rigged up a timer, normally used to turn lights off and on, to my turntable, with the needle left on the album right before the song I wanted to wake up to.

- Watched TV on my 27-inch black and white TV, and movies in the theater.

- Fast forward 30 years later (blink!) and every single one of the features above are accomplished with the tiny 4 and quarter by 2 inch device in front of me on my desk. It also talks back to me when I ask questions, gives me directions, (used to use a hard-to-fold-back-together paper map) and so much more.

One take away from all this is that there has never ever been as much opportunity as there is right... now.

Jeff Herring and Maritza Parra are social media marketing specialists. They work with small businesses, both online and offline, to dramatically increase their visibility, customers and revenue using online marketing. Visit http://MassiveTrafficandLeads.com for a complimentary video revealing the No. 1 secret to your prospective customers finding you online.

2012, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.