Gender and the Social Web:  New Tools, Same ... Stuff?

Fran:  Women have to be more proactive.

Christine:  Count things.  Were there women there?  Most tech conference, women presence tends to be about 10%.   What are the things are you allowed to do?  Social networking has to do with navel gazing.   A lot of social networking with no point.  There has to be an outcome.  Being presence in the dialogs and informs the dialogs.

Catherine Geanuracos:  How to leverage the new tools?  Every six months a new tool that is the answer.  Need to create space with outcomes.  Women can engage in dialogue versus talking to each other.   More opportunities for lateral communication and networking.  Create structures in using the tools -- we have jumped in the pool with drupal.  Ways to push the tools forward and have women drive the development they function well for women.  One component is to link women's organizations from the different part of social change movement that don't usually talk to one another.  Connect organizations as well as individuals.  Networking tools that perpetuate a limited structure.

Lisa Stone:  Where are the women bloggers?  Held a conference.  Made use of voracious appetite for communication.   Looking hard at Women's consumption of the Internet - voracious talking.  We are excellent listeners.

What tools are you using?

Need for bridge builders and translators.  As a medium for mobile advocacy tools, it is good global platform.  Bengaldesh women - renting out phones and changing their economic status and social status.  Elevating the status of women.  Mobile phones to engage a constituency.

What platforms transcend gender or accessible to everyone?

Jayne Cravens - most formal online volunteering schemes.  More women than men through no special outreach.  Women are dominating the online volunteering field.   How does that map to volunteering in general.  Hard to map.  Most online volunteers are women.

Social services dominated by women.  Women are not motivated by their own advantage. Challenge to advance women -- women are motivated to service to others.
 
It looks a safe place to make comments.  Have to feel safe.  It is beyond the bubbliness - when we're not part of the design. 

Sexism is alive on the Internet - Myspace defaults to "search for men."  How can women come together to say this is how we want gender relations to be?  Creating space for women who aren't technologically saavy.  From a place of apology to forceful activism.

Deliberate mentorship of other women.   What happens next?  Not to be ashamed of wanting to advance.

What are the best places to get technical training for women?

What are the tools of any gender or background can use?  What are the issues - gender - help or hinder that?

The drupal community is lonely for women.  Where the decisions are made for the platform - show up.   We can't code, but we're building businesses on your platform, but you have listen to.  There have to be non-techies in the room.

More women involved in the discussions re: the platform.

At first, I'm intimidated.  They don't know more than I do.  Shouldn't let this engineering thing get in the way.

Breaking down the idea that women can't be software enigneers.  Don't apolgize for what you don't understand.

Women's bar camp!

Raise your hands.  Be in the room.  Be present.   We're used to seeing women - there is always a women pitching

The way to subvert the male control - give up control.  Conference track called "Doarcy" - Day 2 - handing over the track for women to do it themselves.  Do the listening thing.  Don't create a queen bee metaphor.

Good party - it's about the guest list.  

Pingvision
Colorful Expressions
All women drupal teams.

Be outcomes driven.  Know our goal.

Best practices:

• Being present, be part of the deal.
• Do the deal. Do the mentoring
• Raise your sons well.

It's about showing up.  Having vision and being leader - tools are.

How is blogher mobilizing "dudes" that get it?  How can men help it along without feeling like a wimp?

Lisa:   We blogged the concept of blogher.  A few a-list bloggers posted that they were unhappy with the post.  We promoted the fact that 20% were men.  That was a beginning of "Are men involved in blogher?"   Flash forward a few weeks ago.  Elisa set up a breakfast with Guy Kawasaki.  He wants to be the first man to speak at blogher.  Raising the profile of men.  Both Dave Winer and Roger Scoble coming to conference.  The worm is turning.   We don't know what it means.  There are lots of guys interested in talking about this - email ideas for conferences. come join the conferences, if there are panels that should involve men, we will listen.

How can this conversation continue through the rest of netsquared?

You have to do it.
You need a vision
Tools are the platform
Bottem up really work.