Susan Esparza of Bruce Clay, Inc. ranted about Tech & Women and raised some interesting points regarding perceptions about women in tech and the search industry. It’s worth a read, including the comments. Please share your thoughts about Susan’s post, and carry on the conversation over at BruceClay.com.
The discussion about women and business and the Web reminded me of an organization for women in tech – Webgrrls.
Webgrrls.com - Networking Organization for Professional Women
Webgrrls International’s Mission
Webgrrls’ mission is to help women succeed in an increasingly technical workplace and world through networking, exchanging job and business leads, and teaching new skills.
Are you a woman in tech, in web design, development? Looking to network, give back or looking for a job? Connect with other women through Webgrrls.
You can follow Webgrrls CTO, Nelly Yusupova, @DigitalWoman, on Twitter.
Why am I not a Webgrrl?
I forgot about the organization. I’ve been following Nelly, but rationalized that I’m involved in other web and search-related communities and other business networking. However, a quick review of their site shows me they need some SEO help. (They have canonicalization issues with the domain, for a start.) Maybe I’ll volunteer. Adding this to my Wishlist Checklist:
[ ] Consider volunteering SEO help to Webgrrls.
[ ] Consider joining Webgrrls, if anything to simply support them.
[ ] Do not consider taking over leadership of the Sacramento Chapter, which is in transition.
Webgrrls - Santa Cruz Flash Workshop
I first became aware of Webgrrls 10 years ago and was very excited about how they encouraged girls in math and computer science, how they were helping women strengthen their technical skills for the workforce. I taught a Flash 5 course at a Webgrrls – Santa Cruz Chapter meeting in December 2000.
I was seeped in Web development back then as well as Flash. FlashForward in San Francisco and New York in 1999-2001 were the conference of choice. Attendees were primarily men.
I was running a Web development agency in Monterey called uniquefocus, inc. Most of our clients, business owners, were also mostly men. I didn’t join Webgrrls, however, and am not sure why.
Susan’s article made me think. Were there any other women running Web agencies? Only a few. I had a business parter who was a guy, so I wasn’t doing it alone.
Thinking back more as an aside … keyword-stuffed white text on white backgrounds was how we did SEO.
Women in SEO
SEO Women - Just the tip of the iceberg
Looking forward, women are strong in SEO.
Gabriella Sannino (@SEOCopy) wrote an article last week, Top SEO Women post. I’m so honored to have been included. Gabriella lives and breaths SEO, Copywriting and the Social Web. Her article points out that there are a lot of women in SEO, and she just covered the tip of the iceberg!
She felt that,
Women don’t seem to be recognized in the SEO community.
{ 4 comments }
I don’t want to take over leadership of Webgrrls Sacramento either, but I would organize one fun event, maybe a margarita meetup or pedicure party if you knew some people to invite. And they promised I could be casual, not in charge. ;^D
Julie, Julie! You win the award for networking, for sure! Pedicures, Web & SEO!
It would be super to connect with local women in tech and professionals such as yourself. I’d be open to an event this fall, casual, of course! I don’t yet know the Webgrrls of Sacramento other than they are going through a change of leadership.
Thanks much for taking the time to put out such a fun idea – something to collaborate.
Dana, bella, nice to see you open/continue this discussion. Funny, I heard and participated in a couple of meetings (SF chapter) of webgrrls back in the late 90′s. Amazing how time flies and things change. This walk down memory lane has sparked my wishful thinking behind the intent of the post: to promote all the wonderful contributions these women have given, continue to give, and yet have not been thanked for.
I’m not sure what happens to women in groups, but they start out with such dreams, hopes and aspirations. Something happens along the way, though. Maybe it’s criticism of being too feminist, growing pains, or just reality sinking in. Women in technology are a fact of life; my motivation is to continue promoting and recording wonderful women (okay, and men) in our blog posts. I’m glad to see the webgrrls are still going strong. Thanks for bringing them back to my attention.
Gabriella, LOL that we both forgot about Webgrrls, an organization that has been around for so long. Maybe it’s because we (men and women alike) are easily distracted by shiny objects. And in our search industry, there are so many forums, groups, conferences and organizations to “keep us busy.”
However, as you so well described in your post about SEO Women, we are many and strong. Maybe Webgrrls is an opportunity to strengthen that power, not out of feminism but to help each other and encourage those who are still in school. If we each did a little, then it wouldn’t be a lot on one person’s plate.
And thank you for really opening the discussion! <3
Comments on this entry are closed.