Della: Dell for the Belle

May 12, 2009 GMT

Introducing Dell, now for women, too! Dell recently rolled out the Della site, and plenty of women are not amused, including Jennifer Bergen, Jane McEntegart, Kristin Shoemaker, and Joanna Stern (who writes, "Guess what, Dell? Women ARE tech-savvy and shouldn’t be placed in a separate box when it comes to technology. We want options just like men, and notebooks that pack power, functionality and, YES, style.") Plenty of men have also written about the new Della site. I guess the site is intended to be geared toward the female tech consumer, but the problem is that it feels, well, patronizing. For example, under Tech Tips, you'll find this bit of wisdom: "Once you get...

CIO article: Software Development Gender Gap Pondered At RailsConf

May 07, 2009 GMT

Paul Krill reported from the Women in Rails session at RailsConf this week, and it looks like two of my favorite themes – self-promotion and girls/young women in tech – were covered. In his CIO article, Paul wrote that panelist Lori Olson, senior architect at Labrador Technologies, "said that she might consider doing more self-promotion so other women know that software development is a viable career." Paul said that panelist Sarah Mei also discussed that women keep a "low profile" in the community and aren't easily visible. In addition to encouraging self-promotion, panelists are helping to encourage future women in technology. Paul wrote, "Mei said she...

May 12th: Women Who Tech TeleSummit

May 04, 2009 GMT

Next week is the 2nd Women in Tech TeleSummit. On May 12th, a cool $10 will let you attend a variety of 50-minute panels: Feminine Mystique - 11AM EDTWomen and Open Source - 11AM EDT Breaking Through the Digital Ceiling - 12PM EDTTech Marketing in a Recession - 12PM EDT Social Networks and Diversity Barriers - 1PM EDTTools Galore in Online Communications -1PM EDT Innovation and Tech Career Reinvention - 3PM EDTLaunching Your Own Startup - 3PM EDT What Shirky Didn't Tell Us - 4PM EDTVideo Activism - 4PM EDT Transparency and Government 2.0 - 5PM EDTSocial Media ROI - 5PM EDT Check out the 2008 TeleSummit podcasts: http://www.womenwhotech.com/podcasts Happy TeleSummitting!

Ruby Conference Incident, and Women in Rails

May 04, 2009 GMT

Recently there's been a lot of online discussion regarding a presentation ("CouchDB + Ruby: Perform Like a Pr0n Star") at the Golden Gate Ruby Conference. Check out hackety.org for A Selection of Thoughts from Actual Women. Now what? Let's look at how to get more women involved with Rails. A Women in Rails discussion panel will be held tomorrow (Tuesday, May 5) at RailsConf. If you're at RailsConf in Las Vegas, join Desi McAdam (Hashrocket Inc and DevChix Inc), Sarah Mei (LookSmart), and Lori Olson (Dragon Sharp Consulting) to discuss this hot topic.

OpenUsability Season of Usability: Student Applications Now Open

Apr 29, 2009 GMT

Are you a student interested in Amarok, Ubuntu, Drupal, Gnome, Gallery, GeneMANIA, Kadu, KOrganizer, OLM, or SemNotes? If so, you have until May 20th to apply to work on a project for the OpenUsability Season of Usability. According to the announcement posted by Celeste Lyn Paul, "Inspired by Google Summer of Code, the OpenUsability Season of Usability is a series of sponsored student projects to encourage students of usability, user-interface design, and interaction design to get involved with Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) projects." For more info, visit the Season of Usability website.

Tips for Presenting Online

Apr 29, 2009 GMT

If you've ever seen Emma Jane Hogbin talk at an event, you know what a great public speaker she is. In addition to providing good content, Emma's also well-organized, entertaining, and animated. On her blog, Emma shares some tips for online presentations, which also can come in handy if you're preparing to present in person: Presenting Online

Girls in Tech now part of NCWIT Entrepreneurial Alliance

Apr 29, 2009 GMT

Girls in Tech announced that it has joined the National Center for Women In Technology Entrepreneurial Alliance. In the announcement, Adriana Gascoigne, founder of Girls in Tech, says “One of our main tenets is to increase the number of women entrepreneurs in technology, and by working with NCWIT’s Entrepreneurial Alliance, we can provide even more support and encouragement to those looking to take the next step in starting their own IT business.” You can read an interview with the Women in Tech Los Angeles chapter's Executive Managing Director on the NCWIT site: Interview: Robyn Cohen of Girls in Tech