At our January 24th Women 2.0 Ottawa event, we discussed creating a series of discussions around the essential tools and skills you need to run your small business or startup smartly. We’ve dubbed this series the Technology Purse aka toolkit.

Out of that discussion was a question about Twitter - what it is and how to use it. So I thought I’d take a stab at explaining the benefits of of this microblogging platform and then direct your attention to some other sources of information.

First, a definition of microblogging is in order. According to Forrester Research, microblogging is “a social computing tool that allows users to send brief updates to public and private networks.” Huh. OK - that definition implies that you understand what social computing is.

Those of you on Facebook and LinkedIn, buying and selling on eBay, writing or reading blogs, using instant messaging systems and contributing to wikis - are all in the social computing game. Social computing is essentially the act of using these forms of social software to interact with others, build relationships and collaborate online. Read more »

A great outcome of our fourth Women 2.0 Ottawa event - held last night at Bridgehead in Westboro - was a brainstorm on a theme for our next series of events (after Pass the Torch with Maggie Fox on Feb 26th). We’ve dubbed the series “technology purse” - aka toolkit - essentials.

What are the essential tools and skills you need to run your small business or startup smartly? Read more »

As you may or may not be aware, Women 2.0 was started by our California sisters. They organize an annual pitch event every year where entrepreneurs and startups can pitch their business ideas to VCs, angel investors, and seasoned entrepreneurs. Our Women 2.0 CA sisters are now calling on entrepreneurs and startups to participate in this year’s event.

Pitch 2008 takes place Saturday, May 17, 2008 in Santa Clara, CA. The competition is open to US and Canadian entrepreneurs and startups so if you’ve got a great idea - you should seriously consider getting involved.

The benefit of participating is that you can get feedback about your business idea from VCs, angel investors, and seasoned entrepreneurs. And you have the chance to win some great prizes. Last year’s winners won cash prizes, pitch coaching and one-on-one face time with VCs.

Participation guidelines are as follows:

• - Teams must have at least 50% female ownership
• - Your pitch must be submitted on a 7×7 inch paper napkin
• - The first deadline is April 1, 2008

For complete list of guidelines and FAQs, visit www.women2.org for details.

- Melany Gallant
Women 2.0 Ottawa Co-founder

In my last post recapping our third Women 2.0 Ottawa event, I mentioned that many of the women in attendance are entrepreneurs themselves.

I’ve invited these ladies to send Women 2.0 Ottawa an overview of their companies so that we can profile them on this site. We’d like to extend that invitation to you as well.

If you’re a woman in tech or a tech-related field who’s started your own business, email Melany and Monika at ottawa[at]women2[dot]ca with a 250-word description of your company (and a link to your website of course). We’ll start a digest page of Ottawa women entrepreneurs and list your company there.

Happy writing…

Melany Gallant
Women 2.0 Ottawa Co-founder

Mark Blevis, one of the organizers of the Podcamp Ottawa event held this past weekend, has been contacted by Alan Neal from the CBC.

Alan hosts CBC’s Bandwidth, a music and pop culture program which airs on Radio 1, Saturdays from 5:05 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Alan is thinking about doing a segment on music podcasters for the show.

So…

If you’re a music podcaster, contact Mark at markblevis(at)gmail(dot)com about getting profiled on Bandwidth.

- Melany Gallant
Women 2.0 Ottawa Co-founder

In preparation for Wednesday’s Women 2.0 Ottawa event on ‘Networking 101‘ — which includes a major theme on developing your personal brand — here are some tips I’ve gathered from across the Internet…

Lyn Chamberlain at BrandChannel.com discusses some of the myths she perceives as holding women back from championing their own personal brands:

• - Myth #1: If I Am Good, They Will Come
• - Myth #2: Marketing Myself Is a Dirty Business
• - Myth #3: I Can’t Control What Other People Think

It really comes down to an apprehension about championing our successes and our leadership qualities. For some reason it can be difficult for women to promote themselves. According to Lyn, successful branding means: Read more »

It’s our first event and we’re really excited about it! We invite all Ottawa women entrepreneurs who work in technology and related fields to join us Wednesday, September 26 for the inaugural Women 2.0 Ottawa Mixer.

Share your experiences, interests and perspectives with like-minded, motivated women. And of course, feel free to tell your friends and colleagues! Read more »