Comments(0) One of many informative talks from this year’s SXSW. The attracting girls to technology raises some very good points on why girls tend to shy away from technology. It also provides some great tips and possible solutions for what many of us can do to inspire and influence young girls to see the value and possibilities in technology.
Comments(0) Came across an interesting article today on ITWorldCanada that discusses the need to nurture and support women in pursuing careers in IT.
The article recaps many of the panelist discussions from the Women in IT National Forum held recently in Toronto and hosted by the Information and Communications Technology Council. According to one panelist - Microsoft Canada practice manager Elizabeth Carson - women tend to be project managers and business analysts, roles “that play upon their ability to understand communities and what users want.”
To get more women interested in pursuing careers in IT, the article discusses the following suggestions generated during the Women In IT National Forum.
issue: Women don’t network as much as men do.
solution: Come up with structured mentoring system - one that helps women to self-organize and create their own community of mentors, role-models and peers.
Women 2.0 comment: Women do network, however many aren’t comfortable with the traditional “schmoozy” networking events out there. And women still juggle the majority of responsibilities at home - caring for children and running the household. Couple those responsibilities with a full-time job and it doesn’t leave a lot of free time.
Women in IT need an environment that supports and nurtures a feeling of community. That’s Women 2.o’s whole purpose - to bring women in IT together as a community that encourages women to network, share experiences and learn from one another. We want to encourage women to work with and in the field of technology and to launch their own companies.
issue: The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry is perceived as boring and uninteresting.
solution: Make it look fun and sexy and offer a flexible work environment. Bring better education to the school-age generation. Offer a family-friendly, flexible schedule that honors the work/life balance.
Women 2.0 comment: I think “interesting” is a more appropriate word than sexy but the point is well made. With technology constantly advancing, careers in IT are exciting, challenging and rewarding. Women need to be more aware of the opportunities available to them in the ICT sector. And if this sector wants to attract women, then they need to provide more flexibility.
example: The article states that at IBM Canada, 30 per cent of the workforce works from home (one of my female friends who works for IBM takes advantage of this option and loves it.). IBM Canada also offers part-time positions and flexible work hours.
What are your thoughts on the above issues and solutions?
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March 25, 2008 update - I came across this blog post about Norway’s efforts to reduce gender inequality in business through a Twitter discussion yesterday about the need for more women leaders/mentors in IT. The post is by @vendorprisey (aka Thomas Otter).
Norway’s reasons for increasing female presence in the boardroom mirrors that of Canada - battling labour shortages and an aging workforce. Ensuring gender equality is one way to overcome it.
And as @missrogue (Tara Hunt of horsepigcow) said yesterday on Twitter:
We need more women in technology in mentorship roles. And those of us with networks need to open ourselves up to be those mentors.
Melany Gallant
Women 2.0 Ottawa Co-founder
Comments(4) Join Women 2.0 Ottawa on April 1 for Martini Tuesday in the ARC Lounge at ARC The Hotel.
For this event, Women 2.0 Ottawa has invited Kristina Mausser, president of Digital Word - a global web copywriting and communications agency - to lead a discussion on managing the financial side of your business.
This event continues a running series we’ve dubbed ‘what’s in your technology purse?’ Discussions will focus on the different financial tools available (aside from accountants and bookkeepers) to help you run your business. And one service Kristina will share with us is an invoicing and time-tracking tool called FreshBooks.
Event deets…
Please RSVP
Please RSVP for this event on the Women 2.0 Ottawa event wiki.
You can also email ottawa [at] women2 [dot] ca to to join our mailing list for upcoming Women 2.0 events in Ottawa.
About Kristina…
Kristina Mausser is one of Canada’s leading Web Content Strategists, nominated in 2007 for Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 award. Realizing early on that success in business largely depends on effective communications, Kristina graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in English Language and Literature, and was selected out of more than 200 business-degree applicants for a highly coveted entry-level management position with Fortune 500 Company, Great-West Life.
After a successful career helping other companies with their communications and marketing strategies, Kristina launched Digital Word in 2004. Through her agency, Kristina provides expertise in identifying, positioning, and promoting key messaging online for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to high tech start-ups.
Krisinta’s blog, Word Up! Life in the Digital Hood, has garnered national and international media attention and has been referred to from ZDNET, MacAddict, and BusinessWeek. It is currently syndicated through Computerworld magazine’s editor-approved blog network, TechDispenser, as well as through National Capital Scan, Ottawa’s news leader for the tech community. In 2007, WordUp! was featured on the culture.ca portal as one of the best cultural blogs in Canada as chosen by the Banff New Media Institute, Canada’s internationally respected art and digital research innovation centre.
Kristina is an active member of the web community and regularly participates in meetups, BarCamps and Mesh, Canada’s web conference. A strong supporter of women in technology, she is the past Director of DigitalEve Ottawa, and is a current member of CATA WIT (Women in Technology) Forum and Women 2.0.
Comments(1) Women 2.0 Ottawa loves to promote entrepreneurial females from all industries - not just high tech. So it is with great pleasure that we promote the following three Ottawa business women making a name for themselves.
Tracey Vibert at TAV Creations - www.tav-creations.com
Tracey and her company, TAV Creations, was brought to my attention through Twitter. I follow her husband, Thomas Leroux (@WTL), on Twitter. When I put out a tweet asking for info on women entrepreneurs in Ottawa, Thomas forwarded me the link to Tracey’s website.
Owned and operated Tracey, TAV Creations has been in existence since 1988. Tracey does many custom dress designs - taking an idea or concept from a client and developing it into a beautiful garment “to be worn with as much love as it was created.” Tracey works closely with her clients to create a garment that is truly unique and flattering to the individual it is meant for.
From bridal gowns to costumes and intricate bead work, Tracey has done it all. What I love is her concept of “eco-sewing“. Taking existing garments that are now too big, a touch out-of-date or in need of some fresh detailing, and reinventing it as a completely new garment. Now that’s a way to reduce, reuse and recycle!
Take a peek at some of Tracey’s work from her online portfolio.
Lara Wellman & Vicky Bisson - Apples’n Oranges - www.apples-n-oranges.com
Launched while Lara and Vicky were both on maternity leave, Apples’n Oranges is an online store specializing in childrens’ wear for ages 0-5 from exclusively Canadian companies. Based here in Ottawa, Lara and Vicky also offer in-home parties for their customers.
With sons only two months apart in age, these two longtime friends derived the name for their company from how different their two sons are from one another - as different as “apples and oranges”.
They offer hip, fun clothing that is a refreshing change from the traditional pastels and cartoony fashions predominantly in the market today. Their line features an original selection of clothing, shoes and accessories for children aged 0-5 years, as well as a few accessories for mom.
And about those home parties? “No sales pitch to become a consultant, no pyramid scheme- just a fun, relaxed atmosphere to shop with your friends.” Ya! For more information, or to book a party, contact Lara and Vicky at info@apples-n-oranges.com.
The ladies also have a blog where you can keep up-to-date on new merchandise and so much more.
Are you a women entrepreneur in Ottawa?
Well we’d love to profile you if you are! Send your bio / company background to ottawa [at] women2 [dot] ca and we’ll profile you on our blog.
- Melany Gallant
Co-founder, Women 2.0 Ottawa
Comments(2) A while back I talked about Women and blogging - where are the techies? because we know they’re out there! Well, Jive Software CMO Sam Lawrence recently created a list of his top 10 female thought leaders, boiled down. It is a follow-up to a previous post he wrote on his top 10 thought leaders (where he realized “they were all dudes”.)
So - Sam has put together a list of women he thinks are savvy and smart and worth your time. And he’s created a tag cloud for each woman that essentially pulls together the top 10 words for each. A tag cloud, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, is like a visual list (of words) for content from a website. The clouds for each woman are interesting in that it gives you this great visual overview of what they are all about.
BTW - you can follow Sam on Twitter: @SamLawrence.
Also - for your reading pleasure…
Check out The Social Organization blog by Rachel Happe, who is an analyst with IDC. As an analyst, Rachel covers the digital business economy and how all these new online technologies are impacting business, corporate culture and more. And she blogs about it too! She also links to some other noteworthy bloggers and tech gurus so take some time to read through Rachel’s site.
Happy surfing!
- Melany Gallant
Women 2.0 Co-founder