The nice thing about the current generation of women webloggers and their initiatives, such as Sheroes and Blogher, is these are well organized events managed by strong, dedicated women. Hopefully with their efforts, women will no longer continue to be invisible.
For me, personally, an added benefit is that I don’t feel I have to continue to fight the good fight. After all, I’ve been beating this dog for four years, and haven’t seen that I’ve been particularly successful. I think all I’ve managed to do is dissuade any technology company from hiring me.
Being a woman in technology and challenging the sticky bricks of male domination in weblogging (and elsewhere) has always been a bit tricky because unlike most other professions, the tech industry has not only accepted weblogging, it has created the technology that keeps the heart beating and the words flowing. When you challenge the status quo–such as question the number of women speakers at a conference, a company’s hiring practices, or even men not linking to women, whatever–you’re effectively challenging people who could eventually be a potential employer.
Going from “You’re a sexist dog”, to, “Can I have a job, please?”, and actually getting a job only works in the movies.
Still, it never did seem right to just let things slide, and I would, from time to time, push back in my own indubital way. (”Ouch! Hot! It burns! It burns! Hot!”) However, after the recent ‘do’ with Mr. Scoble, Sir, I decided to *retire from the lists and focus on technology and my oddball writing and photography and hikes in the woods, and leave the battle to the fresh blood.
Yeah, I’ve said before I wouldn’t write on this topic again, and then would come back to it. (Not that anyone particularly cared — ever notice how we make these pronouncements on our weblogs and the most people will do is, “Eh, get a load of her, thinking we give a shit.”) That was before the current level of women’s activism. Now, I just don’t need to get in people’s faces anymore–plenty of women already there.
Rock on, ladies.
*Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t write “Men Don’t Link” Parts 2,3,4,…,n. That other was work, this was fun.