San Francisco Women on the Web: serve, educate, empower
Many of the members of SFWoW are on twitter, using this social media tool to talk to the world, and each other, about what we are doing in our everyday lives around work, home, and tech. Much like the list-serv that is our usual daily communication, twitter has opened up a new method of instant communication for the group in 140 characters. Now that twitter has developed lists, there’s one for SFWoW and you can follow a number of the members here.
Every year around this time, but usually at the end of the month when it is almost too late, I get the Girl Scout cookie jones. Thin Mints, those are my favorites, and everybody else’s too.
And it’s about this time of year that I start posting to the SFWOW email list to see if anyone has spotted a Girl Scout with a cookie stash.
This year though, as March 3rd or so rolled around I came down with a flash of a green box and a faint taste of mint. Ah! Girl Scout Cookie month!
In this neighborhood (Elmwood in Berkeley) I have consistently found the Girl Scouts selling outside of Wells Fargo Bank on the corner of College and Ashby. So today, I went looking for them.
There they were just as expected! Customers were crowded around the table. Luckily there were enough Thin Mints to go around. When the people in front of me collected their stack of boxes and went on down the street I asked “Who is going to wait on me?”
One of the girls piped up, “I am!”
So I got my three boxes of Thin Mints and asked how much were they per box.
“Four dollars per box,” she replied.
“Hmmm, let’s see, four times three is … hmmmm, what is four time three?” I asked.
Her little gears turned and she said “Twelve!”
I had twelve dollars in my wallet, but instead I took out a twenty and two ones. “If I give you this,” showing her the bills, “how much change will you give back to me?”
She replied almost instantly, “I don’t know.”
I looked at her for a second and she flashed her Mom a look. I said “Yes you do. If I give you twenty-two dollars, and the cookies cost twelve … what is twenty-two minus twelve?”
She hesitated for a minute, tried guessing, and then started writing out the math on the table with her fingers. She did her math problem out loud and then said “Ten!”
“Yep!” I said, and then she ran off and got me my change.
This may seem like a silly little thing, making a nine year old figure out how much change I need when her mother is standing at the other end of the table clutching the money bag. But these girls are not just trying to raise money. They are learning about business. They are learning about how to treat customers, sell their product, and yes, do the math!
Every time you allow a girl, or a boy for that matter, to get away with “I don’t know” for an answer, you are doing them a disservice. I’m not a parent, or a teacher, but it’s important that I teach the youngins’ whenever I have the opportunity. And Girl Scout Cookie Month is a great opportunity to be mentor that way.
So make those Girl Scouts use their Customer Service and Sales skills and don’t forget to make them do the math!
A long time ago, sometime during the last election cycle, we banned political discussions on the SFWOW discussion list. It was probably for the best. Threads and discussions would get out of hand, and flame wars would erupt, complete with name calling and time-outs. It was an ugly time. Interesting. But ugly.
But we are now in a new era. It’s not about politics. It’s about technology.
Last week we elected a new President here in the US and although none of us in SFWOW really knows how many in the group think this might be a wonderful thing, I’d be safe to say that more than 50 percent of us do. Now that the election is over, it’s time for everyone to get on the same page and get with the program.
The exciting thing about Barack Obama being elected President is that he is ready to move us in many ways into the future. This is evident in the way he used the technology of the internet and the web during his campaign and in his plans for expanding technology during his administration.
During the campaign, Obama had a presence on the web unlike any politician before him. His web site was not only about him, but filled with facts and figures, policy information and a lot of boring political content. Obama’s web site used every aspect the technology had to offer. He used text messaging and email to announce his VP pick. His daily stump speeches were streamed live, he created a community among his supporters by giving them a place to not only blog about their concerns, but also to network with each other. Within each member’s profile they could also work on the campaign with the nifty “Neighbor to Neighbor” program - calling voters in swing states to garner support and get out the vote from the comfort of your home. Within this community the discussion and networking groups where people could create events, pass along information, and find details on the issues are still viable and will remain so for some time in the future.
Obama also has a youtube channel where the campaign posted stump speeches, television commercials, and interviews with campaign supporters.
The day after the election the Obama camp launched Change.Gov, a web site where it is shown that the President-Elect wants to use technology to engage the American public in the workings of the government. Currently there are two important parts of the site, the blog which publishes the important daily news of the President-Elect, and a section where you can apply for jobs in the Obama administration. There is also a section for you to let the President-Elect know what you want for the country.
Obama has also said that he wants to appoint a Chief Technology Officer as well as get true broadband to every community in the country.
Two of the goals from the technology plan posted on BarackObama.com:
Protect the Openness of the Internet: A key reason the Internet has been such a success is because it is the most open network in history. It needs to stay that way. Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.
Bring Government into the 21st Century: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will use technology to reform government and improve the exchange of information between the federal government and citizens while ensuring the security of our networks. Obama and Biden believe in the American people and in their intelligence, expertise, and ability and willingness to give and to give back to make government work better. Obama will appoint the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to ensure that our government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure, policies and services for the 21st century. The CTO will ensure the safety of our networks and will lead an interagency effort, working with chief technology and chief information officers of each of the federal agencies, to ensure that they use best-in-class technologies and share best practices.
Whatever happens, I think we’re all looking forward to as much transparency in our government that the Internet will allow.
What do other people think about the Obama Administration and technology? Will this create new business opportunities in technology for women? Will it help with individual communication with our government? What are your thoughts?
Instead of ruining the environment by passing out mimeographed copies of our tool list, we’re putting it here on ze blog! Enjoy. From the Social Media Tips & Tricks talk at McCann 11/5.
Micro-blog sites
Aggregators
Twitter toys
Micro-blog clients
Bookmarking sites
Tracking your brand
ROI and Analytics, Commenting
Communities
More Reading
Thanks to (from Anna):
Follow me!
A friend called me the other day to ask urgently, did I know a dependable, quick web designer for some clients of his? “I used to know a lot, but now I don’t even know where to find one!” he said. Well, I posted to the list asking that question- and received this great list. Please contact me to get added.
Lisa LaTorre
www.llatorre.com
llatorreREMOVE@inmotionmedia.net
Kimberley Kradel
webdev.kimba.com
Cate Calson
www.calsongraphics.com
ccREMOVE@calsongraphics.com
Julia Satovsky
juliaREMOVE@j4design.com
www.j4design.com
Joe Crawford
www.artlung.com
joeREMOVE@artlung.com
Estelle W.
evotech.net/blog
Lorene Anderson
webby12342001REMOVE@yahoo.com
web.LoreneAnderson.com
Janet Fouts
Tatu Digital Media
foutsREMOVE@tatudigital.com
www.tatudigital.com
Jennifer Melnick Bar-Nahum
Olio Arts
www.olioarts.com
melnickREMOVE@olioarts.com
January 24th was another in our long string of rainy nights. Nonetheless, as SFWowers showed up for our get-together on the subject of LinkedIn, at WineBarSF, we had to move to a larger table. In attendance: Doris Beers, Teri Gardella, Maritess Hoy, Megan Keane, Ellen (?), Anna Papina, Rebecca Kidder, Erin O’Neill, and myself. It really makes a difference to have those names we see on the list come to life as real people.
We ended up sharing information one-on-one rather than shouting around the table. I
was seated beside Maritess, who I thank for her LinkedIn tips:
Rebecca later added a tip about recommendations
Needless to say, I began adding to my LinkedIn network right after the get-together!
As Susan Stearman has stated: the event was ultra simple to arrange: I just picked a date, time, and place. Thanks to everyone who showed up - I enjoyed meeting and talking with you all.
Eleanor Beaton
About a year and a half ago, longtime WoWser and online community expert, Susan Tenby, revived the dormant San Francisco Online Community Report MeetUp group. There’s no shortage of technology groups in the bay area, with various focuses from web applications to software development to Web 2.0 technologies. With so many groups, often with a lot of overlap in between, why the revival? Why attend meetings for this specific group?
Online communities have been around since the early days of the Web. They’ve taken different forms from early usenet groups to online forums and email listservs. With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies and an increase in the amount of user-generated content, more and more commercial and non-commercial sites are developing some form of online community, be it on a platform like Facebook or their own site. It wasn’t until I started attending these meetings–and eventually, helping to run them–that I realized just how huge and diverse the world of online community is.
These monthly MeetUps are held the fourth Wednesday of every month at the TechSoup office. While TechSoup is a nonprofit and has a large online community, you don’t have to be a nonprofit or a community manager to attend these meetings. You can be someone with a passion or even just an interest in online communities and their value for collaboration, networking, or even just connecting over a shared interest. We’ve had guests speak from sites like Yelp, Facebook, and eBay. Past attendees have been involved in various facets of the online world from to elearning communities to video-sharing sites to Second Life.
These casual, informal meetings are a great way to learn about the different projects and work your colleagues are involved in. Discussions are tool-based and center around strategies for using tools to engage users. I’ve learned about ways to make the most of Twitter, discover new blogs and find Facebook applications worth installing. I’ve heard about projects and communities I never knew existed, be it a community remembrance site or a real estate agent using Twitter with other realtors. Usually at the end of the meetings, I’m dashing back to my laptop, eager to explore or play around with the latest platform or application I heard about from other attendees.
So if you’re interested in discovering more about online communities and connecting with other interested folks in person, come join us for snacks, drinks, and discussion at this month’s MeetUp. RSVP here. The official announcement follows below. You can also check out discussion highlights from previous MeetUps in the MeetUp group messages archive.
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Happy New Year to all you online community folks out there! We’re back with our regular monthly MeetUps in the new year. To kick off 2008, our discussion will focus on using wikis as community building tools. We’ll be joined by Adam Frey, one of the founders of Wikispaces, and Angelique (Angie) Shelton, the General Manager of Wikia’s Gaming Network. So come join us for our first 2008 MeetUp to talk wikis and other online community tools. Look forward to seeing you all there.
About this month’s guest speakers: Adam Frey is co-founder of Wikispaces, provider of the world’s easiest to use wikis. Previously, Adam founded and managed the SourceForge business at VA Linux Systems. Adam holds a Bachelor of Science from Monash University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Angelique Shelton is the General Manager of Wikia’s Gaming Network. Prior to joining Wikia, Angelique worked in Xbox division at Microsoft where she focused on International Expansion and Franchise Development. She has a B.A. in Finance from Louisiana State University and a MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Our kick-off monthly meeting for 2008 was held at Cav - a fancy-smancy wine bar that even serves beer. The gang included Mary Choy, Rebecca Kidder, Nancy Purcell, Doris Beers, Erin O’Neil, Eleanor Beaton and my humble self.
As usual, wonderful conversation on a wide ranging set of topics and even some business was discussed.
Our theme this year will be “Knowledge Sharing”. The idea is to have formal and informal events where SFWoW members share their knowledge of a topic to other members who are interested.
We have a group of fabulous women who know so much about technology, arts and graphics, business and marketing — our goal is to share that information amongst ourselves.
This is a chance for you to toot your own horn. No special credentials needed. You have answered questions on the list, what topics do you usually post about? Lets get together and learn about it from you.
Our first event will be organized by Eleanor. It will be an informal gathering to learn about LinkedIn. Lots of our members are interested in using LinkedIn but may want to learn more about how to become a power user. I know I am a heavy user of LinkedIn and have some tips to share; but I’d love to learn from others too. So come out to the event when its announced.
Feel free to respond to this post with your ideas of topics to discuss - what do you want to learn about? what do you want to share?
How interesting that it took the weather to get us all talking. I loved the small insights into individual lives. And the reassurance that at least those reporting in came through OK.
I promised a post on the Facebook Beacon situation and here it is. The simplest explanation is that Facebook suddenly began publishing their users’ non-Facebook web actions without asking their users’ permission or providing a way to opt out. Not only annoying, but also a breach of its own privacy policy. I checked a number of technical and marketing organization sites, and this article provides the best explanation of how the information was collected, what was done with it, who else was involved, and what is still going on.
The sudden publication of everything one did was scary, annoying, and embarrassing. Facebook listened to users and the press and turned off the automatic publication pretty quickly. Some of the other sites where actions were captured set up clear and granular opt out processes. Some didn’t. The information is still being collected and used by Facebook and other sites. Still other sites are planning on joining in (as of mid-December). It is not just information about Facebook members that is being collected, but in information about everyone who visits the various sites. Some of the information is aggregated, but some of it includes clear personal information.
Web Beacons are not new — they show up in most anti-spyware reports as “tracking cookies.” The technical purpose is to be able to use just one cookie for complex sites. The less spoken-of use is to track what visitors to web sites are doing. What makes them scary to security types is that they are put on one’s computer silently and they can do a lot more than just collect information and send it silently back to the mother ship. They can interact with other cookies and can carry out executables.
From a marketing perspective, tracking cookies permit sites to gather good user information and provide better marketing and user services.
Those who are most touchy about privacy issues don’t want any information gathered without their permission and object to all cookies. Just to make everyone nervous, there was an incident in 2005 when the NSA “accidentally” (who knows?) dropped tracking cookies from its public website. The FTC (which runs the Do Not Call List) is currently being asked by privacy activists to establish a Do Not Track List.
What does this have to do with SF-WOW? It is my sense that about half our membership is placing cookies and beacons that the other half is trying to remove. I think it would be fascinating to hear both sides.
I would also love to hear both from those who write Facebook applications (is security something you think about?) and those who use them (who do you trust? Do you have a Secret Crush?)
Next topic — teleclasses and podcasts - compare and contrast. I have asked a couple of people to contribute and will add to that list as the first few posts come through. Do let me know whether you would be more likely to read a note from a practitioner or an interview.
Stay Dry.
Thanks, indeed, to Mary and her family for hosting the December meeting/holiday potluck.
The food was lovely (Mary’s mac and cheese, Susan’s vegetarian lasagne, lots of pie, amazing ice cream, and more) but what I enjoyed most of all were the conversations.
I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I had no clue how wide the audience is for podcasting or that it can be a road to fame and diva-dom. I feel at least two trends behind (I have no personal blog). We weren’t all sure about whether the fame in the podcast domain “is real” (translates to money, power, or fame in other media?) and how much of the content is useful. Podcasting seems to be more popular in Europe than in the US. Most of us at the table were surprised to hear just how common and popular podcasts are. Unsurprisingly, the adult content market was out in front in seizing a new technology and distribution method. I was surprised that evangelicals are also major players in this market.
There was also talk about acceptable behavior in the workplace — is it OK to swear? How rough (free? loose?) can behavior get before it is hostile or inappropriate or harassing? Does it depend on the kind of workplace (bank vs. ad agency, for instance?). Do creatives get a free pass because of the nature of the work? Are you willing to put up with things that are close to the line so you can be yourself, too? And how hard is it not to swear once you realize you shouldn’t?
Unsurprisingly, wowsers described fascinating, cutting edge projects they are working on. I will leave it to those individuals to share when and what they can. What can be discussed in person is not always what can be written about.
You should come next time.
While the monthly meetings are generally meant for sf-wow business, there is plenty of time for conversation. Scrappy hours are designed just for getting together and letting off steam. They started when happy hours stopped being quite so happy (any wowser can set one up where and when she chooses). Announcements of the next scrappy and of the next business meeting will be posted to the list and to the events page here.
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