SFWoW

San Francisco Women on the Web: serve, educate, empower

Wowzers made it out from the far corners of San Francisco to attend this year’s WordPress conference- WordCamp 2007- held at my people’s hall- Swedish American Hall. I showed up for the last 3 talks, but others were there earlier and longer. I asked a few Wowzers the following questions. Eleanor (EB) Robyn Tippins (RT), and myself, Anna (AB).

1. Do you like barbecue?
   • EB: I can count on one hand the times I have had it - so it was a nice alternative.
   • RT: Um… yes
   • AB: I missed the brisket. Guess I counted on there being leftovers. This time, there were boxes and boxes of water, which, in a pinch, I would prefer.
2. How long have you been in wordpress, what version do you have?
   • EB: My blogs are completely hosted by WordPress - use the template and
     the domain name. First started Oct 2006.
   • RT: I’ve been a user since Dec of 05, when I took my Blogger blog and placed it there. I have not yet upgraded to 2.0 on my main blog, but I have several blogs and each are running diff versions (naughty girl LOL).
   • AB: I got started last year, it was still in the 1.X versions. I took my blogger blog, moved it to my old HTML-style website, and ended up incorporating some applications (haiku database) into WordPress- that was my ultimate hack, and it totally worked! Now I’m on 2.0 but need to upgrade.
3. Why do you prefer WordPress?
   • EB: I don’t come from the “tech”/web world, and this was my first foray into it Did a lot of research, checking out blogs and I liked the ones on WordPress - also my first blog is a sound blog, and so I had to consider what would be the best way of presenting audio…at the time (Oct 2006) WordPress had a relationship with Odeo, and it was very easy for me to just plop into that system.
     Let me say that Wordpress makes it very easy for initial blogmakers. I am not a programmer or developer, and my attention is limited in terms of exploring add-ons, widgets, and so forth. I want an easy way to present straightforward content.
   • RT: I love the fact that WordPress is simple to install, simple to use and has so many plugins and themes readily available. Akismet is also a favorite of mine. It just can’t be beat.
   • AB: I’m part of an MU on Movable Type, so that’s my only real comparison. I love WP because - for the author’s interface, it reads from a database it’s far faster responding time. I also like to adjust and tweak the sidebars and add widgets, mess with the stylesheets, and all that is much more approachable in WordPress. Also very easy to install. The admin UI is also great.
4. Best widget/plug-in?
   • RT: Adsense Deluxe is my current favorite. It allows you to place adsense within a post and is the only way, I’ve seen, to use Google referral products within the text of a post (which is much more natural).
   • AB: I do love Akismet. I am kind of addicted to SnapIt, the little pop-up preview of where a link will go. I know that “recent comments” and the Flickr RSS feed on my sidebar probably had the biggest impact, as widgets go. I haven’t put in Ultimate Tag Warrior though I’ve been hearing about it forever.
5. Biggest annoyance with the UI
   • RT: For the longest time if you were using the Rich Text editor, YouTube videos (or any video, for that matter) could not be embedded. That is fixed in 2.0 because it’s very easy to flip back and to between code and Rich Text editor. As well, the silly decision to make all uploaded images a thumbnail is really annoying. However, it is a small price to pay for such great software. No one is going to like everything, I suppose…
   • EB: One of Liz’s comments was that as she was interviewing people, some asked her what needed to be fixed….(ie - does it need to be fixed?) Since I am not yet a power user, I don’t yet have need for some of the sophisticated aspects of the UI.
   • AB: Even in 2.0 the rich text toggle annoys me. When I install it I have to make sure to set the setting off. Also, the thumbnail image being the default, and pasting into my image code. I too was annoyed with the way youtube tags rendered, and ended up switching from youtube (with original content) to Vidavee. But in all those are little things- the ease of installation and the open architecture is great. Also so much faster, as an author, than Moveable Type.
6. Favorite bit of the talk geek-wise (what was new to you, what you learned, etc.)
   • RT: I enjoyed Jeremy Wright’s talk as his focus was on serving your readers and not your pocketbook, but Lorelle was amazing as well. As always though, my fav part was the Tshirt
   • EB: Wordcamp seemed to do a very good job of presenting to an audience which ranged from the neophyte to the professional tekkie. Favorites: Matt Cutts SEO tips…JohnDvorak and Om Malik (I know their names, and hearing them in person was great - a lot of wisdom, smarts, and a lot of laughing from the audience)….Liz Danzico, Hyper cog.
     Lorelle is a natural performer - and she did bring up some pretty basic and useful thoughts.
     For me, the information kinda prods me to take my blogs to the next level. To think about broader effectiveness .
   • AB: I liked hearing, during the developer talk, where they wanted to go with it, and what their favorite aspects of the software were. I feel, after a year, that there can be a lot of improvements, so it’s ncie to know the vision and general direction.
   • EB: One of Liz’s comments was that as she was interviewing people, some
     asked her what needed to be fixed….(ie - does it need to be fixed?)
     Since I am not yet a power user, I don’t yet have need for some of the
     sophisticated aspects of the UI.
7. Your blogs?
   • RT:sleepyblogger.com and gamingandtech.com
   • AB: banane.com, this one, Adventures in Email Marketing, and setup the SF WoW site as a CMS version (sorry Matt) using WordPress.
   • EB:
     http://alingeringstillness.wordpress.com
     http://exuberate.wordpress.com

wo

Okay, I consider myself a fairly outgoing person. Yet asking for things–especially asking for things that have to do with my career is something that I dread doing. So when I heard about SF WoW’s Salary Negotiation Panel event, I figured this was probably a good thing for me to attend.

I found the panelists to be very approachable and they gave a lot of good suggestions on negotiating on behalf of yourself in any situation, not just in salary negotiation. The presentation was very informal, with a lot of back and forth discussion between the audience and panelists.

The following tips stuck with me the most when I left:

–Above all, believe in yourself (ok, even if you’re not so sure of yourself, act as if you believe in yourself). You made it this far (i.e. the job offer) and you and your skills are worth bargaining for. Repeat this message to self as needed.

–On the hiring side, HR or other person knows it’s a negotiation situation and will bargain accordingly in their favor. Their first offer will be mid-level range, at the highest. Don’t be low-balled.

–Salary, vacation time, benefits, flex-time, etc. are all potential bargaining chips

–Never reveal your bottom line, but know what you bottom line is before going into negotiation discussion. Your “bottom line” should be that ick factor–what is the minimum you are willing to accept and still feel ok about coming to work every day

–Always be prepared. Do your research. Know what’s an appropriate range for the job title, industry (i.e. private/nonprofit/government/education/etc.) and type of job (i.e. contract/full-time/etc.)

–Defer salary discussion to another time–avoid having conversation over the phone when you’ve just gotten job offer (this usually isn’t possible in a contract situtation, but works with a permanent position)

–Be polite, but know how to re-frame questions and re-state your position effectively. Focus on the value you can bring to the job and your passion and enthusiasm for the position. Avoid getting personal or saying what you “need” in the job.

–Practice with a friend, partner, etc. before going into salary negotiation discussion.

Afterwards, I looked into one of the books recommended by the panelists: Sink or Swim. I’m finding it to be a helpful read, with lots of common sense on-the-job tips. Other books panelists recommended included The Power of Intention and Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation–and Positive Strategies for Change.