Women and the Web
By, Patricia Brehm
Today I found a fascinating TechCrunch article by Aileen Lee, “Why Women Rule the Internet.” The idea is that women are now the matriachs of the vast web abyss. Namely, the idea goes that since women are more inclined to work with the social networks, engage in online networking, building e-based professional relationships etc. In another fascinating article posted on SEOmoz, about “Tips for Link Builders” recommends “being a girl” and if you search through blog posts as well as forums, you’ll find numerous mentions of finding a female community manager or social media specialist.
In contrast, the realm of Information Technology, the driving force of code and script that creates social media, seems to be an industry containing mostly men. According to Wikipedia (source of all reliable information nowadays), the desire to drive women into computing careers seems high. In technology communities, a number of resources have sprung up to foster fellowship amongst females in high-tech industries. For example, Sarah Blow founded Geek Girl Dinners as the result of being fed up with a lack of females at technical events. Even geek chic pioneer ThinkGeek has started a line of heroine t-shirts, including Ada Lovelace, who is considered to be the first female computer programmer. If you go to Slideshare you’ll find a presentation entitled “How to Be An Awesome Community Manager,” written by Marta Majewska, dealing with how to manage an effective social network.
According to Ms. Lee’s article, not only are women powerful in developing a business presence on the web, but female consumers also play a critical role in Internet commercial success. Her article cites astounding sales figures driven by female consumers. So whether it’s electronic retail or driving social networking, the idea of a matriarchal web presence seems to be pervasive and powerful concept.
What are YOUR thoughts? Is being a female really an advantage when it comes to online branding? Do females have more power? If so, why?
