WITWA Blog

Event in Review – Ron Gibson, Networking

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:17:08 -0800

Our last event, co-hosted by our friends at the Australian Web Industry Association's Port80 group, featured Ron Gibson, Managing Director of Go Networking, as our speaker.

Ron offered us various approaches to networking, asked us to consider the difference between networking and socialising, mused on givers and takers and gave us tips for cultivating new contacts into lasting and genuine business relationships. There was plenty of opportunity to put his advice into practice after his presentation upstairs at The Ellington jazz club on Beaufort Street. With the room full of WITWA and Port80 members, the conversation and drinks flowed.

Thanks to The Ellington for letting those of us that wanted to stay the opportunity to watch the jazz downstairs after the event, and to Port80 for providing the LED necklace door prize and canapés.

Event In Review – Dee Roche, The Art of Mentoring

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:27:50 -0700

“Mentoring is a two-way street; a beautiful reciprocity.” This is the message Dee Roche, Senior Management Consultant at AIM-UWA Business School Executive Education, so eloquently delivered in her presentation at our recent women-only breakfast event at the Parmelia Hilton.

As a mentor to 12 people and with three mentors of her own, Dee is well versed in the Art of Mentoring.

Citing that over 71% of Fortune 500 companies having a mentoring program, and 96% of executives involved in a mentoring program crediting it as an important development tool, Dee spoke of the professional and personal benefits of being in a mentoring relationship.

Sharing with us her personal experiences as a mentor and of being mentored, Dee took us through how to establish a mentoring relationship and explained the importance of establishing ground rules and an understanding of what was needed and wanted from each party. The key to a successful mentoring relationship was confidentiality and mutual accountability, with both mentor and “mentee” benefiting from the relationship.

Over our delicious hot breakfast in a private room at the Parmelia Hilton’s Globe Restaurant, Dee took us through a workbook on mentoring, having us question our thoughts on the mentoring process, think about mentoring relationships we have or we’d like to develop, and define what mentoring meant to us.

Dee’s energy and passion made for an entertaining presentation, and left attendees with concrete ideas on how to establish a mentoring relationship in their professional lives.

Top 10 Irks and Perks of Conferences

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:40:05 -0700

Of the conferences I’ve attended, the majority have been far more good than bad, and I’ll attend many more expecting to be educated, entertained and enlightened more than I expect to be bored or disappointed. And I don’t think for a moment that conference organising is an easy job: organising one presentation as a speaker is hard enough! But, there’s got to be something said about the good (and bad) of professionally-run conferences.

The Perks:

1. Brilliant Speakers – Tell Me Your Story

Something I’ve learned after attending many conferences (and speaking at some) is that presenters who are engaging speakers, who speak to the audience, not at them, and who really share information about themselves and their experiences, are far more enjoyable and educational than “subject-matter experts” who dryly present their knowledge. I’m not saying that it’s an “either/or” situation, as I’ve seen experts in their field who are brilliant presenters and arguably any presenter at a conference should have some level of expertise in what they’re talking about.

What I mean is that the most engaging of presenter doesn’t just deliver facts and figures, or information that any industrious 15-year-old could find on google, but tells me (and the other audience members) their story.

I recently attended the Media140 conference on social media, where Nova 937’s Digital Client Manager Simon Mikulich spoke about an on-air competition that went horribly wrong.

In what could have been a PR-disaster, the station used social media (along with on-air presence) to communicate directly with their listeners, and inform them of how the competition had been “rigged” and what they were doing to rectifying it. With a few “f-bombs” thrown in to demonstrate the gravity of the situation, we were treated to an inside view of the disaster discovery, and subsequent recovery.

2. Learning Something New – That I Can Use!

Leaving a presentation with new information that you can actually use, who’d have thunk it? This should be something that every conference presentation has, but sadly I find it’s few and far between. It’s interesting to learn that Levi jeans doubled their sales through the use of social media, but when their marketing budget is four times the annual GDP of a not-so-small nation, that’s not really useful information to me. I want something I can take away, and use in my own business role. So if I’m at Cat Herding 101 at the International Cat Herding Conference, you better believe I want to walk out of the presentation knowing the basics of herding cats.

3. Meeting New People

Sometimes the best thing about attending a conference is meeting people who work in the same field as you, or who dig the same things you dig. I mean, the gang at Comic Con sure look like they have a great time! If you’re employed to work in IT where the rest of your workmates don’t know their thumb-drive from their motherboard, it’s nice to be able to talk to someone who speaks your language. It’s also great to find out what others in the industry are up to, and share your “epic wins” and “fails” with a sympathetic listener.

4. Knowledge/Technical Appropriate Streams

Well-planned conferences or events let me know the level of technical expertise I need to be able to get the most out of the sessions. Not all conferences have multiple streams, but I want to know what I’m in for when forking over my hard-earned dollars for a ticket. If I’m totally new to an industry, (like Cat Herding) I want to know if the conference has some beginner content, but if I’m an expert (like in Competitive Knitting for Fun and Profit) you better believe I don’t want the whole event to be full of Knit One, Purl One – Stocking Stitch for Beginners.

I understand that conference organisers want to attract as many attendees as possible, but the good ones let me know what to expect when I get there. A good example of this is the Microsoft SharePoint conference, which clearly advertises its multiple-level streams, or even my local SharePoint User Group, where the meetings always have a “techie” and “non-techie” presentation.

5. Goodie Bags and Freebies

These are (sadly) a dying breed, if you get them at all anymore. Five years ago, IT/techie conference goodie bags were sturdy woven canvas satchel/laptop style bags, full to the brim with freebie software, hardware (like a computer mouse or thumb drive, not a laptop) candy, mousepads, stress squeezie balls, notepads, pens and other paraphernalia. Now, they’re paper or plastic bags, or recyclable shopping-bag types, and if they have anything more than flyers advertising the sponsors or vendors it’s cause for a celebration.

Although the dearth of goodies has been a bit depressing, I was pleasantly surprised at the recent Perth Upmarket Wedding Event (yes, I’m getting married, not just some weirdo who hangs out at bridal expos to bask in newly engaged couple’s excitement) where the goodie bags were gorgeous woven canvas tote bags, with tonnes of treats, from discounts and special offers through to tasty morsels of the wedding favour variety. Now you might argue that wedding vendors need to entice me to buy their services for my wedding, so that’s why they give away treats, but surely it’s the same for sponsors or vendors of other conferences or trade shows.

The Irks:

1. AV, AV and More AV Problems!

OK, this has to be a pet hate of mine, especially as a lot of the conferences I attend have a “techie” bent to them. If I could say one thing to conference organisers, it would be SORT OUT THE AUDIO VISUAL! Everyone presenting at conferences today uses some form of AV. At the least it’s a microphone, at the most it’s livestreaming over wireless, with lapel mic, interactive response technology and even displays of live tweets.

When technology fails during a conference, not only is it time-consuming to correct, it puts presenters on the back foot, and puts an audience off-side, and it delays the running order of the day, throwing out multi-stream events.

I understand that maybe the wireless is not perfect, because we’re inside a concrete block of a university building, and that problems happen, but when every single presentation has either sound or visual problems (as was the case at a recent conference I attended) it gets really, really tiresome.

And you know the situation is bad if the audience gives a standing ovation when a presentation or video loads and runs without a hitch.

2. Arrogant Speakers

We know you’re an expert in your field, that’s why you’ve been asked to present at a conference. That doesn’t mean you’re better than anyone who is attending, or that you get to act like an arrogant tool. As conference attendees, we’re there to learn from speakers, and to be entertained. We’re not there for presenters to look down on us, or to laud their knowledge over us.

Living in Perth, Western Australia, we’re sometimes (OK, mostly) thought of as some kind of backwater by our Sydney and Melbourne counterparts. Just because we’re geographically isolated, doesn’t make us all uneducated hicks. But when presenters from the “big smoke Over East” are invited to present at Perth-based conferences, it’s advisable for them not to start their presentation to an auditorium of 400 people with a phrase like, “Wow! I didn’t know there were this many people in Perth.”

This happened at a conference I attended in June, and the response from the audience was a mixture of surprise, anger and disbelief. You can imagine the kind of reception this speaker got for the remainder of their presentation. He seemed oblivious, however, with the rest of his speech revolving around what a risk-taker and cowboy he was, and how successful his company was compared to its competitors.

3. Disorganised Organisers

If you’re wearing a conference or event organiser-branded t-shirt, and you’re standing behind the registration or information desk, I’m going to assume you’ll be able to answer my questions about the conference. Like which room a particular session is running in, how to get to that room, where the bathrooms are or where I can recharge my phone or laptop.

If you can’t give me the answer to these questions, or even just one of them, or help me find the answers, I’m going to assume you just borrowed your event-coordinator badge from a friend to get a sneaky free pass.

Event organisers – I know that you bring in external staff for conference day, and that you don’t normally employ 20 people every day, but please brief staff with the basics, even give them a “cheat sheet” and employ people with a little initiative to be able handle questions that aren’t run of the mill. It damages your company reputation if they’re not up to scratch.

4. Lanyard-Style Name Tags

A name tag on a lanyard behaves just like a dropped hot-buttered piece of toast – they both end up the wrong way up! How many times have you introduced yourself to someone, heard their name, promptly forgotten it, and then hoped to use their name tag as a reminder? If it’s on a lanyard, you’ve got no hope. And even if it miraculously is the right way around, you’ll still need to bend over, squinting somewhere between the chest and navel of your fellow attendee, to see it.

How do you fix this? I’ve got a couple of ideas:

Double-sided name tags?
A lanyard that attaches in two places, on each end of the name tag sleeve, to stop it spinning?
A name tag on a clip/pin arrangement?

Anything would be better than the dreaded name tag dance we currently have to go through.

5. Bad Coffee!

I’ve saved this one for last, as it’s so often done, and yet so easy to rectify. When attendees have paid between $500 and $1000 (or more) to attend a conference, I think they can expect more than instant coffee from a jar. I’m not a coffee snob, and I don’t expect to get a soy double-decaffeinated half-caf with a twist of lemon, but surely there’s a happy medium.

Sponsorship in kind from a mobile coffee company gives free advertising for your sponsor and free coffee for conference attendees. Or even vouchers for a free coffee for each day of the conference from the on-site coffee vendor would keep me happy.

I can put up with unpredictable AV, arrogant speakers and dodgy name tags, but powdered coffee from a caterer’s jar bigger than my head? Sorry, no can do.

These were my Top 10 Perks and Irks, and I’m sure I’m not alone in my thinking, so please share yours.

Will Social Media End Gender Bias?

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 08:48:28 -0700

An article published in Fast Company, Is LinkedIn a Gender Equalizer?, ponders whether social media will level the playing field for women in business. Women, by nature, are more social and more conversational than men. Social media is a perfect forum for those strengths.

Social Media and the End of Gender

The article reminded me of an interesting TED talk (aren't they all?) about social media and gender bias. Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender is a fascinating video on how social media is changing the study of demographics to the advantage of women.

Watch it now:

What do you think? Is social media changing the game for women?

Dear WA Miners: Let's grow our own IT professionals

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 22:55:49 -0700

Did you see the article in ITWire titled, “IT professionals in high demand through the mining boom”? If you didn’t, you might want to click on that link and give it a read. Senator Chris Evans, the Federal Minister working with an education, skills and workplace relations portfolio, made it very clear the country faced a technology “skills challenge”. Senator Evans estimates the need for at least 3000 jobs in Perth to support the resources sector including professional occupations such as IT and engineering. So we invite you, Mining Industry in WA, to walk alongside us as we tackle this problem.

Advocating technology careers in regional WA

The shrinking IT sector has been in our mind and on our lips for some time. About a year ago, we decided to leave the lip service behind and take action on getting more West Australians into the technology workforce. Our initiative, techtrails, is designed as a school incursion program in remote and regional WA to enlighten high-school aged children about lucrative technology careers. Wouldn’t it be ideal if we could meet this skills challenge with people born and raised in WA? We think so.

Visit the techtrails page on the WITWA website for more information.

Who’s with us?

For starters, Chief Scientist of WA, Professor Lyn Beazley, has signed on as the patron of techtrails. As she said at our launch in November, techtrails ticks all the Beazley boxes. We’re partnering with Scitech who have enthusiastically supplied their "techno truck" to do the hands-on portion of the incursion. We’re not just talking about technology, we’re letting kids build and program robots as an introduction into what technology is really about. Gilmore College in Kwinana is generously agreeing to be our pilot school, allowing us to perfect the program while relatively close to the Perth metropolitan area. We’ve got to hurry though. Karratha, Bunbury and a host of other schools are impatiently waiting in the wings. The sponsors are starting to roll in from software, education and mining. Our early sponsors are Clayko Group, University of Western Australia and Horizon Power.

Who’s NOT with us?

Sadly, we have no government funding. We’ve tried but have been shot down at every turn including Lotterywest. It seems none of the ministers want to fund this important work and Lotterywest can’t due to regulations preventing funding from going into the schools. None of the big IT companies have come to the party, either. While they support plenty of technology initiatives in the eastern states, Regional WA is a bit too remote from their head offices.

Who does that leave?

Miners, we’re looking at you. We have common goals. We’re working in the same neighbourhood. We’re focused on Regional WA. This is our neck of the woods and we’re not going anywhere. Neither are you. We desperately want to provide opportunity to children in WA – including youth from indigenous communities – to benefit from the mining boom. We’ve got our program in place. We’ve got our delivery partners. We’ve got a seal of approval from Lyn Beazley. Now all we need is some funding.

So how about it?

The technology sector is shrinking at an alarming rate. We’ve got a plan on how we can make a huge difference in WA for everyone involved. We need your help, mining community. We quit wringing our hands some time ago. We’re ready to step on the gas and get this thing off the ground. Do what you do best, supply some fuel and let’s get the techtrails show on the road.

For information on how to participate in the WITWA techtrails initiative, contact us. We’ll be in touch so fast it will make your head spin. Promise!

Who do you know in the mining or resources sector that might be able to help us with sponsorship?

Image Credits: "Super Pit" by andrewcparnell and "Argyle diamond mine" by piesgardiner both on Flickr.com

Social Media and Privacy

Sun, 29 May 2011 00:46:41 -0700

Social Media and Privacy is a hot topic. Our women-only event on 27 May 2011 discussed the paradigm shift in how we communicate and the impact it has on our personal privacy. Women, in particular, need to be aware of how the information flows and is distributed in social networks. Our gender posts and shares more personal information than men do. Unfortunately, women and children are also more likely to experience privacy breaches.

Copy of the Slides

As the speaker at the event, I was asked to make the slides available so both the attendees and people unable to attend could have access to the content. I gladly share that information here:

Social Media and Privacy

View more presentations from Global Copywriting.

Related Writing on Social Media and Privacy

In addition to the presentation, you may be interested in blog posts I've written on the same topic. Essentially, these posts represent the speaker notes for the presentation. You can find the following titles on my blog:

Social Media and Privacy: Are you putting yourself in a fish bowl?

Social Media: Important factors to consider in relation to your privacy

Social Media and Privacy: What you should know about WOEID

Protecting Your Privacy on Social Media

What privacy concerns do you have about social media?

Image Credit: "Webtreats 108 Free Glossy Orange Orb Social Media Icons" by webtreats on Flickr.com

A Call to Action for the Australian ICT Industry

Sun, 22 May 2011 21:54:34 -0700

Last week I attended a panel discussion organised by the ACS-Women titled, Where are all the women in technology? There’s no disputing the number of women in technology is diminishing even though we’re earning more university degrees and advanced degrees than the guys. While the whole IT sector is shrinking, it’s especially worrying to think women are no longer considering technology as a viable career path. The event didn’t cover any new ground and, in my mind, probably took a step towards reinforcing some of the problems in our industry.

Gender fatigue

First, let me be the first to put my hand up and say I’m weary of all the hand-wringing reports about the lack of women in technology. Honestly. I’m sick of talking about it. I wish I had written this post, A Letter to Women in Tech, I Let You Down, but it was Lisa Barrone who created that bit of magic. Suffice it to say I agree with Lisa. I suspect if you’re reading this post, you do too.

Disappointing advice

The big take-away from the panel discussion was depressing. We were advised to find a male mentor – someone in the ‘old boys ‘ network – and get them to help navigate the closed world of technology. Really? That's circa 1977 advice if you ask me. Even more depressing was the number of ‘old boys’ in the room nodding their head in agreement. To be fair, I’m not sure I saw that clearly because my eyes were rolling in unison with my jaw dropping. This is, after all, 2011. I love how the solution to the problem ends back in the lap of the women, also circa 1977.

How to really get women in technology

It’s not up to the women to change; it’s up to our industry to change. If we’re serious about attracting women in to technology jobs, I can tell you exactly what needs to be done to shift the tide. Make technology a lucrative career for women and they’ll be beating the door down for jobs. I’m not kidding. Australian women earn on average 17% less than men when all things are equal. Can you imagine what would happen if ICT gets a reputation for remunerating women exactly the same way they do men?

Will Australian ICT clue up?

There’s no shortage of women in technology. Many of us have struck out on our own after discouraging experiences with compensation and promotion. That often means technology is no longer the defining element of our work. It certainly doesn’t mean we’re abandoning the field; we’re simply working on our own terms. It’s not time for women to change. It’s time for the industry to get a clue.

Important Clarification

During the panel discussion Go Girl, Go for IT was described as an ACS initiative. It is not. Women in Technology are the people behind the Go Girl careers showcase. In WA, our current initiative to attract youth (both girls and boys) into technology careers is called techtrails. We're looking for volunteers!

What do you think will attract women to technology careers?

Image credits from Flickr.com:

No, this is not by Lady Pain (Marta Manso)

Update by Exey Panteleev

Why Women Make Better Innovators

Mon, 09 May 2011 22:11:15 -0700

Our WITWA Chair, Marjolein Towler, had the opportunity to speak about Innovation at the IEEE-WISE conference held in Perth last month. For those of you that couldn’t make the event, Marjolein has generously shared her notes on her view of innovation and why she believes women hold more promise when it comes to innovative thinking.

What it means

Let’s start with the Wikipedia definition:

“Innovation comes from the Latin innovationem, noun of action from innovare "to renew or change," from in- "into" + novus "new".

Here’s the problem, humans are not very good with change. So quite often, innovation comes about in order for things to remain the same.

Accidental Innovation

Duyfken Replica

Sometimes innovation comes about by accident. I always thought that Apple’s Quicktime VR, the 360^o photo panoramas, were a case in point. When they first came out, nobody had any use for them. “They are a solution waiting for a problem,” I distinctly remember my friend and Web collaborator Geoff Jagoe saying. But quickly enough, we found a very good use for them on our Duyfken Replica Website. What better way of seeing the construction of a 16^th Century Ship replica when you cannot visit it in person?

Innovation through necessity

Another common way to experience innovation is through necessity. The publishing sector would be familiar with this – innovate or perish. In the 16th Century, when Gutenberg and others invented movable type, books became an affordable commodity. In the 20^th Century, computers and digital type brought major innovation to the book production process, but the book itself never changed. Did you know that e-books have been around for 20-odd years already? The first e-book publishers were formed here in Perth. They are still around at www.e-book.com. But e-books never really took off until an innovation that allowed them to not change; the digital book reader.

This did not just change the book production, but the very book itself. But it did not change how people want to read books; what they wanted, where they want. After thousands of years of reading a printed book, we can now store hundreds of books in one small device. Ironically, it was by acknowledging and accommodating human habits - that do not change - that we can all enjoy our Kindles and iPads.

Fostering Innovation

From my experience in my process management consulting, the most effective innovation in process comes through collaborative practices. There is no such thing as a single person’s endeavour anyway. We all build on what has gone before. It is the interdisciplinary approaches – the being forced to think outside of the square - that delivers innovation. Sometimes that means going back to basics, as with the digital book reader.

Are women better innovators?

I do not know if there is a difference between men and women in the way they come to innovation, but I do know the collaborative model comes easier to women than to men. In my experience, women are more apt to share knowledge and exchange ideas for the sake of it, rather than for the pure gain of it. (Not that gains don’t happen without collaboration; many innovative ideas come from a single source.) It means you have to be prepared to give as well as take, and the gains are assigned to the whole, and not just the contributing parts of the collaboration.

Innovation is also about nurturing - of ideas, talent, and vision. Nurturing is something women overall do quite well. I’d go as far to say we’re sort of famous for it although it’s not exclusive to women and thank goodness for that.

How to find it

I think innovation is around us all the time and in great abundance. Small but significant changes and improvements are made to our collective lives all the time. I am very optimistic that this will be so for a long time to come.

What are you favourite examples of innovative thinking?

Image credits: Duyfken broadside courtesy of the Duyfken 1606 Replica Foundation, Marjolein Towler courtesy of John Bain at John Bain Photography

Event in Review: Disaster Recovery with Angela Pak from KPMG

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:44:48 -0700

When Angela Pak from KPMG spoke at our last event about disaster recovery - Preparing for an IT Disaster: It's not just about the technology - she did it from the voice of experience. Winning the crowd over with a detailed analysis of the Queensland floods, the insight provided left the room with plenty of food for thought.

Expert advice over breakfast

While everyone was mesmerised hearing lessons learned from an event most of us only saw on TV, what really made an impression was information and advice Angela shared about disaster readiness. As Senior Manager within the KPMG IT Advisory team and leading the Perth Business Resilience practice, she brought credibility to a topic easy to brush under the rug. In particular:

Technology is only part of the job

It’s easy for IT people to focus on the technology but you can’t safely stop there. It’s equally important for considerations to be made about your staff, the premises of your building, and whether or not your partners and suppliers will be ready.

You're probably NOT ready for a disaster

According to the Symantec 2011 SMB Disaster Preparedness Survey

Only 50% of participants had a documented IT DRP
Only 28% have actually tested

Testing requires a lot of planning

Disaster Recovery Testing Considerations

Test frequently
Make sure your testing includes infrastructure, not just software
Involve business users
Use realistic scenarios that link back to your risk assessment

While it was hard to imagine a disaster situation from the comfortable setting at KPMG, Angela’s professional expertise garnered a lot of discussion and a renewed commitment to investigate disaster recovery more fully in each of our organisations.

Do you have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in your organisation?

techtrails: It's All About Tech-Knowledge-Y

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 02:42:22 -0700

The WITWA committee recently spent a morning at Scitech to get a closer look at how they’ll be contributing to our techtrails program. Scitech are collaborating with techtrails using the techno truck to deliver the hands-on part of our program. We were especially excited about getting our own hands on the equipment after listening to Russell Hammond speak at our techtrails launch in November. Going in with high expectations, we were blown away by the end of the morning.

We met with Lauren Davis, Technology Crusader, (We adore that title!) and one of the presenters for the techno truck and other Scitech programs. She walked us through the modules on New Media and Robotics that will be presented to the students. One thing became clear very quickly to our committee; we can learn a lot from Scitech when it comes to presenting to young people and fostering their enthusiasm. Even though we’re all seasoned public speakers, Lauren gave us a lot of insight about how to keep students engaged.

Rapid adoption rates for new media

Lauren also shared interesting statistics gleaned from Scitech research and Neilson research papers:

It took Radio 38 years to reach an audience of 50 million
It took Television 13 years to reach an audience of 50 million
It took iPod 6 years to reach an audience of 50 million
It took Facebook 3 years to reach an audience of 50 million
It took Farmville less than a year to reach an audience of 50 million

Programming Robots

We all had a chance to participate in the Robotics workshop. Given iPads, iPhones and a Lego robot, we had a quick whirl on using technology to get our instructions AND program the robots. While we’ve all been involved in technology for many years, it was the first time any of us had an opportunity to work with the Lego robots. The hardest part of the exercise was knowing we had other meetings to get to and couldn’t spend more time with Lauren and Scitech.

Working towards the goal

We came away from the meeting energised by the experience. Scitech has put a lot of thought into how they can connect with youth and make technology a super cool industry to pursue even for children not attracted to technology. Russell stressed in his presentation that it was Scitech’s aim to impart ‘tech-knowledge’ to every student visiting the Techno Truck. We think they’ve hit the mark and then some.

Have you ever programmed a robot?

Image Credits: Russell Hammond courtesy of John Bain from John Bain Photography. techno truck swiped directly from the Scitech website.

WITWA Weighs In: Pseudo-science in Fast Company

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:18:40 -0800

Not long ago we posted a tweet with a link to an article in Fast Company titled, How Come There Aren’t More Women in Technology? Before long, we were being accused of promoting pseudo-science because the explanation offered "hormones, brain anatomy, and mirror neurons" as reasons for the lack of women in the technology industry. We were delighted to get that response as the article does not support what we know about women in general. After trading tweets on the issue, we decided we needed to provide further opinion about the article and what we really think about it.

WITWA Chair: Marjolein Towler

I have come across biological arguments to ‘prove a point’ before, but this one was new to me - a biological reason why women cannot ‘do’ technology or science. My first reaction was, “Who writes this stuff, and why?” Do we really think that biology is the driver behind our capabilities to function and perform in the modern world?

Genetic Predisposition? Come On!

It reminded me of a program I saw about intelligence and race. There too were, presumably well-meaning people, making a biological argument that was supposed to ‘prove’ the Asian races have the most superior intelligence and black races have the most inferior intelligence of the human species. Except if you nurture people - regardless of race - and give them the same education opportunities, there is no difference in intelligence– just human brains doing what they do.

So you have to ask the question, why make this argument in the first place? What purpose does it serve? Is it to make the point that it will never happen and we as women should not even bother? Or, that nature and biology have relegated us to different roles (probably mother and nurturer of men most likely)?

The Nature of Nuture

I would argue that it is nurture (and a dose of adversity) that make us achieve as humans, inspiring us and making us want to follow good examples. What has been lacking in the technology sector is awareness, good opportunities, encouragement and role models. Not because they are not there, but because they get no profile.

I am greatly heartened by organisations such as BankWest and Deloitte forming their own internal ‘women in technology’ groups. This has to be the way forward. Clearly we will get no support from Mark Goulston – the Expert Blogger at Fast Company – but we’ll leave him to his biology.

WITWA Committee Member: Sarah Mitchell

I share Marjolein’s opinion but, as a writer and content marketer, I was further perturbed by the complicity a respected publication like Fast Company shares in perpetuating this sort of nonsense. The disclaimer under Goulston’s byline states,

“This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert’s views alone.”

Where's the Editorial Integrity?

It’s not good enough. While Goulston has an impressive list of credentials, I wonder who at Fast Company edited the article and approved it for publication. Do they honestly believe – or even support a theory – that says women are biologically and intellectually inferior to men? Goulston’s arguments apply to women in general, not specifically to women in technology. He didn’t say, “Take the credit cards away from your wives when they’re menstruating,” but he wasn’t far off.

The About Us profile on the Fast Company website states:

“Written for, by, and about the most progressive business leaders, Fast Company and FastCompany.com inspire readers and users to think beyond traditional boundaries, lead conversations and create the future of business.”

I think they missed the mark on this article. With females comprising 46% of their online readership, you have to wonder what on earth they were thinking? Far from being inspiring, the only boundary this piece is pushing is the worn-out, disproved idea that women simply aren’t good enough and they can’t do anything about it.

Committee Member: Katherine Burnett

I read the article and thought, ‘Who is this crack pot?’ After getting annoyed at the stupidity of it, I reread it. My next thought was, ‘Not only does the 'reasoning' given here not make any sense, it's a really poorly written article’.

Pop Culture Fluff

It’s definitely in the genre of ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’ or ‘Why women can't reverse park and why men don't ask for directions’. It’s not far off the ridiculousness in the Kindergarten Cop where the boy spouts the genius "boys have a penis and girls have a vagina". I’m not sure it’s even worth a response.

What do you think? Does Mark Goulston have a valid point?

Image Credits:

Marjolein Towler courtesy of John Bain at John Bain Photography
Sarah Mitchell by Paul Pichugin at Blaque Studios
Katherine Burnett from her personal collection
View from Fast Company's office in World Trade Center by Robert Scoble, on Flickr

Mars and Venus: Are we STILL talking about that?

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:45:51 -0800

You've heard it all before, right? Men and women just don't operate the same way. A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald titled Mars and Venus: the difference between male and female entrepreneurs outlines several significant differences between the way men and women approach their own small businesses.

What the pundits say about women vs. men business owners

Women are more collaborative and involve more people in their decisions
Women like to think things through
Women are less likely to take risks
Men are not afraid to call on their personal networks for help in business
Women network to meet people, not to advance their business
Women tend to avoid the financial side of running a business
Women are only in it until they find their man

Is that really true?

To state that women and men are different is like kicking in an open door. That they would run businesses in a different way would have to follow. But to saywomen are different entrepreneurs because they are “neurologically programmed to work through issues in a more collaborative way”, have no great sense for money, and are actually really waiting for a men to marry them, was news to me.

A discouraging trend

Painting women as less capable and more prone to biological shortcomings seems to be a new fashion in business reporting. (Have you seen the 'pink infographic' about Women in Tech? ) I don't like it and I bet other Women in Technology don't either.

What do you think? Does the article make valid points or is it rehashing tired stereotypes and dressing it up as research?

techtrails: It's Personal

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 23:17:13 -0800

When Dr. Erica Smyth addressed the crowd at the techtrails launch, no one expected to hear the real reason she endorses our program. With a list of impressive credentials including Chairing the boards at SciTech, Toro Energy Ltd, Screen West, and Diabetes Research Foundation of WA - along with directorship of several more organisations - we knew she would speak favourably about our technology roadshow. We hadn’t considered she might have extremely personal reasons to support us, as well.

Science and technology advances in diabetes treatment

Dr. Smyth suffers from diabetes. She quickly related how important scientific advances in the treatment of diabetes affect her life. She carried a large bag to the podium containing the equipment she had to use to control her blood sugar levels when she first began treatment. In contrast, she now wears a unit about the size of a small mobile phone comfortable tucked underneath her clothes. Better technology equates directly to improved quality of life and Dr. Smyth openly champions technology for its ability to do so.

Dr. Smyth making the keynote address at the launch of techtrails

Making a difference

In a night brimming with enthusiasm, Dr. Smyth shined when speaking about her passion for technology and her belief that more young people should be considering careers related to science and technology. As a role model for young women, she’s beyond compare. Addressing a room of the top technology people in Perth, Dr. Smyth reminded us our work is not all about bits, bytes and pixels. It’s about life and death, too.

Get Involved in techtrails

If you would like to get involved with the techtrails initiative, please contact WITWA. Our pilot program is underway and we’re looking for support on many different levels.

How has technology changed your life?

Image Credit: Images generously contributed by John Bain from John Bain Photography

Connecting with WITWA

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:59:45 -0800

Have you ever tried to tell someone how a virtual office works? Not long ago I helped WITWA apply for a grant for a new website. The golden rule of grant applications is to leave no blanks on the form - doing so could eliminate you from consideration for an award. This particular form wanted a physical address for our organisation which we couldn't provide. WITWA operates out of virtual office, linked by the homes, offices and desks of the committee members (in)conveniently scattered across Perth.

The person I spoke to about the application didn't know what to make of my predicament. He had never heard of a virtual office and couldn't quite grasp how we could function as a networking group if we didn't have a property where we could all meet. He was confused even more when I told him we held regular networking events and always had a nice turnout of people. When I told him our website acted as our office and social media channels provided our communications link, I don't think he believed me. In the end, I had to send him an email with all our "virtual" addresses in it.

Virtual Addresses

I've recently distributed that list to all our committee members and thought I'd share it on our blog, too. One of the marvelous things about the virtual world is the choice we all have in how and where we want to connect with each other. You may not realise all the different places WITWA is active. I was a little surprised at how long our list was. In addition to the blog you're already reading, you can knock on our virtual door in all these places:

Website: www.witwa.org.au

Our news feed:What's New

Our Twitter account: @WITWA

Our Techtrails Twitter account: @techtrails

Our Facebook page: Women in Technology, Western Australia (WITWA)

Our LinkedIn discussion group: WITWA (Women in Technology, WA)

Coming Soon

We've still got a bit of work to do. Our techtrails program is coming along and will soon warrant its own Facebook Page and LinkedIn discussion group.

Drop in, Give us a ring, Leave a note

While it may seem unconventional to more traditional businesses, women in technology have long adapted to the virtual world. WITWA's goal is to provide great content in the more popular virtual addresses. We'd love to have you stop by and check in with us where ever you happen to spend time. We're doing our best to curate a lot of quality content. Of course, we'll continue to develop original content, as well. What we would like more than anything is to hear from you.

Finally...

We didn't get that grant in the end. We're deeply grateful to Thoughtworks for their generous sponsorship of the website you're visiting now. If you want to see what they're doing to attract and keep women in the technology sector, click on the Stand Tall banner at the top of this page.

Where do you hang out in the virtual world?

Image Credit: Twodogz photography on Flickr.com

IT Demand Tightens as Sector Shrinks

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:53:00 -0800

Two articles came across WITWA desks in the past week to support the need for our techtrails program. We’ve heard a lot of lamenting about the shrinking technology industry. We also know young people no longer find IT careers attractive. (More about that in a later post.)

More IT jobs required as sector shrinks

A new study coming out of the UK indicates the problem is more dire than realised. On Wednesday, 19 January, alarming statistics were reported in an article posted on ZDNet UK, Study: IT Industry to add 110,000 job this year.

The study found there has been a 33-percent reduction in applicants to computing degree courses since 2002, while applications to other science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) courses have increased by an average of 23 percent over a similar period.

Only nine percent of students taking A-level computing and 15 percent of those on computing degrees were found to be female.

The UK is worried because they view IT as a vital component to economic recovery. While Australia has come through the GFC relatively unscathed, our boom is going to be just as demanding on personnel. The resources sector, the NBN project, the potential SKA project and the rebuilding of Brisbane and Queensland are going to pull on an already thin pool of talent.

Australia's best students being headhunted

But guess what? We’ve got more to worry about than cultivating our own body of technology professionals. We’re going to have to deal with our top students being poached by other countries. In an article at ZDNet on 12 January, IT grads: so good, they’re headhunted, we’re beginning to see the first signs of what is sure to become a cutthroat atmosphere to secure Australia’s best students. Companies like Google and Microsoft are keeping tabs on the student computing societies at university campuses, recruiting the brightest stars before graduation. While some of the students are staying in Australia, it’s not hard to lure them out of the country for glamour jobs.

Why techtrails is more important than ever

More than ever, WITWA is committed to encouraging youth to contemplate technology careers. Our techtrails initiative is designed to get both girls and boys interested in IT and think about career pathways they may not have considered before. If you would like to help, please contact us for more information on how you can support the techtrails initiative.

What evidence have you seen that IT is facing a future personnel shortage?

Subscribe to WITWA, it's free!

Image Credit: Matt From London, on Flickr

Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:39:42 -0800

Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, gave a fabulous talk at TED about why there's not enough women in the top jobs across business, industry and technology. She addresses what women can do and should be doing to get those positions. It's a gentle kick-in-the-backside combined with a wake-up call for women everywhere.

It's a particularly inspiring talk when you consider Sandberg is at the top of a notoriously male-dominated company. (Did you see The Social Network?) More encouraging, she's the mother of two young children. Her talk is infused with empathy, humour, and steely determination to help women get to the top.

Watch this video to learn about her three top pieces of advice for women:

Sit at the table.
Make your partner a real partner.
Don't leave before you leave.

What do you think about Sandberg's advice?

If you would like to be part of a supportive group of women technology professionals, register with WITWA.

techtrails: Ticking all the Beazley boxes

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 22:15:22 -0800

It’s no small feat developing a program to encourage youth into the technology sector. What we’ve found just as challenging is getting support from industry and government to fund the event. When Professor Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of WA, agreed to become the patron for the techtrails program, we were thrilled. Professor Beazley shared her larger vision for the technology sector in Western Australia and why she thinks techtrails is important to our state.

What are the Beazley boxes?

Resources

Not a person living in Western Australia isn’t acutely aware of the impact the mining and resources sector has on every aspect of our life. The technology sector experiences both a positive and negative effect. Firstly, mining is no longer a grunt’s game. Backbreaking work and physical stamina have been replaced by technology and WA needs more trained professionals than ever. The mines also present lucrative pay packets to unskilled labourers. Developing local talent to work in the science and technology end of the resources sector strengthens our economy and provides lifelong skills. Currently much of this expertise is being imported from the Eastern States and overseas.

Environment

With one of the longest coastlines in the world, WA has plenty of water and earth. On the brink of technological advancements in the areas of desalination, wind power, and solar power, WA is perfectly poised to become a world leader on resolving issues facing the world - from climate change to better farming practices to safe drinking water. Technology is the key to realising the advances necessary to not only sustain our planet but improve the human condition in many less fortunate countries.

Sky

Professor Beazley speaks passionately about the Square Kilometre Array and the possibility it holds for WA if we’re awarded the project to build the international radio telescope for the 21^st century. With an international science project anchored in Western Australia, the technology sector will be under great demand than ever before. Once the telescope is up and running, it’s hard to imagine what new technologies will be inspired by the discoveries made.

Girls and Women

Importantly to WITWA, Professor Beazley understands the importance of encouraging young women into the science, engineering and technology sector. A perfect role model for any young woman starting a career in technology and inspiring to seasoned professionals, Professor Beazley’s infectious enthusiasm is hard to resist. We’re hoping we can harness some of that zeal and entice a few more girls and boys to explore technology careers and the amazing opportunities WA has to offer in the sector.

To support the techtrails project, please consider WITWA sponsorship.

*Image courtesy of John Bain from John Bain Photography

Feminine Values in Business

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:05:09 -0800

Halla Tomasdottir is an investment banker - an Icelandic investment banker. By rights she should be doing very badly since the Global Economic Crisis. But she isn’t. In fact, she is doing very well. Why? Hear her straight talk at TEDTalk about Feminine Values in Business and find out.

About this talk

Halla Tomasdottir managed to take her company Audur Capital through the eye of the financial storm in Iceland by applying 5 traditionally "feminine" values to financial services. At TEDWomen, she talks about these values and the importance of balance.

Why you should listen to her?*

Halla Tomasdottir believes that women’s values are key to solving Iceland’s economic crisis. In 2007, Halla and her business partner, Kristin Petursdottir, co-founded Audur Capital to bring greater diversity, social responsibility, and “feminine values” to the ﬁnancial services industry. These values include independence, risk awareness, straight talk, emotional capital, and proﬁt with principles. And Audur’s approach appears to be working. The investment ﬁrm’s innovative offerings—such as the national green-tech investment fund they set up with pop icon and homegirl Björk—may just help save banking in Iceland.

Halla began her career in corporate America, working for heavyweights like M&M/Mars and Pepsi-Cola. Back home, she helped create a foundation and the executive education and women entrepreneurship programs at Reykjavik University. Halla later became managing director of the Iceland’s Chamber of Commerce; she left her post to start Audur. The company is named after an early Viking settler, Audur the Wise, whose moniker signiﬁes wealth, happiness, and clear space.

"Halla Tomasdottir, an Icelandic fund manager and founder of Audur Capital, a wealth management firm in Reykjavik, is certain that if women had been at the helm of Iceland’s economy and its major banks, the country would not have been brought to its knees."

The Daily Mail, March 28, 2009

*From TEDTalks bio

techtrails Transformations: Not Your Ordinary Networking Event

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 06:21:34 -0800

What do you get when you mix a purple Mohawk, a woman with a cleaver, a load of academic luminaries, ICT stalwarts, gobs of bright young tech geeks and put them all together in the boardroom of a big accounting firm? Believe it or not, you end up with the most passionate bunch of technology folks in Perth, all interested in working to get more youth into our sector.

Blazing Trails to Technology

On Tuesday, 30 November 2010, we launched our techtrails initiative, an project aimed at supplementing the shrinking technology sector with new talent. Working in partnership with industry and the private sector, the techtrails program operates as a school incursion in regional Western Australia designed to raise awareness about technology careers.

WITWA Chair, Marjolein Towler, was master of ceremonies for an incredible line-up of speakers.

”A Very Cleaver Person”

The patron of techtrails, Professor Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of WA, wowed the crowd with her enthusiasm and support. Saying the project “ticks all the Beazley boxes”, she challenged the capacity crowd to get behind WITWA and help us take the possibility of technology careers to the regions of WA. Referring to a fan letter she got from a young girl, Prof. Beazley advised we take a cleaver approach to blazing trails in technology.

A Medical Kit of Technology

Dr. Erica Smyth, Chairman of Scitech, delivered a keynote address laced with passion and personal triumph. Explaining her personal battle with Type 1 Diabetes and the scientific advances she’s experienced in her lifetime of treating the disease, she reminded us all how the human condition is continually improved with advances in science and technology.

Purple Mohawks and Movember

While Julian Clark, Chairman of the ACS’s Young IT Professionals, delayed the culmination of his Movember fundraising effort, the crowd was focused on quite another hair matter. Russel Hammond burst onto the stage sporting a bright purple mohawk. Introducing the Scitech “techno truck” and explaining the Scitech/WITWA partnership, he had everyone thinking about “tech knowledge” as a way to reach young people.

Dramatic Teaching

Kerry Bowden, Deputy Principal at Gilmore College in Kwinana, revealed the motivation for becoming part of the techtrails pilot program. Sharing her philosophy that “disadvantage does not mean destiny”, she assured the room techtrails would appeal to students and open doors they and their parents didn’t know existed. A drama and English teacher caught in a sea of geeks, Kerry stabbed everyone right in the heart with her description of limited choices for youth in “at risk” and regional schools.

The ACS Stalwart

From the ACS Foundation, Jim Ellis OAM, shared the industry perspective and warned us of obstacles we need to overcome. Pointedly declaring “ICT is now part of the infrastructure” and no longer viewed as an exciting career choice for young people, Jim outlined the positioning used by the ACS to attract youth into the technology sector.

Partner in Innovation

Our host for the evening, Stephen Carroll, Innovation and Technology Partner from KPMG Australia, had already convinced us we weren’t dealing with a stereotypical accounting firm. We’d been feasting on luxury hors d’oeuvres and refreshments delivered by efficient wait staff. Riveted to the magnificent view of the Swan River, no one wanted the event to end. Steve summed up the event by saying, “Why wouldn’t you support this project?”

Picture Perfection

WITWA extends many thanks and undying gratitude to the extremely gracious John Bain from John Bain Photography. A last minute replacement sourced from WITWA Twitter connections, John volunteered his services for the evening in the spirit of support for our project. Professional and engaging, he seemed to be everywhere but completely unobtrusive at the same time.

If you missed this event, there are still plenty of ways you can get involved. We are a 100% volunteer organisation with no government funding. If you would like to support techtrails and participate in a gratifying industry project, Contact us for ideas on how you can do that.

What was your personal tech trail?

*Photo courtesy of John Bain from John Bain Photography

TechTrails

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:00:00 -0800

WITWA's main agenda is to promote technology careers as a viable profession for young women. We've successfully run three careers showcases called "Go Girl, Go for IT". The last Go Girl event was in 2006. Despite many attempts, we have been unable to secure funding for another big event from either the government or private sector.

The Challenge

Last year we held a strategy session to discuss how we could advance our agenda.
Two significant decisions were made:

Nearly all sectors of the technology industries are experiencing a shortage of qualified people. It became apparent that we had to widen the scope of our program and include boys as well as girls.
If we could not get funding to provide elaborate careers showcases, we could still accomplish a lot by taking our show on the road and running small incursions at schools.

The Format

We decided to target schools classified as rural, remote and "at risk". Working on the success of our Go Girl experience, we know we want to provide a combination of information and "hands on" experiences for the kids. Importantly, we also know we need to put young professionals on stage to present their experiences. Gilmour College in Kwinana immediately put their hand up to participate in a pilot program.

Partnership with SciTech

We've been in conversation with SciTech to provide the practical portion for our project. They are in the process of launching their new TechTruck, a mobile experience aimed at school kids. We rebranded our project to TechTrails. While nothing is completely ironed out, we are hoping to work in close partnership with SciTech. We will organise, coordinate and present; SciTech will deliver the hands on portion at our incursions.

How You Can Help

WITWA is a volunteer organisation with little or no funding. We are passionate about promoting technology careers to youth, especially in areas where opportunities might not be abundant. If you are interested in working on our TechTrails project or can help with funding in any way, please contact us. Our experience with "Go Girl, Go for I.T." has given us a lot of confidence about our approach. Now we just need to make it happen.