Tips, web design book reviews, resources and observations for teaching and learning web development.
Infographic from a BlogHer Women & Consumer Electronics Study in 2012.
I don’t think I participated in this study, but if I had, I would have come out in philosophical outlook with the Gen X early adopters, which is further proof of how out of line I am with my generation, a generation that is too old to even be called a boomer.
Being a woman in the male-dominated business world does have its disadvantages, but a growing movement towards equality in all things is helping ladies in every professional niche to be both better and better-paid at what they do, and one of the fields most notable for this growth is blogging. Women are coming to dominate the blogosphere as visitors realize that they’re unique wit and wisdom offer a fantastic take on nearly any topic, making that sector one of the fastest growing for female entrepreneurs.
Meet women in your niche for the purpose of both friendship and professional development by checking out any of these four female blogging meetups for 2013:
If you’re a female blogger who will attend only a single industry event in 2013, the Blissdom Conference is an easy choice! Promising to be the premier destination for women on the web yet again this year, Blissdom will offer three days of speeches, panels, workshops, and the best networking opportunities that you’ll ever come across.
Besides its structure, Blissdom also provides an electric atmosphere of energy and creativity given the hundreds, or even thousands, of unique minds in attendance, giving you the opportunity to make alliances, gain inspiration, and learn new techniques in a setting that is fully conducive to making you better at what you do. No matter which aspects of the event you take advantage of, you’re guaranteed to leave refreshed, rebooted, and ready to tackle the web with renewed vigor!
When and Where: This year’s Blissdom Conference will take place at the Gaylord Texan hotel in Dallas, Texas, from March 21-23, 2013, bringing together ladies involved in a wide array of disciplines to share their blogging expertise.
Whether you’re a lone blogger or a burgeoning web guru, your business needs every edge it can get when it comes to taking over the internet and being truly successful, and what better way to learn the secrets of success than by hearing directly from women who have made it happen for themselves?
The 2013 Women Business Owners Conference will bring together ladies from a wide variety of businesses, online and offline, in order to allow each to share their stories in the interest of giving everyone in attendance a leg up on their competition. Jam-packed into a single day, this low-cost event presents a fantastic opportunity to take your business-savvy to a new level, helping you to tackle your blogging endeavors from a fresh perspective once you return to your desk.
When and Where: Take in this one-day event by heading over to the Anaheim Marriott Hotel in Anaheim, California on March 22, 2013.
Another of the premier industry events for female bloggers is the aptly named BlogHer conference, a gathering of women from every niche and every level of success that aims to help each to achieve new goals. You’ll take part in technical workshops and networking events, learning from some of the most prominent ladies in the business and allowing yourself to leave with a fresh mindset and new toolkit in the pursuit of your own personal success.
When and Where: If you needed an excuse to visit the exciting metropolis of Chicago, Illinois, now you’ve got it; BlogHer ’13 will take place in the Windy City from July 25-27, 2013.
Creativity is the name of the game at the Snap! Conference, with each aspect of the event helping to make you a better and more interesting blogger with its three days of dreaming, planning, and learning to implement. Instead of a rigid schedule alone, Snap! provides a place for bloggers to share their thoughts and ideas, inspiring one another all the while, and leading to each attendee becoming a more well-rounded and engaging writer.
When and Where: Visit the unique town of Salt Lake City, Utah, from April 18-20, 2013, in order to take part in this year’s Snap! Conference!
Writer Jessy Troy is the creativity blogger behind TekSocial.
The current recommendation on longdesc. Things have changed in the screen reader world.
If you follow any women in tech on Twitter you are probably aware of the horror story told by Sarah Parmenter recently. It prompted several others to speak up as well. Here’s a place to start to find links to all their stories: Harassment of Women in Tech Never Ends.
The other day I mentioned a post at CSS Tricks about whether lists in nav elements were a good idea. Chris got a lot of comments and has a second post sharing his conclusions about the question: Wrapup of Navigation in Lists.
Stubbornella announced the CSSConf – The Selection Process will judge your proposals according to this plan:
The most important part is that we have eliminated all identifying details when we are evaluating the quality of your proposals. We won’t see your name, your company, or whether you have spoken before or are brand new to speaking.
This gives everyone an equal opportunity. Kudos to the team at CSSConf for doing it right.
Mari Huertas worked on the Obama election tech team was just one of many women on the team, some of whom she names in not a beard. Yet when the media reported on this wonderous technology team who helped elect a President, women were absent from the story and hairy bearded men were emphasized.
Yet some articles skipped mentioning women almost entirely. Rolling Stone named one; Mother Jones listed zero before backpedaling under scrutiny and adding a handful at the bottom of the article.
Raspberries to the media for not recognizing who holds up half the sky.
The Tech Gender Gap in 2013: Is It Changing? The article cites a few hopeful trends.
Screen-Less Mobile Computers: Talking Changes Everything. Can we talk? (Again, I’m reminded of the TV series Eureka.)
Domain Registrars: Who’s the Fairest in the Land? Spoiler alert – it isn’t Go Daddy. But I see the company I use in this list.
Navigation in Lists: To Be or Not to Be is an important post by Chris Coyier. It talks about how using an unordered list as navigation may not be the great idea we thought it was. If you, like me, use unordered lists in all your navigation, you need to read this post.
If you haven’t checked out the new blog Women and Tech you must look at it. Amazing design and functions. Why not read their latest interview while you’re there: Christina Truong.
The Chinese New Year is coming. It will soon be “my” year for great good fortune – the year of the snake. Here’s a look at how Apple thinks about the marketing opportunities in the celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Sheryl Sandberg takes a blowtorch to gender stereotypes in the workplace. It isn’t 1951 and Jon Hamm isn’t your boss – but it feels like it.
Vine is huge after only about two days. I downloaded it while sitting in my living room and made a video of my only available moving objects – my feet. Are you already on the Vine bandwagon?
My #firstpost on Vine is really lame vine.co/v/bJBgwmteEZK
— Virginia DeBolt (@vdebolt) January 26, 2013
Speaking of apps, I wrote about an app called Swipp for BlogHer. I think it has the potential to be influential. Check it out: Swipp Your Way to Social Intelligence.