Women and news consumption, women and internet use

December 16, 2008 · Filed Under Uncategorized · Comment

The ombuds(wo)man at the Washington Post, Deborah Howell, has an interesting piece today about how women consume the newspaper differently than men. She writes, “Post readership research [shows] that men and women are equally interested in breaking and national news, but that women are more interested in local news, especially about schools, and in health, food and home topics.” Howell also notes that younger women with children are a tough group for the Post to attract. This is tough for a newspaper since mothers drive most household purchases and thus, are very very attractive to advertisers.

But women hold some responsibility too. Howell’s column reminds me of a 2002 study by Clark and Gorski. They posit several theories as to why nerd culture and technology is so heavily male dominated. One, they suggest, has simply to do with how differently men and women consume information online. They write,

“Men, conditioned to value and pursue technological competence, use online time to learn more about technology or to further improve professional or economic standing. But women, without the same support and encouragement, tend to use the technology for hobbies and non-technology-related self-development.”

All that online community and talking, they suggest, holds women back from leading in the hard stuff.

Similarly, men consume harder news, while women have a current affairs gap, according to Pew. Howell suggests not only bringing more female voices into the mix (in the newsroom, in management, and most difficult, into the world arena itself) but also in developing editorial coverage that appeals more to women. This last suggestion troubles me greatly. We shouldn’t dumb down or lighten the news to suit women’s tastes. Women have a responsibility to keep up with current events, and I thought this was really changing during Election 2008. Now, with no Palin or Barack daily horserace digest, will many women go back to favoring soft news? We can do better, surely.

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Why women need the internet…cont’d

December 10, 2008 · Filed Under Uncategorized · Comment

I’ve been working on a chapter submission for a new edited volume on gender and leadership. My chapter, “Gender and Leadership in the Digital Age,” aims to synthesize the many innovations in digital culture and social media that empower women to become leaders. This stuff isn’t rocket science. In an nutshell, here’s why I think social media has such promise for women.

- Access to new networks. Research shows that women’s social and professional networks look different than men’s, and this can hurt us professionally. Women tend to have fewer weak ties, more all-female reference groups, and more contacts who are peers, less who are superiors. As Aldrich wrote, after work, “men head for cocktails [or golf], women head for the dry cleaner.” Online media fundamentally changes this equation.

- A digital brand that is portable and permanent. Women can lose out professionally because most of us take some time out of the paid workforce to raise children. If you take time off to have a baby or opt-out of a career ladder progression, your online presence can still grow and burnish your professional reputation. Your online brand is layoff proof and it can grow with you as your expertise grows.

- A way to establish expertise and credentials. Digital publishing and creating a strong digital brand allows you to establish expertise in your field while bypassing traditional gatekeepers or barriers to success. Google rank plus links to your work= credentials in the digital age. Again, research shows women feel the need to be more credentialed before assuming positions of power. Strong use of social media allows us to build credentials without breaking into traditional networks (if we’re part of those networks, even better- we can link out to more women).

- Strong community ties. We get by with a little help from them…online friends build social capital, plus they’re a wonderful addition to life. Online community can help busy women feel connected, listened to, and recharged, on our terms and at the time of day that works for us.

Anyway this is very much a work in progress but it’s been true to my experience and is backed up by (some research). I welcome tips to complementary research.

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Massachusetts Conference for Women

December 9, 2008 · Filed Under Uncategorized · Comment

Please join me Thursday, Dec. 11 for the Massachusetts Conference for Women at the Boston Convention Center.

I’ll be facilitating (with two other great speakers from Microsoft and Accenture) two short sessions. The topic I’ll be discussing? How to build your online brand.

Your online profile is a rich, lifelong source of professional and personal growth opportunity, if you tend it carefully. The internet and social media tools offer women unprecedented access to social and career networks. Maintaining a strong Google profile allows you to build expertise and presence in your field.

Hope to see you Thursday. For more information: click here

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Bedrest reading list

December 9, 2008 · Filed Under Uncategorized · Comment

Being on quasi bedrest has been absolutely kind of wonderful. I shouldn’t admit it; it feels so un-industrious and non-productive of me. But I think I will miss it when it’s gone. The best part has been reading. I gave myself carte blanche to spend a small fortune on Amazon and have read the best string of books. Here’s my bedrest book list thus far- and I want more titles!! I aimed for writers I really love, poppy and easy to read but still meaty.

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
A Life in France by Julia Child
No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin (I will never finish this book- not in a year of bedrest)
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
Something to Tell You by Hanif Kureishi
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

I was just listening to Tom Ashbrook and his guests mentioned a novel called Netherland, by Joseph O’Neill, about ex-pats and cricket in New York City. Sounds excellent. But I am trying to avoid sadness and death in my pregnancy reading. Two of the above books fail that test starkly, but I won’t say which. They are still worth reading.

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Technosexy at any age

December 4, 2008 · Filed Under Uncategorized · Comment

My latest column in the Guardian. Based on many recent client interactions, business media pieces, and news reports on threats to the older work force from the younger generation of workers, and our apparent tech-savviness.

The age-driven digital divide is not healthy for society, business or relationships. It sets up an us-versus-them mentality that is exacerbated in rough economic times, when vulnerabilities are heightened and jobs are more competitive. I don’t think young workers are more powerful because they can utilise online social networks. I think that’s a pretty pathetic barrier to entry. My three-year-old niece can do it. Older workers are more expensive, but that has more to do with the US healthcare system than anything else. However, it’s clear that digital media is an important business force for the future. So what’s the solution? No one can grow younger. The key is to treat technosexiness as just another skill set, and a fairly simple one to learn at that.

Technology cannot be the province of the young any more than wisdom is the sole province of the old. In my work, I often introduce social media applications to traditional areas of the workforce. As I explain the tactics, an executive will undoubtedly respond: “Oh, I sound so old.” And I want to say: “No, you don’t sound old. This stuff isn’t rocket science and Lord knows I couldn’t do what you do.” It’s just a skill set and a state of mind. I hope McCain is home right now, finally learning to use the internet.

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