:: Netwoman ::

:: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 ::

Not just one Internet

Pew Update - "America's Online Pursuits: The changing picture of who's online and what they do" avaliable here. Much of the findings are not surprising, but rather confirm much of what we already know.

Highlights:

- Different people use the Internet in different ways. The report is full of examples of how people in different demographic groups use the Internet for different purposes (there is not just one internet, but rather internets)

- High proportions of female Internet users have done activities such as seeking health or religious information on the Internet, while a large percentage of male users have sought news, financial information, sports news, and political news (gendered differences)

- Among minority Internet users, a large portion of African-Americans has done research for school and sought religious and spiritual information (race differences)

- English-speaking Hispanic users report high levels of instant messaging and downloading music compared to African-Americans and whites.

- Those from high-income households and who have college degrees are more likely than those with more modest incomes and education to do a host of things online, including looking for government information, doing online banking, and participating in online auctions (class differences)

- The young like instant messaging and downloading music. Older Internet users are more likely than younger users to get health information and seek material at government Web sites (age differences)

- Close to two-thirds of Americans now go online to access the Internet.

- Internet adoption has increased in all demographic groups, but there are still pronounced gaps in Internet use along several demographic lines. Older Americans are much less wired than younger Americans; minorities are less connected than whites, those with modest amounts of income and education are less wired than those with college educations and household incomes over $75,000, those with jobs are more likely than those without jobs to have access, parents of children under 18 living at home are more likely than non-parents to be online, and rural Americans lag behind suburban and urban Americans in the online population. Disabilities also keep some Americans from using the Internet.

(PS - the Wednesday Feature Blogger will return next week).

:: Netwoman 11:57 AM [+] ::
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Women & IT

The Center for Women & Information Technology (CWIT) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is pleased to announce the availability of a merit-based scholarship program to encourage women to prepare for careers in information technology. The CWIT Scholars Program identifies 10 high-achieving high school seniors annually and provides four years of financial and programmatic support for pursuit of a bachelor's degree at UMBC in computer science, computer engineering, information systems, or a related field. Now in its second year, the program is open to both women and men who support women's full involvement in information technology.

In addition to financial support, CWIT Scholars benefit from mentoring, internships, service learning opportunities, specialized courses including one on "Women, Gender, and IT," brown-bag lunches, interaction with distinguished participants in the CWIT Speakers Series, and more. Additional information and an application form are available on the CWIT website . Application deadline: January 15, 2004.

:: Netwoman 5:55 PM [+] ::
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Democracy is not a Spectator Sport

What else can you watch on a Sunday night but - "Bowling for Columbine"? Michael Moore is an absolutely brillant man able to evoke feelings of anger, happiness, sadness and 'get off your ass-ness' (and he loves Canada). The movie made me think of blogging.

Moore encourages us to become active - in our own ways - to change (American) society. If you look at the Teacher's Guide, he offers some suggestions:

Make some changes happen at your local level. Some examples are:
* Organize to write letters to the editor of your local newspaper.
* Organize to monitor and complain publicly about local tv news coverage.
* Organize a teach-in, campus debate or community forum.
* Organize to have your school offer a new course.
* Organize a local corporate watch project.
* Organize to educate the public through vigils, picketing or peace walks.
* Organize a letter writing campaign to your congresspersons.

I think that Michael Moore needs to add Blogging to the list. Blog about the problems with the media, blog about the problems with politics, blog about coporate companies, and blog to educate the public. My message - Just Blog! To me, blogging is a form of activism. Blogging is a way for me to try and change the many injustices of our society by writing, critiquing and analyzing the social world.

So, as Michael Moore would say - DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT! GET INVOLVED! And as I would say - Get Blogging!

"Now let us begin. Now let us re-dedicate ourselves to the long and bitter - but beautiful - struggle for a new world." (Martin Luther King Jr. 1967)

:: Netwoman 11:33 PM [+] ::
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Gender Faux Pas

The other day I blogged about how Moms are blogging - the only problem is that in my quest for blog sites, I assumed that one of the blogs - Dinky's Docket - was authored by a woman.

Dinky's Docket says this:

"Being a natural Narcissus, I am always pleased when I get mentioned on someone else's blog. But in this case, there was a mistake. Netwoman Tracy Kennedy thinks I am a woman. I guess this is understandable since I don't go on about sports or war or muscle cars. But I'm very much a man. Just ask my wife, my four kids, and my toy poodle Ms. Tinkle."

I left an apology on his blog and I feel like a dork for the mistake. But his comment is so interesting - "I guess this is understandable since I don't go on about sports or war or muscle cars" - made me realize how we really manage our gender assignment decisions based on certain performances - even in the blog world. What people blog about, and how they blog it is often very gendered - but sometimes it transgresses them. To me this was a good lesson on conceptualizing gender in the Blogosphere - and again, my apologies to "Mr" Dinky!

:: Netwoman 3:08 PM [+] ::
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Sexy Cyborgs?

Jill blogs about mp3-player necklaces. Jill refers to it as 'sexy', which leads me to believe - of course - there is a specific consumer in mind - Women!

If you look at the mp3 necklace here and here, it is clear that this is designed for women - a fashion accessory. Men won't be wearing this. Then again, certain women won't be wearing this either (I won't) - only a feminine fembot will go there. Again, I am not the typical woman. (whatever that means)

But this makes me think about the role of technology in our lives, and how it is increasingly become a part of our physical bodies. We are cyborgs - the cell phones, the pagers, the MP3s - all extensions of our physical selves - prosthetics. But we are moving beyond this into fashion fetishs; trinkets of social class dangling from our bodies.

"I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess" (Haraway). I am Cyborg hear me roar! However, it seems we are moving away from what Haraway had hoped - the disappearance of dichotomies to Hybrids of many forms. Consumerism won't allow that - Cyborgs will still be gendered.

:: Netwoman 1:05 PM [+] ::
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News: Women and Information Technology

The Center for Women and Information Technology has an excellent online resource of media articles concerning women and information technology that is updated almost daily.

For example, I just found this article "The Glass Cyberceiling" (Sydney Morning Herald [Australia] - December 16, 2003):

"The most recent figures, from the Whitehorse Strategic Group's National Top 250 survey in June, show that women comprise 23 per cent of the ICT workforce in Tasmania and 29 per cent of jobs in the top 250 ICT companies in Australia. The relatively small number of women is closely related to the number of women studying ICT at university, says Rodney Taylor, Whitehorse's research services manager. "The latest Victorian ICT Skills Hub report, in June, indicates that females constituted 24 per cent of national university ICT course completions in 2002," he says, "so there is some correlation between the numbers of women graduating in ICT with the numbers of women employed in the industry."

Have a look at what is going on the IT world. Joan Korenman does a great job of keeping us updated.

:: Netwoman 11:55 AM [+] ::
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The 'Gender Lens': A Racial Blinder

"Gender and Development (GAD) grew out of a political motivation to change the power dynamics of development. Now however there is a danger that GAD has become simply a technical process which avoids challenging power structures. Furthermore, gender risks becoming the only inequality addressed while other issues such as race are sidelined. Instead of helping us see more clearly, the gender lens blinds us to other justice issues. This paper looks at how paradoxically, first and third world women have been merged into one category of 'women', and at the same time constructed as essentially and always different from each other. The silence on race in development is explored, as well as the initial resistance to black feminism within GAD. Black feminist insights were however later taken on such as: the importance of personal feeling and experience in giving meaning to theory; refusing to see men as the enemy; questioning the equation of paid work with women's empowerment; and questioning the understanding of family as the primary location where oppression of women takes place. (Paper prepared for the International Workshop Feminist Fables and Gender Myths: Repositioning Gender in Development Policy and Practice, Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, 2-4 July 2003)"
More info here.

:: Netwoman 11:40 AM [+] ::
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Mom's are Blogging It

I recently found a blog called Busy Mom - and it is very entertaining. Busy Mom has a family that includes "Busy Dad for 13 years. 3 kids: Busy Girl (9), Busy Boy (7) and Busy Baby (1)".

There is an interesting little ecosystem of Mom's blogging out there:

*Medic Mom - there can't be another crisis this week...my schedule is completely full.
*Mommy Needs Coffee - Where caffeine musings meet soccer mom realities!
*Turtle Mama - here
*Mom with Attitude - here
*Life is a Diaper - here.
*Mama Geek's Journal - here
*Just another Diva Mom - here.
*Groovy Mom - here.
*Mom in the Mirror - here
*The Working Mom - here
*My Single Mom Life - here.
*Mommy Screams - here.
*Musings of a Critters Mom - here.
*All Mothers are Slightly Insane - here.
*The Mommy Blog - here.

Not every woman has 'Mom' in the title - Halley Suitt - Blogs about Santa issues recently. Also, Chapter 2: In the Book of Life - here. Dinky's Docket is one too.

There is also a Crazy Hip Blog Mommas! Blog Ring - "What is a Crazy Hip Blog Mama? Well, that would be any mama (step-mama, god-mama, ALL mamas!) who understands that just because you have children doesn't mean that life stops! We're still people! Oh, and they should have a blog or journal also!"

I like these blogs because I myself am a Mom (and a busy one at that) and I really like reading blog posts about mom stuff. Not only is this a neat little community - connecting with other blogging mothers, but a nice way to read about the trials and tribulations of motherhood for other women (and can I tell how entertaining they are?). Granted, I don't blog about motherhood really (like getting up at 6am on a Saturday morning for Pee Wee Hockey practice - eek!), but I still feel a part of the Blogging Mom community. I may not know these women, or leave comments as often as I should - but blogs have allowed me to somehow feel connected with Mothers globally.

Before you comment on it, yes of course there are Daddy's blogging out there. But what is interesting is that there are far less men using 'Daddy' in the title of their blog, or men who blog about parenting. Do women define their identity by their mothering role? It would seem so. Mothering is still a very large part of women's lives - obvious if you look at the Blogosphere, and supportive of the notion that women blog about more personal things then men do.

And further to my post yesterday about the Domestic Internet, I am so curious of how blogging fits into Mom's lives; where are they blogging in the home? Are women using the internet with their kids? How does the internet interact with their daily routines?

:: Netwoman 2:54 PM [+] ::
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The Domestic Internet

It's always nice to see that research that you are doing is timely. There was an article in last week's New York Times called " If the Kitchen's Warm, It May Be the PC". I can't link to it because it has expired (this is something that I haven't seen before!).

The article talked about how people were rearranging their living spaces around the internet. Many homes have moved the computer into the kitchen where the whole family can interact together with it. Also, many homes have wireless so that the Notebook travels from room to room as family members do. I have also rearranged my house so that both my computer and my son's computer are in the family room - the television is there also. Gone are the days of being isolated in my office upstairs. The internet in the home is about shared spaces and increased interaction between people and technology, and about changing relationships between family members.

It is obvious that there are a lot of things going on in the comtemporary home because of the Internet. But this also changes the internet; it is a reciprocal relationship. Many questions surface about gender roles, communication and interaction, and family cohesion. These are some the issues that I hope to address in my own research.

:: Netwoman 11:30 PM [+] ::
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The African American Experience in Cyberspace

New Book - "A Resource Guide to the Best Web Sites on Black Culture and History" by Abdul Alkalimat

Ten historical stages of development and 20 aspects of society and culture comprise the chapters of this basic guide to the Black content in cyberspace. This is a research tool to speed up your access to the best most scholarly and accurate information in cyberspace.

Introduction by Howard Dodson, Director, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: "In an era when the advances of the Internet and web technologies have threatened the very existence and relevance of books, Alkalimat, a cyberspace maven if there ever was one, has written an indispensable book for students, teachers, and scholars of the Africana experience who want to know what the Internet can do for them."

Mark Kornbluh, Executive Director, H-NET, Michigan State University: "[Alkalimat's book] is not only an invaluable resource for all interested in the Black experience, but it is also testimony to the proliferation of African American voices on the Internet."

Dorothy Washington, Librarian of the Black Cultural Center at Purdue University: "This stellar array of Africana digital archives, primary source material, streaming audio and video, syllabi, e-texts, music, photos, art, literature, bibliographies and webliographies should be in every personal and institutional library where users want to use cyber-sources to better understand African and the Diaspora."

Gloria H. Dickinson, President of ASALH: "Read this book and keep it close by your computer. This book begins a new era of research and teaching."

More information here.

:: Netwoman 12:36 PM [+] ::
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What happened to Wednesday?

It's that time of year and I am knee deep in grading, researching and holiday shopping/preparations. I rearranged my house and moved my office. I just realized that I missed Wednesday and it is now Thursday. I really did. That means I missed my Wed Feature Blogger.

I found an interesting blog post today from Dina Mehta who blogs at "Conversations with Dina" I am posting it here. It is similar to my weekly featured blogger and I think it is quite interesting.

Dina> Blogging for me - 2003
I started my blog in March this year - and i know it has grown. I generally like my blog, I feel like blogging, blog what i feel, enjoy the community its built around, and go with the flow. Yet there are times that i think about blogging and how and what i blog. Especially like now - when i'm not really happy with my blog - in the last two months or so i've been linking stuff, but not really adding much value or sharing too many of my own thoughts on the topics i've blogged.

Sharing more of my thoughts here in a ramble :

When i started blogging, i'd carefully and closely monitor hits, rankings, who's reading my blog etc. And that was motivation to blog better. Today i find that the hits and rankings while motivating for sure - aren't enough to make me really happy about the quality of my posts - a small example here - in the last couple of months i've seen my hits and rankings grow - yet i'm not happy about the fact that it perhaps has more to do with people/sources/articles i've been linking to rather than a reflection of my own value additions or analyses or thoughts.

When i think of what i've gained from blogging, i've made some great friends with whom i can share many parts of my life with. I've also been stunned sometimes at the personal discoveries i've made through the act of blogging - about my own dreams, persuasions and passions, some of which i talk about more openly, others that make me see with new eyes, still others that i maynot be able to consciously pinpoint but that have allowed me to grow as a person. And on the work-front, or professional front - today i have so many options that i could never have dreamt possible before i started blogging and interacting with this community - there's many loose-ends still, yet some clear directions too.

There are some blogs that are personal and some that are more professional or work-related. And some that straddle both so neatly. I'm not sure what mine is - or what i want it to be - or what my readers like to read / see. Or that it should matter at all. But it niggles at me.
What i am going to do for starters is :
- a small study of blog posts i have made - those that are my personal favourites, those that i'm proud of, those that i'd rather hide away.
- identify some 'threshold' posts, examine those that got maximum feedback by way of trackbacks and comments or picked up by Google/Feedster, those that made more 'noise' reflecting back on my hits, ratings and rankings vs those that got picked up more for original thought.
- re-examine categories and rebuild them.
Perhaps things will be clearer then ......

Go visit Dina's Blog. It is quite good.

:: Netwoman 11:59 AM [+] ::
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More Blogging Awards - British blog awards 2003

Crooked Timber notes that the Guardian posted about the British Blogging Awards. The results are up.

"All the blogs mentioned here are exceptional. They are a testament to the growing richness of British blogging. They demonstrate great design, good writing and smart use of links to provide a series of windows on worlds we would otherwise never know about. "

Are you asking how many women won? Here is a synopsis.

"The best design category" - no women.
"The best use of photography" - no women.

"The under 18s category was incredibly close. It was a choice between the slightly surreal, chatty writing of Olivia Fairweather's Magnetic Kid Liv and another boy "a better overall blog: good design, regular updates, and intelligent writing full of personality". Olivia came in second. Can we think of design in terms of the skills divide? Men have more exposure and experience to tech things?

"In the best specialist category we saw evidence of the increasing number of top quality niche weblogs. Annie Mole's London Underground Tube Diary won respect for its humour and detail. But the prize went to another man.
As one of our judges said: 'The audience is entranced: just look at the number of 'annotations' each entry receives'." Again, is this a link game with more men linking and with more hits than women's blogs?

"The best written category... is Belle de Jour, the diary of a London call girl. There's obviously a prurient and titillating element, but the quality of her writing took her blog well beyond that. Some judges were concerned it was a work of fiction, but even if it is, it remains an impressive piece of writing." That's one for the women!

My question - is what makes a blog exceptional? What is the criteria? Is this evaluation gendered? Lots of thoughts and questions over my third cup of java.

:: Netwoman 10:58 AM [+] ::
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Bloggers Turn Writers

Yesterday I blogged about Virginia Woolf and pondered what she would blog about. Today I am thinking of the bloggers that turn into writers - paid writers that is. Blogger features some bloggers turned paid writers here .

Back in September, Julie Powell landed a book deal from her blog - but she shut down her blog last week.

Mimi Spartypants landed a deal too with her blog.

Of course there is Rebecca Blood who wrote a book about Blogging.

So, when I asked about what Virginia Woolf would blog about, perhaps she would just blog about her life - much like the bloggers I mentioned here - and write another book from it. Would it be a testing ground for her thoughts? Would she blog letters to her dear friends Lytton Strachey or Vita Sackville-West?

:: Netwoman 10:36 AM [+] ::
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Virginia Woolf and the Internet

Via Marcelo Vieta blogs about Woolf and her wish "for a web-like communication device that could link her anywhere anytime". Did she predict or forsee the internet?

"There should be threads floating in the air, which would merely have to be taken hold of in order to talk. You would walk about the world like a spider in the middle of a web. In 100 years time, I daresay these psychical people will have made all this apparent, now seen only by the eye of the genius" (Woolf, in a letter to Lady Robert Cecil, 1909).

Woolf has always been a favourite of mine, especially "A Room of One's Own" (1929), which I saw at the Shaw Festival two years ago. "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."

"Woolf examined the obstacles and prejudices that have hindered women writers. She separated women as objects of representation and women as authors of representation, and argued that a change in the forms of literature was necessary because most literature had been "made by men out of their own needs for their own uses."

"Woolf developed innovative literary techniques in order to reveal women's experience and find an alternative to the male-dominated views of reality."

If Virginia Woolf had a blog, what would she blog about?

:: Netwoman 10:14 PM [+] ::
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GIST - Gender Perspectives Opening Diversity for Information Society Technology

International Symposium - 24.-26. June 2004 - Bremen, Germany - Call for Contributions

About the symposium:
The focus of the symposium is to concentrate results from gender research in order to actively influence IST (Information Society Technology) research and application from a gender perspective in a sustainable way.

The main goals are:
- Influencing mainstream IST development and shaping IST from a gender perspective
- Enhancing diversity in the development of IST
- Broadening perspectives in applications and contexts of IST
- Discussing technological support and education designed to the needs of both genders
- Building and strengthening relevant networks to achieve these goals

The symposium is a first initiative by the emerging GIST network. It is organized by the research group Digital Media in Education, department of computer science at the University of Bremen, Germany. A committee of international experts will chair the symposium. The preparation of the symposium is supported by an electronic platform which will be built in a participatory way as the starting point for an electronic network.

The symposium addresses
- Researchers, artists, students
- Company representatives
- Policy makers
- NGOs, initiatives, networks
- The interested public

Symposium Themes:

I. IST Research and Development

- What synergies between IST research & development and gender research can be found?
- What perspectives need to be inserted into processes of technological development?
- How can technological culture be described and changed?
- What role can participatory design and interaction between users and developers play?
- What benefits can Gender Mainstreaming strategies have for the innovation and construction in IST?
- What are the effects of Gender Mainstreaming on the quality of IST research and development?
- What benefits can companies expect by considering the gender question in their policies?

II. IST Education
- How can technological education become attractive and motivating for larger parts of the population?
- How can technology itself arouse curiosity and provoke an engagement in its design?
- How can learning processes open for a deeper understanding of the information society?
- How can media education be made inclusive for both genders?
- Is there a lesson to be learnt from single sex education?

III. IST Fields of Application
- How can IST systems be made more user-friendly in fields like education, health/medicine, environment, mobility, work...?
- How can gender research broaden contents of digital media?
- How can gender research groups and women's networks be supplied with adequate technological support?
- How can IST support community building?
- What are the fields in which gender sensitivity and design for diversity are particularly needed?

Proposal Formats:

- academic paper
- work in progress
- art work
- companies' experiences and expectations
- workshop
- poster, software/media presentation

A proposal should contain an abstract/description of no more than 500 words and/or (depending on format) sample of work (CD, DVD etc.)or references to current or past projects (weblinks). Proposals should indicate which of the symposium's themes they address. Each paper will be reviewed anonymously. On that basis the program committee will decide on its acceptance.

The abstracts of the accepted contributions will be published on the symposium's web site. Authors are also invited to publish full papers, media presentations and slides on this site.

The conference language is English. Deadline for submission of papers: 28th February 2004. Submitters will be informed about acceptance by April 20th. Please submit proposals using the symposium's website.

For more information please contact the GIST organizing committee or Dr. Heidi Schelhowe or Isabel Zorn

:: Netwoman 9:55 AM [+] ::
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First Monday Articles

The digital divide: Why the "don't-want-tos" won't compute: Lessons from a New Zealand ICT Project by Barbara Crump and Andrea McIlroy here.

Why, when computing is available in a socially situated, convenient environment, at no cost, do people choose not to compute? This paper describes a community-based project that wired four computing centres (hubs) in a lower socio-economic urban area in Wellington, New Zealand's capital city. One of the hubs is situated in a city council high-rise apartment block and after six months of operation it was apparent that many of the residents were not using the free computing facilities. A survey was designed and administered to the non-users in this apartment block. Responses centered on the themes of access, awareness and factors that would encourage residents to use the hub, but the majority stated they were "not interested." Analysis explores the impact of the social context within which the hub is situated and suggests reasons why some people choose not to compute.

Effective use: A community informatics strategy beyond the Digital Divide by Michael Gurstein here.

A huge industry has been created responding to the perceived social malady, the "Digital Divide". This paper examines the concepts and strategies underlying the notion of the Digital Divide and concludes that it is little more than a marketing campaign for Internet service providers. The paper goes on to present an alternative approach - that of "effective use" - drawn from community informatics theory which recognizes that the Internet is not simply a source of information, but also a fundamental tool in the new digital economy.

:: Netwoman 10:53 AM [+] ::
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Women'sNet: Using ICTs for the empowerment of Women

"Women'sNet is an electronic communications, outreach, information development and support program, designed to make the Internet more accessible and useful for women.

Women'sNet is a partnership web-based organization with over 40 organizational members. Since 1997, project staff assisted by the Women'sNet Advisory Group, have provided strategic advice and an information strategy team has helped to ensure relevance of information on the Women'sNet website.

Some Women'sNet projects include: Prevention of Harassment of Girls; Women's Online Resource Center, which is part of Itrainonline.org, Engendering Broadcast Legislation, and cybercafes at many regional and international events. "

More info is available here.

:: Netwoman 11:50 PM [+] ::
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UN summit fails to bridge digital divide

Who will foot the bill to globally connect people via the internet?

"There have been many initiatives, summits, declarations, very many commitments on text that have yet to be actualised," Mr Mungai said. "They need to put down money."

But governments and international agencies pledged only a trickle of financial support when, according to one organiser of the conference, it would take more than $6bn (£3.43bn) to extend telephone and internet coverage to all corners of the world"

Read more here.

:: Netwoman 11:31 PM [+] ::
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Canada's New (Blogging) Prime Minister

I'll admit it - I get so wrapped up in the USA politics, that I have no idea what is going on here in Canada. I read Cal Gal's blog today - and found out that we have a new Prime Minister.

Where have I been you might ask? Reading US blogs - and not the paper apparently - and not watching the News. It is a bit embarassing.

So, I googled Paul Martin and found his blog. He hasn't updated since October, which is a bit disappointing. Here is what he has to say about his blog:

"Why Am I Keeping A Blog?

Good question. One that I asked my staff when they first made the suggestion to me. After all, its not like I can pretend to be the kind of guy that spends a lot of time surfing the web. To be honest, until a few weeks ago, I didn't even know what the hell a blog was - I joked that I thought it was something that might climb out of a swamp.

But I've discovered its something I enjoy. For a couple of reasons. First, it's an opportunity to express my thoughts publicly without having to go through all the sturm und drang that is a major speech or even a media scrum (another word that sounds like something that crawled out of a swamp - and with good reason)."

I don't think that I would get the same impression about PM from the news (which I believe is distorted), though it is questionable whether PM is actually doing the writing on his blog. Regardless, I think it is good that he has this blog - for silly people like myself who don't trust the news. Who will read his blog? Are there more people like me?

But this raises an interesting point - is this blog still media like the news? Is it reliable? Or is it another political tool? Is it just informational then or more personal? It is more personal than reading the newspaper or watching TV, but perhaps we need to be skeptical of the blogs (personal journals) of politicians.

:: Netwoman 12:37 PM [+] ::
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Women Internet Researchers

This is something I have been meaning to do - compile a list of women internet researchers - and here it is via misbehaving.
Cyber Studies Resources by Nicola Doering, here "you (will) find a list of women who think and write about the Internet, mostly from an academic view. Check out their personal home pages"

Excellent! And I am even on the list!

:: Netwoman 12:35 AM [+] ::
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ERA Radical?

"Is it possible that equality between the sexes is actually a more radical idea than marriage within a sex?"

Ellen Goodman from the Washington Post Writers Group writes an article called - "Reintroducing a radical idea - All the supposedly terrible consequences of an ERA are here - just not the rights"

Goodman argues that Americans need to revist the Equal Rights Amendment -

"We have the dubious equality of powerful female role models in movies such as "Kill Bill," but we have only 14 women in the Senate. Wal-Mart is selling a brand new NRA magazine for gun-toting women, but it still refuses to sell the morning-after pill. We narrowed the wage gap, but much of that is due to men's shrinking paychecks. We talk as if men and women are equal. But we've stopped talking about what true equality would look like at home or in public"

Interesting article - have a look. Penney Kome says "Canadian women have much to be grateful for. We got all the changes (of course, Montreal has always had unisex washrooms) and Section 28 too (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - "Men and Women are Equal" "Section 28. Notwithstanding anything in this Charter, the rights and freedoms referred to in it are guaranteed equally to male and female persons")

:: Netwoman 11:06 PM [+] ::
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Wednesday's Feature Blogger - Ms. Lauren

One of my favourite blog reads is the Wed feature this week - Ms Lauren who blogs at Feministe. This blog is very insightful about various different topics.


TK>What do you think is the key to bloggers who become so popular?

The first reason is content. Bloggers who consistently have something smart or funny to say are often top dogs because readers can rely on engaging content. Political bloggers often have some sort of commentary included with their posts, drawing the reader into critical discussion or appealing to the reader's inherent interest.

Secondly, I think an obvious answer is that we are attracted to people that we can identify with, both ideologically and personally. I always find that I'm more inclined to visit political blogs with a personal element. There's something incredibly attractive about the vicarious nature of blogs. When I first began blogging, I somehow got most of my attention from subjectively-leaning gay men on the west coast when my intended audience was a feminist audience. But I learned a lot about queer theory and contemporary issues in GLBT lifestyles, something that helped to define my current ideology as much as those who write for purely objective blogs.

However, I think people tend to be attracted blogs who are one of two things: highly controversial or not controversial whatsoever. The attractiveness of highly controversial blogs is probably the reason why we are so attracted to personalities like Limbaugh, Coulter, and Franken - they either spew anger that we share or piss us off to no end. But either way, we are entertained.

TK>The Perseus results indicate that more women are blogging than men. But it does seem that the blogs that get the most attention are authored by men. Do certain types of material get more attention than others? Why so? Others feel it is the linking. What are your thoughts about this?

I can't comment on linking without parroting what others have said. But I do have to admit that I think the tech world is an Ol' Boys' Club, and although women are more prevalent in the blogosphere, I believe there is still a notion that what men have to say is more relevant or reliable than what women are writing about.

I also think that the news material blogs are more often read because of the widespread media effect on our country. Blogs, if I'm correct, were initially a way to provide an alternate news source of sorts. As people found interesting links and topics that they wanted to share with others, they posted them to their blogs. You'll notice that recently we've been drowned in the attention that the Michael Jackson case has been receiving (among other "interest" topics) while numerous stories regarding war and Congress have been overlooked in major news outlets. Bloggers repeatedly criticize the way news is presented to us and offer alternative choices and information than the mainstream media format allows.

Furthermore, I believe that women's criticism of news and culture may be less respected because of the personal aspects injected into our commentary. I've repeatedly been criticized for adding personal elements to my commentary, called into question for adding subjectivity to the "objective" story. While journalists are expected to be objective, we are bloggers. Blogs are personal, self-published sites, and without the subjective, I think we cease to exist as blogs per se, unless you consider blogs as an output of software and not the content that software and the user create. I think it's a reminder that, for many women, the personal is still political.

A few months ago, a conversation at Dru Blood highlighted this thought in response to a study suggesting that women's spaces on the internet are "less political" than men's spaces. The study defined "political" as "primarily devoted to politics, current events, foreign policy, and various ongoing wars." The question seemed to be the definition of 'personal' and 'political,' and who has the power of defining what personal and political look like. I have a personal blog that is highly politicized, I think, and although the amounts of personal and political are constantly in flux, I think I write about both equally often. I don't think my blog even fits the description of the study's parameters, although I write extensively about women's issues, aka politics.

Furthermore, I don't believe that subjectivity and politics can be divorced, especially in the blog world where subjectivity defines everything. I firmly believe that the attractiveness and fervor that we bring to our blogs has to do with the opportunity to have a voice in a culture that doesn't very well allow it. Also, our motivation to continue blogging often has to do with the recognition we receive for our words and thoughts through linking ad commenting, acts by readers that directly appeal to our subjective nature.

TK>What are your thoughts on why there are so few women deemed to be 'A list'? The recent Top 100 seems to highlight this as well.

I read once that if you aren't A-List now, you never will be. The A-Listers tend to be people who helped invent blogs as they now exist. The rest, again, are people with interesting content and a well-defined voice.

TK>What are your thoughts on the blogosphere as gendered space?

I don't know whether is it positive or negative that blogs are gendered spaces, but they certainly are. It's obvious when one looks at link lists, popular threads, blogrolls, and trackbacks that men seem to be more present in the blogosphere despite the rising female population.

Looking at my own blogroll, I've noticed that I link mostly female bloggers and only add men whose politics are similar to my own. Because I wanted my blog to be a feminist space, this was done consciously. The bloggers I link give me inspiration for what I write and certainly have opened my eyes to many issues. Yet I wonder whether we forge little cul-de-sacs that prevent ourselves from being more widely known.

It has been suggested in a few places that some of the more popular bloggers, especially in the alliances and ecosystems, are falsely gaining hits through multiple counters and referral systems. Furthermore, I think people tend to laugh at those who travel around the blogosphere leaving comments and referrals to bring people back to their own blogs, but I'd have to say that I'm guilty of that myself. I justify it this way: if we cease to discuss, we cease to exist. If we cease to write, we cease to exist. On the internet, if our presence isn't made clear through text or spaces, we aren't really "on" the internet.

How men and women make themselves known is a mystery to me, but I have noticed that some male bloggers link only to women they find attractive, like those who post pictures of their cleavage, or write tittilating stories, or flirt with their readers. Similarly, I've noticed that many of the women who are linked my male bloggers have decided to integrate themselves into the Ol' Boys' Club. It's the tomboy syndrome of blogging, I think - to be respected by men, you must act like and appeal to men, however that may be.

TK> Have you ever had any negative responses to your blog - in the comments perhaps, or via email? What was your response to this?

Of course I have. The most negative feedback that I receive has to do when I address men's rights groups, specifically those whose methods involve violating women's rights to gain their own. I also get negative feedback when I write about the feminist response to beauty culture. Many people hold onto beauty culture because it helps them belong to some sort of privileged group of attractive people - but I also think that the obsessive preoccupation with beauty that our culture pushes serves as a distraction so women (and now men) don't have to think about more important, pressing issues in our society and world.

The only people who I respond to are those who compose thoughtful criticisms of my writing and opinion. When I receive an atrociously written letter, I'll correct their grammar, send it back to them, and post it to my blog. In my opinion, if you are going to put yourself out there as a dissenter in a public space, you'd better do so in a way that is beneficial to your reputation. There are consequences to what you write.

The Green Fairy often tells me that when I receive hate mail, I'm doing something right. I agree.

TK>What has been your biggest challenge in the Blogosphere?

My biggest challenge is consistently coming up with interesting content and not repeating myself. I've been blogging for three years this December, and go through slumps just like everyone else. Usually, a site redesign helps give me a boost of inspiration, but I'm pleased with my layout right now and hasten to change it.

I'm not fond of just posting straight news stories off of Google News like some of the A-Listers, I'd rather add that personal element. After all, I'm writing about these issues because they engage me, and if I have something to supplement the story, I'm going to do so.

TK>How has blogging influenced or changed your life?

In many ways, actually. I wrote a long piece about it here, but in short I've noticed a distinct improvement in my writing skills, both subjectively and objectively, and an increase in confidence about my thoughts and opinions. It has also helped to redefine my feminism to include more nuanced issues like those of women in technology, whereas I was more inclined to issues of blatant sexism in media and daily life before blogging. I've learned much from those I regularly read - everything from expanded notions of feminism to what life is like for people whose lives are much different than mine.

I've learned more about issues of subjectivity and objectivity (and am bordering on the obsessed, if you haven't noticed yet) because much of the writing that I'm required to do does not allow for a subjective voice. The problem with this is that I find it much harder to write purely objective pieces because my personal experiences have proved to be so important in my engagement as of late.

It has changed my ideas about academic writing as well. Because I'm studying as a secondary English teacher, reading and writing are a major portion of my academic focus. The expansion of ed-blogs and other sorts of educational technology is something I want to continue to pursue, in my own classroom and maybe with post-gradutate education in the future. The possibilities are endless!

But overall, blogging has expanded my notions about the internet in ways I would have never predicted. Blogging has become an obsession. A healthy one, I hope.

Thanks Ms. lauren for sharing your thoughts with us! Much of this links nicely with my comments about the personal as political in the blogosphere.

:: Netwoman 10:19 AM [+] ::
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The Personal is the Political in the Blogosphere

Yesterday Kaye blogged about how many blogs a person should have. This stems from Lisa's blog post = "I say unto you, fellow blogger: Don't start another blog...Practice blog monogamy; bring all your gifts to your one and only faithful old blog".

Lisa argues that our blogs shouldn't always have to stick to the mission statement, and that we should feel free to 'personalize' our blogs with snip-its of our personal identity.

"Being human is not off-topic".

Kaye responds that if your blog is for information, then it should be kept professional, minus the personalization: "Such blogs aren't meant to be "human," rather they are meant to be informational resources." Though Buzzmachine says "News is personal. News is a relationship. News is a conversation."

I suppose it depends on the blog, and the reason why you read a blog. But aren't blogs online journals? Doesn't that make them innately 'personal'? Perhaps what we really need to think about is how we operationalize the/a 'blog'?

This got me thinking of my own blog, of course - and other blogs that I read. I generally don't insert a lot of personal tid-bits into my blog. I have had the urge often, believe me. But sticking to my 'mission statement' keeps me focused. Granted there is not too much personal information about me on this blog, but I contend that what I blog about is quite personal. For me - and other bloggers as well - The personal is the political, and the political is personal.

"During the 'second-wave' of feminism in the 1960's-70's, the idea developed that 'the personal is political': i.e. that every part of our personal lives could be affected by the political situation."

"But what it was really meant to do was create an awareness of how our personal lives are ruled by political forces." (Katherine Viner, in On the Move: Feminism for a new generation)

By the personal as political I mean that my politics are embedded in my everyday life and my writing. What I blog about - technology and the 'isms' - are near and dear to me and therefore very personal. My commentaries about the technological sphere are political statements that are often rooted in my own experiences of numerous 'isms'.

So while I won't tell you about the details of my trip to Ikea today, rest assured that what I blog is inherently personal and to me and touches my life. Many bloggers reflect on issues and add personal comments to them, thereby personalizing them. Personalization takes many forms.

Thanks to Kaye and Lisa for the interesting debate!

:: Netwoman 4:57 PM [+] ::
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Wireless on the Streets - Thoughts of a Homeless Girl

An article in the village voice talks about Crystal Evans - a homless blogger:
"Evans chronicles her struggle with homelessness and her recovery from her religious past in the online Web log Being Homeless. She's one of an increasing number of the down and out and disenfranchised who are venting their frustrations—and finding friends and support—on the Web.

"Blogs fill a human need for community and social interaction," says Bee Lavender, a 32-year-old blogger. "Journals give people a forum to announce or invent an identity, and find other people to talk to, or at least people to listen."

Crystal blogs over here and recently talks about the negative things that people are saying about her. Her response:

"I just want you to see my journal and see a 'real' homeless person.
we have feelings too.
we have frustrations.
we don't deserve to be ignored.
we want to be listened to.
we are human beings.
we all have a story.
please don't stereotype us"

While she may not seem like a typical homeless person with a laptop (donated) and cell phone, she lives on the streets...

"To look at me, you wouldn't expect me to be homeless. I'm clean. I dress nice. I'm educated. I've graduated high school and have 2 1/2 years of college education. I'm intelligent. I have 5 years of experience working in the medical field. But I am homeless. if you saw me walking down the street in the morning, you might wonder why I'm carrying a back pack and/or a duffle bag with me. But homeless? That's probably not the first thing that would come to your mind if you saw me in a crowd of people. Homeless people are often stereotyped. I want to break society's view of that. Being homeless doesn't make one 'less human' than another. We are all equal."

It's an interesting blog, go have a look.

:: Netwoman 8:35 PM [+] ::
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United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).

Gender and ICTs has been a topic of interest for INSTRAW for some time. During 2002, the Institute carried out a virtual seminar series on Gender and ICTs with background papers and a very rich discussion on topics such as: gender neutrality of ICTs, enabling and disabling environments, engendering management and regulation, and ICTs as tools for bridging the digital divide and empowering women. Please see here .

A synthesis paper entitled "Overcoming the Gender Digital Divide:
Understanding ICTs and their Potential for the Empowerment of Women" bringing together the background papers and the discussion has been published and limited copies will be distributed at the gender table of the WSIS. The text of this paper (pdf format) is also available through the INSTRAW website

INSTRAW also prepared a special collection of resources, a database of on-line articles and publications of relevance to the topic. This can be found here.

:: Netwoman 10:41 AM [+] ::
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Women Who Inspire Us

Via Misbehaving Liz blogged about a website she found called geekgirls - a source for women in computing.

There is a feature called- "Meet the Women Who Inspire Us - Women are changing the face of the technology industry. These tech superstars are breaking new ground and leaving their mark."

Aliza Pilar Sherman, Anita Borg and Ada Byron are mentioned to name a few of the 'founding mothers' of the tech world.

But for me, there are alot of other women who motivate me. Everyday women, the not so popular perhaps, but inspiring anways. We certainly need good role models in the technology and computing world to compel young women into the field. But we cannot forget the women we meet and work with daily who also inspire us to continue. Smaller pieces of the puzzle, but important nevertheless.

I read a lot of blogs by women daily - some are tech related, others are not - but there are some really miraculous women out there in the world. Many of these women inspire me daily to keep blogging, and to keep researching women in the tech sphere. And to these women, I want to say THANKS!

:: Netwoman 11:46 AM [+] ::
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Ungrateful Feminists?

Ah yes. It has begun - the backlash.

In response to comments made by Ms. Lauren - Feministe (and also those by Meg, Shelley and myself), Wizbang and Pete Holiday have things to say in response.

Wizbang states that the Best Female Authored Blog is a way to shine the spotlight on female bloggers. Ok, point taken - he also responds to some of Ms Lauren's comments - go have a look. I really don't think that Kevin meant anything derogatory by creating the category, but that doesn't mean women can't discuss it. Some people think otherwise:

Pete states "that a group of self-proclaimed feminists are taking the "thanks but no thanks" approach to the contest because, get this, Kevin offered a "Best Female Blogger" category." Pete also reiterates that this is a good opportunity to for some female bloggers to get more attention. He states "you'd THINK that feminists would see this (being the thoughtful and intelligent folk that they are) and be grateful for the opportunity. They're not. They'd rather bitch."

Once again, women who rationally discuss life in the technological world are perceived as bitching, complaining and rocking the boat. Why is that when women debate and discuss issues - they are bitching (a gendered term I might add). Why can't we talk about these issues?

Pete says "What they're REALLY bitching about, though, is that there aren't more popular female bloggers."

True that there are many women actively DISCUSSING these issues - here and elsewhere. Not sure why this is a bad thing.

Pete also says "I think that the ladies should just be grateful that they've got a chance for some recognition that they wouldn't have if the bitching feminazis had their way. "

In Pete's world, women should be 'grateful' that men are giving women an opportunity for recognition. I am sure Pete thinks I should say "Thank you, great Patriarch!". But I am not.

Let me make myself clear; WHEN women are recognized, it is because of the quality of their work, by their skills and talent - and NOT because men are giving women a 'chance for some recognition'. What are women grateful for? Other women who have paved the way for other women = women who fought hard for women's rights; the right to vote, the right to safe contraception, equal pay for equal work and so forth - not because men gave women the opportunity or recognition of these rights.

While Pete thinks that talking about these issues is a "petty gripe in his mind", Absinthe & Cookies says that "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" and that "some people need to get a grip".

What's with the pity party for female bloggers? Keep the 'good deeds' that help you sleep at night to yourself. It boggles my blogging mind that women are continously targeted as nasty, bitchy feminists when we discuss these issues. I suspect that if this were about race, we'd be accused of playing the race card as well.


PS - Polls for the awards open Friday - so go vote for me here. Sigh, if only I were transgendered, then I could really stir the blog-category pot.

:: Netwoman 6:46 PM [+] ::
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Wednesday's Feature Blogger - Vicki Smith - aka Cal Gal

This week's feature blogger is Vicki Smith who blogs at Just in from Cow Town -
"Writings about the Internet, techno-trivia, politics, and, from time to time, more personal things from a 50 something bi-national (US and Canada) "zoomer" who is determined to enjoy herself on line and invites you along for the ride, both here on the blog and on the 4cats2much website."

TK>What do you think is the key to bloggers who become so popular?

My sense has been that the majority of people who are really interested in reading weblogs are folks who have weblogs of their own or those who like to read about their friends' lives. People read weblogs that relate to their vocations/special interests too of course, but in that case, the blogging format seems incidental; it is a very particular kind of content that is the attraction.

Blogging has allowed people who have something to share, but not much in the way of technical ability to put their stuff out there. Some of those people have really interesting things to say and these weblogs become popular because they are just plain good reading. I am totally clueless about some of the more popular weblogs; they don't seem substantially different from hundreds of other weblogs out there.

Of course, popularity begets more popularity, or, as Clay Shirkey in his essay Power Laws, Weblogs, and Inequality said:

"In systems where many people are free to choose between many options, a small subset of the whole will get a disproportionate amount of traffic (or attention, or income), even if no members of the system actively work towards such an outcome. This has nothing to do with moral weakness, selling out, or any other psychological explanation. The very act of choosing, spread widely enough and freely enough, creates a power law distribution."

Some of the more popular weblogs don't appeal to me at all. Their popularity got me there once. I am willing to bet that a whole lot of Technorati Cosmos listings represent links to weblogs that the blogger never visits. They are linked to solely because listing popular weblogs is part of what a whole lot of bloggers do.

I'd like to encourage people to link to the weblogs they read regularly, and remove the other ones from their blogrolling type lists. I don't know that it would change the rankings significantly, but I would sure like to see what would happen if everyone would remove the links to weblogs they had not read in over a month.

TK>The Perseus results indicate that more women are blogging than men. But it
does seem that the blogs that get the most attention are authored by men. Do certain types of material get more attention than others? Why so? Others feel it is the linking. What are your thoughts about this?

I think the linking is a big part of it. I read a number of personal weblogs, mainly weblogs written by women who write about their daily lives. I link to several of them too. If, however, my own weblog were being read by work colleagues or potential customers, I might be less likely to include those weblogs in my link list.

I'm ashamed to say it, but I would be concerned that listing them would make me seem less professional. I'd have no particular hesitation to linking to weblogs that focused on technology or work related topics. You do seem to have to search to find female authored weblogs like that.

For example, I found your weblog Tracy through purposeful searching of the BlogsCanada site and was, from your weblog, led to Misbehaving.net and their wonderful listing of weblogs created by women involved in technology. The key was that I had to focus on finding them; most of these great weblogs are not currently popular enough to stumble upon accidentally.

I think this harkens to a familiar female dilemma regarding the blending of our personal and work lives. I am going to generalize shamelessly, but it seems to me that women who blog face the same situation in wanting to be taken seriously that women have traditionally experienced at work. We have bought into (perhaps through necessity, perhaps for other reasons) the notion that we need to split the personal from the professional in order to be taken seriously. Some women, Danah Boyd comes to mind, have dealt with this by creating separate weblogs, in her case, a personal weblog and a research one. I understand this decision, but I think the world would be a better place if we stopped splitting ourselves into discreet entities, both on the job and in our weblogs.

That would mean, among other things, making the conscious choice to talk about our whole lives, our entire personhood and getting over whatever messages we may have internalized regarding what being 'professional' looks like.

I am not talking about employer sponsored weblogs. If my employer is paying me to blog about my work, or I am blogging only to reach customers or potential clients, then the writing will be more narrowly focused. But if, and this seems to be the case for many weblogs, I have chosen to blog on my own time and my own dime, then perhaps we should take a serious look at why we may feel pressured to separate the personal from the professional (or the political for that matter).


TK>What are your thoughts on why there are so few women deemed to be 'A list'?
The recent Top 100 seems to highlight this as well.

I think the whole notion of an 'A list' is an extension of patriarchal thinking if the implication is that making that list is the same thing as being a successful blogger. I think we have to look at the reasons a person might choose to blog and if that person is achieving her/his goals instead.

Let me use my own blogging as an example of what I mean.

Some of my friends blog, so blogging is a shared experience, something that brings me closer to them. I get an inordinate amount of pleasure when someone I know and like writes about my weblog or leaves a comment on something I have written. If only ten people read my weblog, but each of them regularly interacts with me in a bloggish sort of way, I feel that my blogging is successful.

I also blog because I like to write, and the relatively short form of writing I like the most is a good fit for the weblog format. Posting an entry I feel good about having written makes my day. Comments from readers are validating and a big part of the experience for me. I don't have to have 3,000 hits a day from anonymous readers to feel good about my weblog, though I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like that too.

The third reason I blog is to expand my horizons. The need I feel to write every day pushes me to read and think. I've come across some phenomenal bloggers too and getting to know them has added immeasurable to my life. Sharing knowledge is in there somewhere too, but the weblog I am writing now doesn't really have that sort of focus.

I know I am not alone in defining blogging success in this way, even though this sort of success has nothing at all to do with making the A list.

TK>What are your thoughts on the blogosphere as gendered space?

The blogosphere is not gendered space unless one buys into goals like making the A list. A weblog that reaches a small number of people, if they are the right people, can be influential. So, for example, if I decide to focus on a particular technical or political issue, that writing might only appeal to a very limited audience, but the effect on that audience could be substantial. I don't see gender as an issue here.

Coming at this from a different perspective, if people blog to achieve personal goals then unless one has bought into the idea that we should not discuss or focus on our lives as women in some sort of internalized self-loathing kind of way, the blogosphere is not going to be gendered either.

TK>Have you ever had any negative responses to your blog - in the comments
perhaps, or via email? What was your response to this?

No, I have not had negative reactions. People have disagreed, but always in a pleasant and respectful way.

TK>What has been your biggest challenge in the Blogosphere?

My biggest challenge has been to get other things done. I could spend my day in front of the computer reading, thinking, and blogging .

TK>How has blogging influenced or changed your life?

I don't get out much because I work out of my home. Blogging is an important social activity for me. Feeling that gnawing internal pressure to come up with something interesting to say has been a good sort of challenge to face each day too.

Thanks Vicki for sharing your thoughts!

:: Netwoman 1:02 PM [+] ::
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Pretty Good Blog...For a Chick

Much discussion going on about the 2003 Weblog Awards at Wizbang. As usually, Shelley has insightful comments about the awards, and Feministe does as well.

Admittedly, I was initially preoccupied with finding new blogs by women - something I like doing. As I thought more about the distinction in the categories, I thought it was a bit problematic, and reading other blog entries about this today certainly solidifies this.

This is a tricky thing, I think.

On the one hand, it is nice to recognize women who blog by having a separate category. Women often get lost in the male A list shuffle, and perhaps this is a good way to make sure that women's blogs are seen, read and recognized.

On the other hand - Why do we need a separate category for women bloggers? Is it because women cannot compete with men because men are better at blogging? Are men in a different league then female bloggers? Good blog for a chick? I think that setting up this category for female bloggers distinguishes women from men - creating difference. But then again, haven't feminists long argued that women's experiences are different from men, and they can't be lumped together with men?
This might be true, but difference is often perceived as something less than the ideal - and men (white, hetero, able bodied, middle class) are understood as the ideal. Noting differences has the potential to 'other'.

So the category of female blogger is tricky. Like feministe, I would like to just have a good blog, regardless of my gender - not just a Pretty Good Blog...For a Chick.
I think I will go nominate myself in every category now.

:: Netwoman 11:41 AM [+] ::
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Maybe the Digitial IQ test was right - Having Technically Difficulties

I am painfully aware that I am not a tech guru today. I am having some trouble with my blog - first the archive for Dec wasn't working - now the archives are working but the permalinks are not! So please, stand by.

Also, the comments are whacky - if there are comments, it still shows up as zero.
grrr

*Update - i think it is all working now - except for the comments, which i have no control over. If you know of a better commenting system, please let me know.

:: Netwoman 10:12 AM [+] ::
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2003 Weblog Awards

Electric Venom blogged about the 2003 Weblog Awards at WizBang and notes that she is nominating herself in each category. Hilarious!

Wizbang has several interesting categories, including this one - "Best Female Authored Blog"*. Most of the blogs that are listed, I am not familiar with:

Mrs. Roboto, Easy Bake Oven, Em, Aged & Confused, Angelweave , The Cheese Stands Alone, Electric Venom, A Small Victory, Jane Galt , Liquid Courage, Twilight Cafe, Joanne Jacobs, Neurotic Fishbowl, Meeyapede, I Don't Think, Reflections in d minor, Note-It Posts, Tenth Muse, Simply Girly, Natalieville, Caffeinated Ramblings of a Coffee Achiever, The Underwear Drawer, Reflections/J. Mo, Jodiverse , Hey Jude, Busy Mom, Scarlett Diaries, Mommy Needs Coffee, Bohemian Mama.

Yes, I shamelessly nominated myself. If Electric Venom can do it, then so can I! If nothing else, this has given me a new blog-reading list for awhile. What is interesting is that none of my usual blog reads are on here (and I don't see typical A listers on here either). Happy Blog Reading!

*addition - Upon looking at the categories more closely today, there is no 'male authored blog' which is very interesting. Someone comments on this on the site as well. It is rather odd, and I am wondering why this separate category? Meg at misbehaving wonders the same thing - Separate but equal?

:: Netwoman 10:01 PM [+] ::
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Blame Kaye

After a harrowing day with sick child and long visit to the doctor, no antibiotics were prescribed, just inhalers so he can breathe - the sickness has to play out itself. Interesting - the wonders of modern medicine, I should have gone for holistic medicine.

I preferred not to be grading papers today, or preparing a guest lecture, or working on my dissertation. Instead, I created a moblog. You can check it here.

It's all Kaye's fault, she started it, and I have been having fun looking at what Wil Wheaton eats for lunch. My Moblog is not academic - it's for fun - so please respect me in the morning.

What compels people to moblog? How is it different from text blogging? Is it more personal or less personal? Who moblogs? Who doesn't? Who is left out of the moblogosphere? What are the messages people are trying to convey in their pics? questions questions...

:: Netwoman 5:53 PM [+] ::
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Blog Bits

It's that time of year again. The runny nose, the wheezing chest and the child home sick from school. Doc is sick too. You would think with all the technology we have, and the wonders of modern science that we would be much healthier than we are - and colds, flus and viruses would be no more (Brave New World?). The flu shot is one option, but my son and I get even sicker when we get it. Of course, this always comes at a time when I have hundreds of papers to grade, presentations to give, classes to teach etc etc. Where is modern science when you need it most? Most of the people I talk to have opted out of traditional 'science' and instead trust herbal remedies and more holistic measures. Anne blogs blogs about her health and lack of physical activity because of the computer. Perhaps audioblog is the wave of the future - we can write papers and blog while we are jogging.

Natalie Davis at Blog Sisters has an entry today - It is World AIDS day. "In order for HIV to be effectively tackled on an international level, efforts need to be made to:
* End the discrimination against people with HIV and AIDS.
* Educate people in safer sex and drug use, using appropriate media.
* Provide condoms freely to people in the developing world.
* Provide financial and medical assistance so that people with HIV and AIDS can be treated. [The World Health Organization is making a move today that is a start in dealing with this need.]"

The Pope makes a comment in the above article that chastity is the best way to combat AIDS (not condoms). This of course, does not account for rape, and child prostitution in various countries such as Africa. There is a larger issue at work here - despite depicting AIDS as an African 'problem'. See here.
"A recent report anchored for the Population Research Institute Review by Steven W. Mosher has shown that unsafe injections, re-use of disposal syringes without sterilisation, unhygienic and sub-standard medical practices in most public hospitals in Nigeria may account to two-thirds, if not more, of the new cases of HIV/AIDS cases."

From Boing Boing to Techno\culture who blogs about Discovery Kids Ultimate Labs DNA Explorer - you can turn your kids onto the wonders of genetics at a young age. Maybe kids can cure colds and viruses - or learn how to clone.

Interesting discussion over at misbehaving about playing dumb - stemming from Joi Ito's blog entry. Danah asks "How relevant is this passage to the (lack of) participation of women in technology?" Troll alert at misbehaving! check out the comments.

Bells and whistles - Kaye has a new mobile phone that takes pictures - and has prompty started a moblog. These are still between $400 and $700 in Canada - so no moblogging for me. I did get a digital camera though (yes, I am behind) as they have dropped in price. So expect to see some more pictures here and there.

:: Netwoman 10:08 AM [+] ::
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