:: Netwoman ::

:: Monday, May 31, 2004 ::

IT a boon in terms of gender differences?

Recent article from The Economic Times states:

"What about gender bias?
Though some say gender bias exists, most say that IT is a boon in terms of gender differences. The profession is totally skill-based and there is no difference between the kind of treatment given to male and female employees."

Does anyone else find this hard to believe?

"The technology sector also gives the opportunity for flexible working hours. This is an added advantage for those who have to strike a balance between family and work. And working from home is also very popular among the female techies."

Sounds typical if we think of the gendered nature of tele-work.

Another article called "Is IT really a man's world?" states something similar:

"Flexibility
Computing-based careers offer a good deal of flexibility, something that women juggling work and life issues find a tremendous boon. Telecommuting or squeezing work in around family life is a distinct possibility for software engineers and analysts."

We are still thinking in terms of how technology fits into our existing social structures. IT is often used to so that women can continue to stay at home and take care of children. There is little reference to how technology might allow men to stay at home with children. Therefore technology is not changing society, nor challenging existing inequalities.

:: Netwoman 11:05 PM [+] ::
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E-Government

New research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that 97 million adult Americans, or 77% of Internet users, took advantage of e-gov in 2003, whether that meant going to government Web sites or emailing government officials. This represented a growth of 50% from 2002. At the same time, citizens who contact government said they are more likely to turn to traditional means - either the telephone or in-person visits - rather than the Web or email to deal with government.

Located here.

Internet users are about 3 times as likely as non-Internet users to get in touch with government, whether the contact means conducting a transaction or seeking help with a problem. 30% of Internet users have emailed a government official in order to try to influence policy or change a politician's position on a law. Half of all Internet users and 59% of online users with broadband connections at home say that the Internet has helped their relationship with government.

E-government is a class issue...there are many that don't have the option of using emailing to contact the government for communication or for information.

:: Netwoman 2:39 AM [+] ::
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While I was away...

I took a road trip to the states, and now I must catch up. I took a long drive through five states - New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia...did you know that Mapquest.com will give you Wi-Fi hot spots with your driving directions? Of course, there were none in Winchester, VA, which is where I ended up. Most of the folks there are using Dial-up.

*CWIT in the News
"Earlier today, Governor Robert Ehrlich signed a bill (SB 917, HB1538) to establish a Task Force on the Status of Women and Information Technology. CWIT was instrumental in drafting the bill and shepherding it through the Maryland legislature. CWIT received valuable support for its efforts from the Maryland Commission for Women. The bill will bring business, education, and government leaders together to develop a plan to increase girls' and women's participation in information technology." Via Joan Korenman.

*Hilde mentions Haddon's PhD work on the computer in the home. I refer to some of his work in my own dissertation, and this is a good page with his files handy.

*A new study shows that text messages are making it easier for women to make the first move in a relationship. But most still expect men to ask them out on a first date... While 57 per cent of women said they were likely to make the first move with a text message after an initial meeting, only 25 per cent said they would phone." Located here.

*Via Alex - Blogging an Obsession? "To celebrate four years of marriage, Richard Wiggins and his wife, Judy Matthews, recently spent a week in Key West, Fla. Early on the morning of their anniversary, Ms. Matthews heard her husband get up and go into the bathroom. He stayed there for a long time.
"I didn't hear any water running, so I wondered what was going on," Ms. Matthews said. When she knocked on the door, she found him seated with his laptop balanced on his knees, typing into his Web log, a collection of observations about the technical world, over a wireless link.
Blogging is a pastime for many, even a livelihood for a few. For some, it becomes an obsession. Such bloggers often feel compelled to write several times daily and feel anxious if they don't keep up. As they spend more time hunkered over their computers, they neglect family, friends and jobs. They blog at home, at work and on the road. They blog openly or sometimes, like Mr. Wiggins, quietly so as not to call attention to their habit." It seems that many people start off with the blog hype, but this seems to decrease, and eventually stop. Why do people stop blogging? Do they get bored?

:: Netwoman 10:42 PM [+] ::
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Women and Tech News

The Center for Women and Information Technology or CWIT at UMBC always has goodies about what is going on the world with Women and Technology. They do a great job of keeping us informed. Here are a couple of news tidbits.

*Camps aim to make girls a power point in technology
May 19, 2004 - BY SANDRA GUY SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

"Headlines blare that women have surpassed men as Web shoppers, reinforcing the stereotype of self-obsessed females frantically searching for clothes and makeup.

But other statistics unearth a greater concern: Women make up 46 percent of the U.S. labor force, but only 23 percent of its scientists and engineers, according to the National Science Foundation.

The Girl Scouts of Chicago and the AT&T Foundation, the philanthrophic arm of the telephone company, want to change those statistics and encourage tech-industry diversity, so they are sponsoring "Young Women in Technology" camps at three area schools.

One of the local six-month camps is being hosted by DePaul University, where women wrote the camp curriculum and teach and mentor high school students from throughout the Chicago area.

The 40 high school students ages 14 to 17 who were recruited to attend the camp started by learning the basics of computer use, software, photo editing and programming languages during Saturday sessions"

*Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and Google Host Career Event; Inviting Bay Area Women Interested in Computer Science and IT Professions - Located here

"It's Never Too Late: Careers in Computer Science

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 2004--The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology announced today that it will co-sponsor a panel with Google Inc. to discuss education options for women entering or re-entering Computer Science and IT professions. The panel, entitled It's Never Too Late: Careers in Computer Science, will take place on Wednesday, June 2, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., at Google's Silicon Valley's headquarters.

Women's prospects for meaningful jobs in these fields are bright. Throughout the Bay Area, companies in high technology, biotechnology, law, accounting, human resources, construction, entertainment and small business are hiring for positions in IT and computer science. Projections by the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau indicate high-paying occupations for computer workers and IT specialists will see some of the largest gains over the next several years.

One of the myths about the computer industry is that women must be young to enter the field. To the contrary, many highly successful women and men study computer science well past traditional college age. Several innovative programs exist in the Bay Area for older students, with or without a diploma, who wish to study computer science."

:: Netwoman 11:10 AM [+] ::
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List of sex offenders now online

By Cherryh Cluckey - The Examiner - Located Here.

"Independence is home to 230 registered sex offenders, according to the list now available online on the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Web site.

"It was difficult for people to get the sheriff's office sometimes to pick up the list, so we wanted to get it on the Internet," said Cyrilla Bender, founder and president of Moms Outraged at Molesters.

The list shows more than 600 registered sex offenders living in Jackson County, including 230 in Independence, 49 in Lee's Summit, 28 in Blue Springs and 14 in Oak Grove.

Those plans include hiring a consultant firm to develop a Web site that will quickly load and have better search capabilities. Citizens will be able to see photos and map out how many miles they live from registered offenders.

The project will cost more than $600,000, Ricks said.

As of now, the list of names, addresses and offenses can be accessed as a PDF file, but it downloads slowly due to the number of people trying to access it.

"So many people are interested," Bender said.

"Bender said the list will allow people to know if offenders are living close to them, so they can protect their families."

:: Netwoman 9:48 PM [+] ::
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Tracking Email

Just stalkers have been waiting for!

"An Internet service is about to test the frontiers of email privacy. DidTheyReadIt.com, which will launch Monday, allows anyone to secretly and invisibly track emails they send. They will see when exactly their email was opened, how long the recipient keeps it open and where, geographically, their email was viewed." (Globe and Mail)

Read more in the two articles below:

1. E-mail tracking service ready to go

E-mailers can know when, whether and even where you read their messages, according to Rampell Software. The company plans to formally launch a message-monitoring service called DidTheyReadIt?

The service costs $50 a year. To use it, register on the Web site and attach the phrase "didtheyreadit.com" to the end of an e-mail address. The tracking is invisible to recipients, according to Alex Rampell, the Cambridge, Mass.-based firm's CEO. Here's the Web site.

Rampell said Didtheyreadit can be used by, among others, job applicants to make certain their resumes were received by employers and not shunted into junk e-mail folders. Similarly, parents can make sure their children are reading messages. "It gives you a piece of mind and that's what our software does," he said. Interview with Rampell.

Rampell also expects some controversy. Several critics have said the service is an invasion of privacy. "People thought Caller ID was an invasion of privacy too," he countered. "New technology brings with it increased risks and also increased responsibility for people who use it."

C 1997-2004 MarketWatch.com, Inc. here.

2. Tracking Your Email

Did you ever wonder whether someone actually reads your email? Well, now you can find out.

The web site company, DidTheyReadIt.com offers a program that allows you to secretly track emails you send.

You'll see whether someone opens your email, how long they keep it open, even where they're reading your email.

The service costs $50 a year and is marketed to sales people, students and job hunters

Source Here.

:: Netwoman 10:11 AM [+] ::
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Technology's Too-Small Sisterhood

"Despite tech's reputation for being a meritocracy, only a handful of women make it to the top. Here are some who may be on the way" article from Businessweek Online.

"After three decades during which increasing numbers of women have moved into the tech sector, the drive appears to have stalled at the corner office. A 2003 survey of hundreds of the largest U.S. publicly traded corporations conducted by Catalyst, a national women's business advocacy organization, found that women occupied only 9.3% of board seats at technology companies, vs 12.4% at other outfits. In the executive ranks, the differential is worse. Women represent only 11% of corporate-officer positions in tech companies. Outside tech, they hold 15.7%.

THE NEXT GENERATION. Neither the tech nor the nontech number comes close to mirroring the roughly 50% female makeup of the American workforce or the 45.9% share of overall U.S. managerial positions held by women, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And tech's comparative failing vs. the rest of industry is particularly glaring in light of the Valley's common refrain that it's a meritocracy."

"That such women are so rare may point to a future of stagnating, if not declining, female participation in the tech sector. In 1985, women received 37% of all U.S. computer science undergraduate degrees. By 2000 that had fallen to 28%. At top-tier institutions of higher learning, Whitney says, the number is now below 20%."

Via Misbehaving.

:: Netwoman 11:27 PM [+] ::
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Race and Blogs

Found a new blog called blackfeminism.org via Clancy.

"What it is:
A group weblog and discussion space for issues of gender, race, class and culture.
Why the site?
There has not been a comprehensive resource for black feminism on the web. Because it is a growing area of study and social analysis, resources - particularly online - have been very dispersed."

Very true. I hope to see more blogs like this soon.

:: Netwoman 6:51 PM [+] ::
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Diversity is the Key

AU computer program lures blacks, women
Foundation to study school's success at enrolling minorities
Monday, May 10, 2004 THOMAS SPENCER - Located Here

"According to the National Science Foundation, between 1991 and 2000, the nation's universities produced about 9,000 computer science graduates and only about 100 of them were black. Now, only about 150 blacks are enrolled in computer science doctoral programs nationwide.

Less than 1 percent of the nation's computer science faculty is black, about 32 professors. "And I think I know all of them," Gilbert said.

Auburn now has eight black computer science doctoral students. "We have 5 percent of the country's Ph.D. students in one place," Gilbert said. Nationwide over the past five years, 57 blacks got doctorates in computer science. Five of them, almost 9 percent of the national total, graduated from Auburn.

Women are similarly underrepresented. Though they account for more than 50 percent of the population, women make up less than 20 percent of computer science graduates and 14 percent of faculty. At Auburn, 43 percent of the computer science Ph.D. candidates are women."

"If all of our technology is created by the same people, then our solutions will be limited and they will only serve those people. Diversity is the key," Gilbert said. "Diverse backgrounds yield diverse minds, which yield diverse solutions."

:: Netwoman 9:56 PM [+] ::
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Smart Homes

I have taken the plunge and now have wireless in my home. This allows me to sit on the couch, in the bed, in my backyard with my new laptop (yeah!) and do my work (or blog as is the case now).

I know many folks who are doing this already, so in a sense I feel a bit behind yet ahead of the game at the same time. I must say I enjoy the freedom of not being confined to my desk, my back and shoulders will be pleased.

This made me think of my dissertation research (oh wait, I think of that all the time anyway)- where I am researching the Internet in the home (I just received word from my university that the research project has been approved by the Ethics Review Board with only minor changes to the consent letter! It only took four days!). Some of the things I am interested in are how the household has changed with the Internet. Have living spaces been re-arranged? My son and I spent yesterday building a space where we can both work on our computers at the same time, or one watch TV and one work on the computer. It has changed the dynamics of our living space.

We have also spent some time msning each other. This is also something I am interested in within my dissertation - how has having the Internet in the home affected how household members communicate with each other. Granted, we have spent some silly times msning when we are beside each other - and it is quite funny. But I have also been in another room and sent him a message ("Hun, can you let the dog out?" or "Bedtime in ten minutes") rather than yell down the stairs.

The wireless in the home has also alleviated the never-ending battle over the computer with internet access. My son likes to play games online, and my dissertation writing seems to get in the way of this. No more of that.

So, it seems that the Kennedy household is changing with not only the Internet, but with wireless access.

How have things changed for you - if at all?

:: Netwoman 7:35 PM [+] ::
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DotMoms

Via Jill - A weblog for moms writing their 'momoirs'. They even have their own DotMomafesto !

"DotMoms is a weblog that features smart, fun, and focused writing about motherhood from many perspectives. The DotMoms are good writers with something to say about life on the homefront".

Mom's are Bloggin it!

:: Netwoman 11:46 AM [+] ::
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Women in Games Conference 2004

University of Portsmouth
Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Thursday 10th and Friday 11th June 2004
Located Here.

Aims
1. Analyse the role of women in the videogame industry.
2. Discuss the future of games that appeal to female gamers.
3. Provide an opportunity for women working in the videogame industry to network.

:: Netwoman 11:29 AM [+] ::
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Worlds apart

Worlds apart
High-tech devices can create instant access, personal alienation
By Loretta Kalb -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, May 10, 2004.

Even in the most casual midday meeting, Sacramento media consultant Shelly Sullivan is instantly accessible to family, colleagues and clients on a scale unmatched in human history.
On this day, at a sidewalk coffee cafe, she has her telephone to her ear, listening to a conference call as lunchtime companion Lea Ann Tratten points out a feature on her own cell phone.

Either woman can be reached day or night by cell phone, or via computer or personal digital assistant.

"I probably couldn't do my job without them," said Tratten, a lobbyist for Consumer Attorneys of California. "Although once, when I lost my phone, it was probably the most liberating experience I've had in years." Some 64 percent of U.S. households - 157 million people - have at least one cell phone, according to Forrester Research. The Telemessaging Industry Association puts the voice-mail volume at 900 million messages daily in the United States. And shipments of personal digital assistants to U.S. users numbered 5.1 million in 2003, according to IDC, the market research firm based in Boston.

The ubiquitous nature of access made possible by these devices blurs the lines between personal and work time. And when electronic communications become a substitute for face-to-face connections, valued relationships can suffer.

"Workwise, I really rely on technology, whether it's my desktop computer, my laptop, my BlackBerry (portable Web access and e-mail) or my cell phone," said Sullivan, who works on behalf of statewide organizations and issues.
"In the public relations-consulting line of work, you really need to be accessible.
"But I also think it's a double-edged sword, because then you are always accessible."

Those dual faces of accessibility have heightened interest in finding ways to balance work with personal life and fostered an industry called "life-balance training."

:: Netwoman 11:15 AM [+] ::
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Trusting Technology

Yesterday my son told me that he wanted to mow the lawn for me. This was a very nice gesture, but I was concerned of course.

He said to me - "Don't you trust me?"
I said - "Of course I trust you, it's the technology I don't trust."

Thoughts of a possessed lawnmower ran through my head - running over everything and everyone. What if it malfunctioned?

I decided to let him cut the grass, which was a great help to me. But I still was wary of the lawnmower - watching it out of the corner of my eye.

I thought it was interesting that I distrusted technology, given how much I use it daily, and how it is so embedded into my everyday life.

PS - I HATE BLOGGER'S NEW SYSTEM!!!!! Anyone else other than Jeneane?

:: Netwoman 10:18 AM [+] ::
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Incentives for Women and IT

Halley's been busy!
"I've been chosen by the NCWIT to serve as Author-in-Residence, to help them document the process of building their new organization at U of Colorado, Boulder." Congrats!
Their mission:
"Women's lack of participation threatens our ability to compete and lead in a global marketplace, because we are missing the input of half of our society. Technology designed without women is one-dimensional. From classrooms to computer labs, from clean rooms to boardrooms, girls and women are opting out of participation in information technology. Why? What can we do about it? The mission of the National Center for Women and Information Technology is to ensure that women are fully represented in the influential world of information technology. Through a nationally connected effort of programs, networks and research, the Center will work to guarantee that women's perspectives and skills contribute significantly to the creation and application of information technology."

Of course, the Centre for Women and Information Technology (CWIT) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County - which has been heralded as "...the best resource on women and technology on the web." (ABCNews.com) - has been doing this for six years already. Wow, they were really ahead of the game, and do great things.

This is their mission:

The Center for Women and Information Technology, established at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in July, 1998, seeks to address and rectify the above-mentioned problems and to enhance our understanding of the relationship between gender and IT. The Center has a four-fold mission:
* to encourage more women and girls to study computer science and/or information systems and to pursue careers in IT
* to enable all women and girls to use IT comfortably and knowledgeably
* to assure that the richness and breadth of women's lives and concerns are fully represented and readily available on the Internet
* to foster research concerning the relationship between gender and IT

The Center plans to accomplish its mission through varied initiatives. Among the projects already under way are the CWIT Scholars Program, the Speakers Series, Computer Mania Day , and the CWIT web site..."

Here is CWIT's latest news:

UMBC looks to close 'gender technology gap'

"The University of Maryland, Baltimore County on Saturday will host 500 eighth-grade girls from local public schools for Computer Mania Day -- an event designed to get young girls interested in high technology and, potentially, close the ever-widening technology gender gap."

:: Netwoman 6:23 PM [+] ::
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Gendered Robots

Robot Sex - "Sure, they're only machines. But the more they interact with us humans, the more important their apparent gender becomes."
By Simson Garfinkel - The Net Effect - May 5, 2004.

"Whether or not you think that gender belongs in our mechanical creations has a lot to do with your vision of how these creatures will fit into our future. It certainly takes more effort to make a robot that's gendered than one that's asexual. But engineers just want to have fun. Building gender into robots might be a way for the robots' designers to express their own playfulness and creativity.

Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll discover another reason why gender might be a good thing for our robot servants: gender will make robots more compatible with their human masters. "

"Why bring gender roles into the cybernetic age? "Because it is an essential part of how human beings can choose to be entertained and amused by the machines they will co-habit with," says Robert Doornick, International Robotics' president and CEO. Long term, says Doornick, "the issue of gender is more or less a choice that has to be made by the people that these robots will cohabit with."

Just goes to show how essential gender is in our interaction with not only each other, but also with technology.

:: Netwoman 11:50 AM [+] ::
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Gender Differences in Feedback

Kaye Trammell has just finished a rough draft of her dissertation and has started sharing some information with her fans.
Here are some bits o'dissertation:

-women were more likely than men to provide feedback in a conversation manner
-Women were significantly more likely than men to use the celebrity's name in the comment or trackback
-Men were statistically significantly more likely than women to refer to another comment when providing feedback
-Women were statistically significantly more likely to congratulate and "fawn" over the celebrity then men.

"women are interacting more with the celebrity on celebrity blogs than men. Men appear to be going to the blogs & interacting more for the community that develops in the feedback sections, whereas women are using the celeblogs more for directly communicating with the celebrity."

:: Netwoman 12:23 AM [+] ::
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Contextualizing Technology- Cultural Matters

Via Misbehaving - a NYTimes interview with Genevieve Bell. I met her at a workshop last summer and had the opportunity to hear her talk about her research.

"...many of Dr. Bell's findings also raise deep questions about the meaning of technology in an interconnected world. Her fieldwork project began four years ago with the insight that Intel might have a misconception about the potential users of its products elsewhere in the world. "We thought, there's a group of people just like us all over the world who will buy the technology and have it fill the same values in their lives," Dr. Bell said. "I was fairly certain that wasn't going to be the case. I'm an anthropologist. Culture matters."

"She also pointed out that most American homes have space for leisure activities, and often that space is private. By contrast, Japan's tighter quarters afford little privacy, which may account for the attraction of young people there to text-messaging over mobile phones. "

I think that Bell's Anthropological approach to tech use and design is useful and important. We can't assume that people all over the globe will use the technology that we use here. To do so is quite US-centric.

:: Netwoman 12:03 AM [+] ::
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Blogging - information or interaction?

I was thinking today about the blogs I read, and which ones I enjoy. It started me thinking about what I get out of blog reading. There seem to be several things.

Some blogs I read are for information - to see what's happening in the tech world, or social issues . Other blog's I read are people giving their opinions on things or their reflections on the world. Sometimes I comment on these blogs, offering my own opinion - sometimes I don't, but they make me think.

My favourite types of blogs are the ones that really get the reader engaged in the blog. It is two-way communication. Sure, reading blogs and posting on them is communicating, but blogs that set up conversation are the gems in the blogosphere.

:: Netwoman 11:46 PM [+] ::
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You surf just like a woman

Via Hilde - Salon article on how women surf the internet.

"Marketers held a conference to find out what women do online. The answer: everything except the one crucial thing -- look for cleaning products."

This article challenges some stereotypes about women:

"Women go online for purpose, men for pleasure." Women, this theory holds, are kind of earnest, time-starved taskmasters, using the Net as a helpmate, a tool to save time and conquer their overflowing to-do lists. Not so, Quinlan argues: Women aren't just searchers or surfers. They're both"

The results of the conference seem to based on nine 'real' women, so I am not convinced about how generalizable the findings are - "Some are married, some have kids, some stay home with those kids, some work outside the home. The one thing all these women have in common is that they use the Net -- a lot." I think that there are many other things to consider in terms of what factors influence how both women and men use the internet. For example, household roles, work, school - the kind of time you have in a day and so forth. These real women use the internet 'a lot' and obviously have the time to do so, but what about people who use it less or do not have the time?

"According to the research, women rely on the Internet to manage all facets of their work, family and social lives. Women indicated that their total time spent on individual activities in one day added up to 38 hours of activity inside a 24-hour day. The Internet has enabled women to multi-task while facing this 38-hour day and has become a central fixture within their lives. Despite the increased time at work and online, one-quarter of the women surveyed are actually spending more time with their family than they were a year ago. The women surveyed indicated one reason the work-life balance seems to be shifting in a positive direction is the efficiency and empowerment that the Internet affords them. "

What are the main reasons that they use the internet and how do people use the internet in their everyday-busy life? My dissertation research should be able to answer some of these questions.

:: Netwoman 9:45 AM [+] ::
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Dismantling web information on women's issues

An article about disappearing internet articles.

"Making women's issues go away -
A damning new report reveals that the Bush administration has quietly removed 25 reports from its Women's Bureau Web site, deleting or distorting crucial information on issues from pay equity to reproductive healthcare."

Full article is available here at the National Council for Research on Women.

The internet has the ability to disseminate information - but also make it go away - depending on who's in charge.

:: Netwoman 4:53 PM [+] ::
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Wild West Sims

Via Terra Nova - a new video game called Wild West Sims that is not intended to be historically accurate, but rather a romanticized depiction of the era. Taylor states "whose romanticized story is getting told is key".

There seem to be many problematics of the new game. Have a look at the article.

What jumps out at me? Issues of race and ethnicity, the whole cowboys and 'indians' theme. The native players look like Outkast at the Grammy's. Women are prostitutes in the game and "Enhanced player interaction is fostered by a player offspring system. New players don't just spawn into the game; you are born into a family of other players. " This is based on a heterosexual assumption of course - I guess there is no same sex unions (maybe it takes place in old Virginia?) and no adoption for same-sex couples. "Women are an absolute requirement for the game world" meaning that women are once again reduced to their reproductive capabilities - sex and childbearing...that is the role of women in this game. Native Americans are target practice for white men. Not hard to guess who the target audience is here.

If you look at the comments for this post, Anastasia Odiakova says this:
"Female characters in WildWestSim are NOT there simply for procreation or prostitution. They can choose from all the same character classes, skill paths, and careers that males can, however IN ADDITION to that, they can provide additional roles in the game if the player wishes to do so. So, in actuality, it can be said that female characters can do slightly more than their male counterparts."

This still doesn't address the issues in my opinion. As Taylor states "it's more a question of how things get framed and what is noted as particularly valuable."

It's an interesting discussion - have a look.

:: Netwoman 11:59 AM [+] ::
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Social Movements in the Blogosphere

Found this link via Halley . Virginia is for Haters is a blog advocating to boycott the state of Virginia because of its position on Gay and Lesbian marriages:

"We're here to prove than when a U.S. state attacks the fundamental legal rights of gays and lesbians, gays and lesbians know how to fight back. Please join us in boycotting Virginia companies and their products and services. And by all means, don't take your tourism dollars there until they disprove their new slogan, "Virginia is for Haters."

I think this can show us the power of the blog - spreading the word and creating collectivity against injustices. Can blogs be used to inspire social movements? Only time will tell.

:: Netwoman 3:18 PM [+] ::
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