:: Netwoman ::

:: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 ::

The Household Internet

It's official, I am now a PhD Candidate. I have passed through the hoops of writing two comprehensive exams - one in Gender (January) and the other on the Domesticated Internet (June). Today I successfully defended my research proposal - my committee was great. Now, the last hurdle is researching and writing. Surveys are going out in the next couple weeks, with follow up interviews in August and September. I will update my research page soon with more details.

Phew! No turning back now - Onward!

:: Netwoman 11:51 PM [+] ::
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Tech Is Trendy

Tech Is Trendy: Campus Abuzz With Gizmos Of The Future here

"NEW DELHI: The gizmo that everyone loves is in news. An international research (Siemens Lifestyle Study) has found that women view the mobile phone technology more in terms of its functionality, while men like to flash their cellphones. Yet another study has indicated that mobile phones could impact a man’s fertility. But, irrespective of what the world is saying about the gizmo that keeps you connected, it’s the campus buzz this season."

:: Netwoman 11:46 PM [+] ::
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Closing the Dialogue on Blogs

GameGirlAdvance has had enough and she is taking a blogging break. She is tired of the spam and very tired of the nasty comments and emails she receives from people:

"I'm tired. I'm tired of being online. Tired of comments about my personal and professional life from people who have never met me...I'm tired of the spam. Spam in my mailbox, in the comments. It seriously makes me almost cry. When there's something you've built up, it breaks your heart to have idiots piss all over it...I hate to close down the dialogue, but it's driving me insane."

Check her entry for an example of some of the comments she receives. It is the same issue surfacing over and over - nasty comments that become personal. Will it ever stop? What compels people to post comments that are so vicious?

:: Netwoman 11:05 PM [+] ::
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In Today's News

Website against gays is taken off the Internet - here:

"It appears to be the first South African website removed from the Internet because it contained hate speech."

High-tech equity - Rice aims to draw more teen girls to computer science here

"Luz Rodriguez uses a computer every day, but she didn't learn that she had a knack for designing Web sites and writing computer applications until this month.
Rodriguez discovered her talents only after signing up for Rice University's women-only Computer Science Computing and Mentoring Partnership, or CS-CAMP. The program is one of several in the nation trying to reverse the downward trend in the percentage of women obtaining computer science degrees."

Women, Technology Changing Mining's Image here

"Nowadays, mining is highly technical, relying not so much on brute strength as computer savvy. And that has helped bring more women into the industry -- from geologists to senior executives."

Men Are Talking More Than Women ... Well, at Least on Their Cell Phones! here

"Never let it be said that men are poor
communicators. Well at least never let it be said that they don't TRY to
communicate. For the fourth year in a row, men prove to be the more talkative
sex in the wireless world. Men talk 16 percent more on their wireless phones
than do women, according to a survey conducted for Cingular Wireless. Men use
their wireless phones an average of 455 minutes a month, compared to an
average of 391 minutes a month for women."

Women More Involved in Home Electronics Purchases - here

"90 percent of women said they shared equally or made the decision for home electronics purchases in 2004 compared to 79 percent in 1998.
"Age is a significant factor that influences women's involvement in the purchase of home electronic products," said Therese Mulvey, vice president marketing research at Vertis. "The results of the study show that 35 percent of women 18-24 plan to purchase wireless devices in the next 12 months, compared to 21 percent of women ages 25-34."

:: Netwoman 12:43 AM [+] ::
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A Blogger's Identity

From Trish Wilson:

"A blogger pulled a nasty hoax on her fans. Or should I say, his fans. "Plain Layne" attracted thousands of daily visitors towards the end of the days of "her poignant and brutally honest diary of her life." One day, her blog went *poof,* and her fans wondered what had happened to her.

They were understandably floored when they learned that "Layne" was really Odin Soli, "a 35-year old male entrepreneur and writer, married with two children" who created Layne as "an experiment in 'interactive fiction.' "

"Layne's" fans are left feeling angry, confused, and in some cases respectful of a well-engineered con. Some want to give "Layne" a piece of their mind. "Layne" revealed very personal details, including a rape that "led her to re-examine her sexual identity and become a lesbian." Soli kept readers and commenters in the dark for three and a half years. His deception was "more sophisticated because it exploited the social aspects of Web logs, which allow readers to interact with authors by posting comments directly onto their diary entries."

There are even pictures of "Layne." Soli won't identify the woman, but says she was fully aware of what he was doing.

:: Netwoman 12:34 AM [+] ::
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Gmail Invites

Ever wonder when the Gmail invites will stop? You would think that everyone has a Gmail account by now.

I have invites left - if anyone wants one, Gmail me: netwoman at gmail dot com

:: Netwoman 1:13 AM [+] ::
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Why Voting is Important to Women

Cross posted at Feministe.

In case some people don't know, Netwoman is from the great white north - yup Canada, eh?! Today is Voting Day in Canada. "Tonight Canadians will vote in what pollsters are predicting to be one of the closest elections in decades. Few political pundits expect that either the Liberals or the new Conservative Party will be able to rule in their own right, which means the party with the most seats will still need to seek support from unlikely quarters."

In the hectic schedule of my life - writing thesis proposals, grading exams and buying birthday presents for my son, I realized that I forgot to vote.

As I was having dinner with my son (after I voted), he asked me "Why does it matter if you vote? You're just one person". I put down my chicken wing, and began my lecture (poor child).

It's true, I am just one person, and it may or not make a difference whether I vote for my party of choice (neither Liberal or Conservative). But I explained to my son, that it is my RIGHT to vote, and I feel obligated to exercise that right - especially because I am a person and a woman.

"Women in what is now known as Canada could vote before Confederation if they owned property, but after Confederation in 1867 they were legally barred from voting. In 1917, women were allowed to vote if they met an exception for military personnel stationed abroad. "Bluebirds", nurses caring for wounded soldiers in Europe in World War I, were the first women to vote legally in a Canadian federal election. In 1918, women had the same voting rights as men in federal elections."

Women in Canada advocated passionately to be considered 'persons' and be allowed to vote.

"The British North America Act, or BNA Act, of 1867, created the Dominion of Canada and provided many of its governing principles. The BNA Act used the word "persons" to refer to more than one person, and "he" to refer to one person. A ruling in British common law in 1876 emphasized the problem for Canadian women by saying "Women are persons in matters of pains and penalties, but are not persons in matters of rights and privileges."

It was 1918 before women were allowed to vote. This is not so long ago.

"On October 18, 1929, Lord Sankey, Lord Chancellor of the Privy Council, announced the British Privy Council decision that "yes, women are persons ... and eligible to be summoned and may become Members of the Senate of Canada." The Privy Council decision also said "that the exclusion of women from all public offices is a relic of days more barbarous than ours. And to those who would ask why the word "persons" should include females, the obvious answer is, why should it not?"

I feel it's important for all people to go out and vote - especially women - as women before us fought so hard to have their political voice heard. Having said that, Canada has a long way to go before women are adequately represented in political office. Only 23.2% of political candidates are women.

"At the close of nominations in June, there were 391 women and 1,294 men among the 1685 candidates who had successfully filed their papers with Elections Canada. "


Elections in the USA are approaching, exercise your right and vote. Heck, run for office!

"I sense that the time has come for the growing and hardy band of women legislators to demand that governments everywhere get their priorities right and recognize that if we want peace and human security in the world, we must replace the culture of war with the culture of peace. I am not saying that a world run by women would necessarily be a completely peaceful world, but my political and diplomatic experience indicates to me that the prospects of achieving a more humane world would improve with more women in the decision- making processes of governments ."

Senator Douglas Roche's last speech to the Senate on March 31, 2004

:: Netwoman 7:55 PM [+] ::
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News from CWIT

Last month, CWIT announced Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich's signing of a bill creating a statewide Task Force on the Status of Women and Information Technology, a bill that CWIT was instrumental in drafting and shepherding through the Legislature. Many people have asked for more details, so here they are. Under the new law, the Task Force shall:

(1) Study the issues relating to the declining involvement of girls and women in information technology;

(2) Study the impact this decline has on the overall technology literacy of Maryland's workforce;

(3) Study the impact of this decline on the future of the information technology workforce in Maryland;

(4) Create awareness throughout the state on the issue of women and information technology and the findings of the task force;

(5) Identify and examine existing programs and services, laws, and regulations with respect to identifying practices that best address the issue in education and workforce development;

(6) Investigate strategies to address the challenges that will better meet the state's workforce demands in all career areas where technology is used;

(7) Develop a Statewide Comprehensive Women and Information Technology Plan and strategies for Plan implementation and public promotion of the Plan; and

(8) Facilitate coordination and communication among State and local agencies and organizations regarding achieving the goals of the Plan.

The Task Force will bring together IT students, a high school teacher, faculty from a community college and a four year institution, an entrepreneur, a human resource representative who hires significant numbers of IT workers annually, state and local educational agency representatives, senior level IT business professionals, senior government officials, legislators, and representatives from the MD Commission for Women and CWIT. The Task Force will present an annual report on its findings and recommendations to the governor annually beginning October 1, 2004 for a period of five years.

Already there is much interest around the U.S. in this initiative as other states look with concern at the low levels of participation of girls in information technology and IT-related programs at the secondary level and in college enrollment.

For more information, please contact CWIT - the Center for Women and Information Technology here or by phone at 410-455-2822.

:: Netwoman 7:13 PM [+] ::
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Open Thread on Feminism

Via Feministe from Rox Populi.

1. Define "feminism"
2. Was you mother a feminist?
3. Are you a feminist?
4. When did you come to that conclusion (#3) and what factors entered into your decision?
5. What are the top five women's issues that require immediate attention?

1. Feminism is difficult to define, as it means different things to different people. For me, feminism is a tool - a way to examine society and social issues by paying attention to gender, race, class, sexuality, age, ability and so forth. It's a social movement - advocating that all people have equal opportunity and access, and that relations of power be eradicated. Feminism applies to women and men - ergo, men can be feminists too. It's way of living your life - going beyond stereotypical expectations and challenging the system. This is a tough one to write in a few sentences.

2. Yes, my mother is a feminist - so was my grandmother. All the women in my family are very strong, intelligent and outgoing women. My grandmmother never took crap from anyone and was very outspoken. She lived by her own rules, not the ones that society prescribed. My mother is a very strong woman who also chose her own distinct path in her life. I am very proud of both of them, and they shaped the person I am today.

3. I am indeed a feminist. Though people hate this word - with all the baggage it claims - I refuse to discard it. There is nothing wrong with being a feminist. I am sure most people are in some shape or another.

4. I have always questioned the system - even as a child. I pointed out things that I felt was unfair - to women, to people of colour, gays and lesbians etc. My mother has called me her little 'Jane Fonda' since I was a child. When I was in grade six, our class started to play instruments in music class. I always wanted to play drums, so that is what I signed up for. The music teacher said that drums were for boys, and that I should play the flute or clarinet. I was mad and outraged - what did being a boy have to do with playing drums? I played the trumpet instead of the flute (I was the only girl). I have been a feminist since I was a child, though I suppose I claimed the word when I was in high school (20 years ago).

5. The top five issues? there are so many! Equal pay is still an issue; violence against women; gay and lesbian rights; rights of first nation women and immigrant women; the amount of women living in poverty - I could go on. Overall - eradicating socially created 'differences' between people that create relations of power.

:: Netwoman 9:44 PM [+] ::
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Online Political Information

I rely on the Internet to keep on top of the platforms of our political parties. Though I already know what party I am voting for (NDP - same as always), it's good to see how out of touch the Liberals and Conservatives are in Canada.

Good information is found here at the Dawn Website.

The Liberals have no commitment to women's equality or women in general. They are proposing a modern proposal on childcare.

The Conservatives have no commitment to women's equality or women in general OR any equality issues at all. There are some general social policy issues in their proposal.

The New Democratic Party (NDP)policy platform contains two full sections that speak directly to women's equality issues, as well as policies concerning persons with disabilities, persons of colour, gays and lesbians and new Canadians.

More info is available here in PDF: "Election 2004: Women's Equality and Party Platforms".

:: Netwoman 9:26 PM [+] ::
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Researching Blogs

Liz Lawley over at Many 2 Many about researching blogs. It's a good post.

Liz sees five different approaches to studying blogs:

1. Study of the form itself
2. Study the interactions between blogs and blog authors
3. Researching within clusters and communities rather that the 'blogosphere'
4. Analysis of content and style used in weblogs
5. Study of the use of weblogs as tools in specific organizational contexts

She says that there are many ways to study blogs - good point.

:: Netwoman 9:12 PM [+] ::
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Domestic Spaces

Via Future Now on Mobile Domesticity.

As you might know, I am doing my PhD research on the Household Internet, so I found this woman's research quite Interesting. Angie Hsieh's MA research is situated around the following questions:

1. What is the experience of mobile, wireless technology users?
2. Will society begin to experience "mobile domesticity" where feeling at home transcends physical and spatial boundaries?
* a. How has communication technology changed our relationship with the home?
* b. How does the existing theoretical discourse on home apply to today's technology-laden home?
* c. What could wireless technology mean for our conception of home?

Very interesting stuff. Here is her blog Domestic Space, Home, and Technology. I left her a note so we can chat about our research.

:: Netwoman 11:53 PM [+] ::
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Meet Joe Blog

Meet Joe Blog
Why are more and more people getting their news from amateur websites called blogs? Because they're fast, funny and totally biased
By LEV GROSSMAN - Time online.

As Kaye Trammell says, there is nothing new about blogs in this article. But my question is:

What about JANE Blog?

Granted the article mentions two female bloggers - Rebecca Blood and Ana Marie Cox, but big deal. The title is more reflective of a male blogworld.

"In a way, blogs represent everything the Web was always supposed to be: a mass medium controlled by the masses, in which getting heard depends solely on having something to say and the moxie to say it."

Of course, we know there is much more to it then this statement : Who is the really controlling this mass medium? Who are the masses? Is everyone really heard? Simply blogging opinions isn't enough - sometimes no one is listening. Sometimes people have voice, and they are condemned for it (see yesterday's post).

:: Netwoman 10:02 AM [+] ::
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Brothers and Sisters In Technology? Perhaps Not

Shelley at Burningbird writes a post today about how upset she is about Dave Winer's comments regarding complaining women. She is also upset about how no men responded to the comments that Winer made.

Shelly says this:

"I am so angry right now. I am so mad at the supposed male-dominated tech community with it's obvious implications of brotherhood.

I expected one, one of the community to push back at Dave Winer and his outrageous statement about the critics being primarily women bitching about the weblogs.com shutdown, and how it must be because we hate men for some reason. I expected them to be outraged on my behalf because they know me, and know that regardless of my reasons, it would not be because of that."

"I never expected anyone to agree with me when I was critical of Winer and his shut down of weblogs.com. I thought each of us must fight this battle on their own. But when he reduced what some of us have said – what I said – to being nothing more than a woman being cranky at men, what he did was to discredit what I said, a fellow technologist, based on my sex.

Winer was critical of men in comments, and I watched other guys rally around those men -but not the women. Not us women.

I could chalk this up to Dave Winer being Dave Winer but not one of you men disagreed!
And you wonder why women aren't heard; why more women don’t speak out, or get involved.
My brothers in technology. Ha! Right."

I am surprised at Winer's reaction to comments women made - oh wait - maybe not. We have seen this before on other blogs, the comments women make that are ignored - or women who are called out for their comments whereas men's are not. I have talked about this before here too. But the blatant sexism threw me. The assumption that because a woman challenged a man, she must hate all men. How dare she threaten his authority! Here is a snippet from Winer:

"The attackers are dispropotionately women. Do you think maybe they're using me to get even for how someone treated them? A father, a brother, an uncle, an ex? Does our culture let them be abusers, assuming the man is always wrong, guilty until proven innocent?"

Women should continue to voice their opinions, but why should we do it on our own? Shelley's right, where are the responses from men in regards to this? Bystanders to sexism. It's unacceptable. Step up the plate folks! Take responsibility and accountability and SAY something!

:: Netwoman 7:13 PM [+] ::
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Rape in Online Games

Terra Nova states that "Sex has always been a part of virtual spaces" and "report on the creation of spaces where sexual content or themes are purposefully designed in – in particular the current interests in heavily sexualised MMORPGs." Sex is one thing, but rape is another.

Reading on, TN talks about a couple new sexually orientated MMOs. I checked one of these out - Sociolotron located here.

"Sociolotron is rather different, it is a full on role play game with combat, crafting, points systems, oh and sex, lots of sex, especially BDSM with options for rape and consequences such as disease, death and pregnancy. It also has a strong political side with like the choice of democracy or tyranny being part of the game."

At the game site, this is what is says about Rape:

"A rape is essentially a seduction action without sympathy. You can attempt to grab another character at his hand, hair and so on. The other character (and any other bystander) can try to prevent this for a few second. If you are strong enough and nobody prevents this action you have a hold on the other character. You can then drag him around (even into other rooms) or force him into postures as you which. You ran take of his cloths and ultimately rape the other character with all consequences (pregnancy, diseases) which can occur from a regular intercourse. As stated elsewhere this is a regular part of the game and by no means considered in game harassment. You have been warned!"

Interesting disclaimer. Will women actually chose to play this game?

I find this all very disturbing, and I don't see why these options have to be included in online games. Why reinforce such abhorrent social behaviour? What is the point? Power, Power and more power. Online game options such as this do nothing to challenge and change behaviours and relations of power in physical spaces, but rather encourages them. I totally mortified.

:: Netwoman 2:02 PM [+] ::
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The (Blog)War on Sexism

Despite the stats and articles that indicate that female bloggers write more personal diary type of blogs, there are many women who blog about social issues and inequalities.

"From politics to partying, from men to menopause, from feminism to family - women Webloggers seem more comfortable in viewing their personal lives in a larger, cultural context and also in looking at global issues from a very personal point of view"

There are many interesting and thought provoking feminist blogs by women (and yes, men) in the blogosphere. Feministe is one of my favourites, but here are some others:

XX
Black Feminism
WendyMcElroy.com
Pinko Feminist Hellcat
Feministing
Trish Wilson

These are only a few of the numerous feminist blogs out there. Have a look at the blogrolls too, there are some good ones there.

Are blogs a new social movement on the Internet? It's quite possible. But as the Internet can give voice to people, it also leaves room for racist, sexist and homophobic expression. Googling feminist blogs also lead me to some disturbing anti-feminist blogs, that I won't link to here. Freedom of expression is a tricky thing, isn't it?

:: Netwoman 1:14 AM [+] ::
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An Interview with a Blogger (me!)

I forgot to mention that awhile back (April), Kynn Bartlett - course instructor for a Blogging Basics course interviewed me. Wil Wheaton was interviewed too, so I feel quite flattered. I believe anyone can view the interview, so go have a look. Here are a couple things from it:


Kynn: Where are blogs going in the future? Is it just a fad, or a normal outgrowth of the Web's evolution, or is it a revolution in how we share information?
Tracy: I don’t think it is a fad. I think that the number of bloggers will continue to increase. It is both a good way to share information and to communicate with others. I think that blogs will replace websites really. Blogs often give ‘voice’ to people out there who are not usually heard (of course, provided that people are reading them). Having said that, it is about communicating through text and this is not everyone’s forte. There are other ways to blog – audioblogging and photoblogging may be other ways for people to blog.

We also need to consider issues such as literacy, access to the Internet and tech skills. While blogging is somewhat basic (depending on the software), you need to have a computer with internet access. There are many people who do not have this (digital divide), so many people will continue to be left out. Though some would argue that having a computer with internet access is not as important as having food on the table, we need to consider how much of our lives are becoming embedded within internet technology. This might further the gap between haves and have-nots. You also see a lot of people getting jobs because of their blogs – journalist jobs, book offers etc etc.

Blogging is the future ... and we should think about whose future – who is left out?

Kynn: Is there really a difference in the blogging experience between men and women, or is completely "gender-neutral?"
Tracy: I don’t think that anything is gender neutral and to believe that is incorrect. Yes there are clear differences in the blogging experiences between men and women. For example, if you look at Deborah Tannen’s work on communication patterns between women and men, there are differences – so I think it is obvious that there would be a difference in the blogosphere and how women and men communicate on their blogs.

Women tend to write more personal diaries and accounts of their lives, whereas men often do not – it’s more about circulating information. That is not to say that all men do this or that all women do that, but there is a clear pattern. There are also different experiences in terms of the kinds of comments and feedback that women and men receive. Women tend to get more personal attacks rather than challenging the issues that have been presented. These are only a couple examples.

Kynn: Blogging appears to be a male-dominated activity, and yet the majority of the students in this class are women. What appeal does blogging hold for women?
Tracy: I don’t think that blogging is dominated by men anymore. Recent studies indicate that teenage girls are the largest amount of bloggers. What is dominated by men is the A-list bloggers – the most popular bloggers out there – what people are reading and consider credible and valuable. Also, men tend to link to other male bloggers in the same field, often leaving women excluded from the link game. Women’s voices are often not deemed valuable or worth hearing. There has been some discussion on this in terms of political blogging.

I am not surprised that there are more women in the class then men. Women want to keep up with what is going on, and it is great that your students are not intimidated by the tech field (as is often the case).

The appeal of blogging for women – perhaps a new means or tool to communicate with others. Also, a way to keep a diary or journal of what is happening in their lives. It’s very therapeutic – at least for me! Blogs is a good way to get your voice heard – provided of course that people are listening, which is where it gets tricky.


Kynn: Are there certain subjects which are considered "more acceptable" or "less acceptable" for women to write about? What effect do these stereotypes have on women bloggers?
Tracy: I think that people expect women to write more personal blogs versus political or critical discussions of social issues. I have seen women make comments on blogs and it has been ignored. Then a man will make it and it gets discussed with praise. Again, women’s opinions are often undervalued because of gender stereotypes – ie what do women know about politics and so forth? I have seen women make an aggressive comment on someone else’s blog and confronted about the tone where other ‘snarky’ commenters – men – have not been called out. There are expectations of behaviour, and often this is different for women and men.

Having said that, there are some women out there that are popular and their opinions are read and valued. But look at the class, sexuality and race of these women…white, hetero and upper middle class. As well, there are men out there who are blogging about their personal life – single fathers, married men blogging about their kids etc. I don’t want to make generalizations, but there are gendered patterns of use and experience. These are things that we need to think about. How people blog, and the experiences they have are reflected by wider social processes of inequality.

The effects of these stereotypes? Perhaps that women might not want to continue blogging or they might be intimidated, or harassed. Feministe gets tons of hate comments and emails because of the feminist content in her blog. However, she does not let it deter her – she plods along. Others I know have either stopped blogging or considered it. It is too bad really.

:: Netwoman 12:25 AM [+] ::
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Virtual Participation

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM 'GIST: Gender Perspectives Increasing Diversity for Information Society Technology'will take place in Bremen,Germany June 24-26 2004

REGISTER here.


The goal of the symposium is to bring together research, development, and applications in Information Technology with gender research in order to influence IT research and development for the Information Society in a sustainable way.

In particular we would like to alert you to a ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION on:

'Gender as a Category in the IST Priority of the 6th and 7th Framework Programme? -Building Alliances for Future Collaborations'

The goal of this round table is to discuss potentials of impacting the framework program and to think about possibilities for a collaborative proposal.
As special guests we expect Dr. Rosalie Zobel, Director for Miniaturisation, Embedded Systems, Societal Applications, EU Commission. This discussion will be chaired by the EU office of the BMBF. The discussion will take place Saturday, June 26, 2004, 11:30-13:00.


VIRTUAL GIST - THE GIST COMMUNITY!

Also we want to promote the virtual GIST environment: here.

:: Netwoman 2:24 AM [+] ::
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Women into Computing Conference

6th International Women into Computing Conference
14th-16th July 2005
University of Greenwich -(Maritime Greenwich Campus)

"The Gender Politics of Information and Communication Technologies"

More Info located here.

:: Netwoman 4:38 PM [+] ::
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Bored Housewives Online

Netgames lure 'bored housewives' - BBC News located here .

"While hardcore online gaming remains the preserve of young men, research firm Screen Digest found that "bored housewives" are fuelling the growth of other games offered on the net. Females make up 65% of the growing market in skill-based games such as cards solitaire and puzzles."

"Amazingly, every single one of the major casual games service providers reported that this growth was being predominantly fuelled by middle-aged and female gamers, the antithesis of the hardcore gaming markets," said report author Nick Gibson.

"We jokingly termed this the bored housewife," he added.

Somehow I don't think this is funny. Housewives are not bored, they just need a break from the repetivenes of domestic labour, and the Internet provides this. It is also useful when women are multi-tasking household tasks. Bored? Never.

Ugh.

:: Netwoman 10:49 AM [+] ::
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Blogging your Voice

"Look who's blogging: Online journals take over the 'net" Located here.

"But for most bloggers, the primary reward is the satisfaction of speaking their piece, not the possibility of making money. "It's gotten to be an important thing in my life," says Katy McKenna Raymond of Belton, Mo. "It's a venue I can use when there's something I need to say and I don't have another way to say it, and I don't have anyone to say it to. My husband can only hear so much. He's a great guy and he's willing to listen, but my gosh!"

:: Netwoman 10:44 AM [+] ::
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Grieving the Death of a Blog

There is much hype, upset and rage about the shutdown of Weblogs.com. Dave Winer closed it down, without much notice and is taking the heat.

Numerous folks are blogging it here and there - actually everywhere.

Wired News writes about it too. What stikes me are the feelings that people are having about their blog deaths:

"I just have my fingers crossed that my girlfriend gets her blog back," said software programmer Tom Gortell. "She feels like someone just sucked out her brains. I don't get it, it's just an online journal, right? But she feels like her entire life has been stolen."

Oh yes, blogging is part of our lives, a piece of ourselves in public spaces.

People are grieving.

:: Netwoman 10:28 AM [+] ::
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Reciprocity

I have really been neglecting my blog, and I feel horrible. I have blog guilt. Truthfully, I have been busy. I finished my second comprehensive exam about Domesticating the Internet. I like it, and maybe I will post it once I pass. I also have a proposal defense coming up at the end of the month - and I will be a PhD Candidate. phew.

I have been thinking about blogs and people blogging. How people stop and start. How they get bored and excited. Some people change their templates often , others start writing at other blogs, and still others take holidays on cool ships. I have been writing about issues around technology and I enjoy it. But I am thinking about expanding the discussions in this blog. I might play around with the content a little, so don't be surprised.

Bits of Stuff:

Thursday's Child is a blog I found....and she likes my blog. I find this very flattering - thanks! Jackie wants to get in on my research - SURE! Help me finish this damn dissertation, that would be excellent. She makes an interesting reflection about the household computer (relevant to my research):

"Speaking of women and the internet, whose chair is that? The one in front of the computer? For those with kids, is it Mummy's or Daddy's? In our house, it is apparently Daddy's according to our 3-year old daughter. Which is a truly odd thing seeing as how I'm a COMPUTER SCIENTIST. Guess I need to work on the gender balance of computer usage in our house... although it's mostly because dh is home more than I am while the kids are awake, so the person they see USING the machine is him, while I do my work on it while they are asleep. Who the hell can actually do anything productive or interesting on a computer with kids around anyway, that's what I want to know! Certainly not me.... maybe it's a talent, or a skill I need to learn."

Very interesting, and when I am more cognitive, I might reflect on this further later.

She's also started a new blog called Ideas, which she calls her 'serious' blog. I find this idea very interesting. It seems that many people have more than one blog - many sides of themselves.

Thanks to Joan Korenman from Center for Women and Information Technology, I now have a Gmail account. I am not sure I need another email account - I think I have about 5 or 6 right now - though Erica has ten. But, I wanted to try it out. The archives and the amount of space of available is very compelling.

Here is my Gmail = netwoman@gmail.com

:: Netwoman 9:21 PM [+] ::
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Uplifting Blog

Just when I was getting a tad bored of blogs (not that your content is boring, but I am game for some new material), I came across a very interesting blog.

Renaissance Sistah was in my referral log - and when I went to her blog, I was greeted by music - not just any music, but Fantasia Barrino's ( American Idol 2004!) song "I believe".
Wow! I must say that this really set the mood for the reading the blog. I love it and think it is a great idea. Creative and fun - What blogs should be.

:: Netwoman 8:01 PM [+] ::
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brouhaha about women bloggers

Much going on about women bloggers, and I was having trouble laying it all out - where it began etc.

Noli laid it all out thankfully.

"First, the brouhaha. Trish Wilson, guest blogging at Feministe, as well as posting at her own blog, commented on a survey by Daniel Drezner on which blogs are most read, some posts by Matthew Yglesias asking why more women aren't blogging about politics, and a couple of posts about which bloggers reporters read. She also links a March post of hers in response to an earlier "where are the women bloggers" discussion."

It got pretty messy - see comments on Drezner's blog. Just plain ugly. Personal and vicious.

Then there are the comments over at Joho's blog from Jeneane about Keeping 'girls' out. The there's the "Again with the "women and blogging" meme" over at The Power of Many.
Yes, This topic has been done to death for years.
Should we wonder why?

Danah "will speak until the death of gender inequality" both over at Misbehaving and Her own blog. I am glad, it needs to be talked about regardless of the hostility it invokes.

"It is precisely this kind of post that reminds me of how the blogosphere solidifies misogyny and prejudice rather than acknowledging that people are trying to process. Dismissing discussions about gender inequality permits the marginalized subjects to be dismissed. "

:: Netwoman 10:25 AM [+] ::
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Women and ICT Conference

A conference in Arusha, Tanzania, from August 5-7th, 2004 is calling for papers on the theme of "Women and ICT: Challenges and Opportunities on the Road to Tunis 2005".
The Government of Tanzania and the WSIS Gender Caucus-Africa Region are among the stakeholders.
Please see here, for more information.
Send abstracts to Harry Hare at harry@aitecafrica.com

:: Netwoman 9:50 AM [+] ::
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The kitchen (of the future)

Timely for my exam - via Anne Galloway

The Kitchen of the Future here.

Kitchen Computer here

Designing technology for domestic spaces: A Kitchen Manifesto (pdf here)

The Practice of Everyday Life Volume 2: Living and Cooking here

Beyond Commected Home here

The digital home: Cooking in the high-tech kitchen here "Smart appliances may mean less time spent preparing meals" Sure, but who do you think will still be preparing them?

:: Netwoman 9:51 PM [+] ::
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RSS not working

I am having some trouble with the site feed - my new posts aren't coming up on aggregators, and feedster isn't recognizing my existence. Anyone else had any problems with this?

I am just looking into the Blogger feed - but alas, I should be writing my exam :)

:: Netwoman 12:04 PM [+] ::
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Canadian Politics and the Internet

While procrastinating on my exam, I was sent a link about Canadian politicians - a tool that helps people decide who vote for Prime Minister, based upon their responses to the online quiz.

"PoliticsWatch.com is proud to announce the launch of its updated and popular 2004 "PM Picker" Vote Selector Quiz."

I thought it was quite interesting and informative. It is often hard to figure out who is saying what about any given topic. This quiz asks about opinions concerning health care, gun registry, legalizing pot and abortion.

I'm not shy to share my results: Jack Layton leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada (score = 100). I usually vote NDP. So the Internet has helped me confirm my political affiliation.

:: Netwoman 9:06 PM [+] ::
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Women and Purchasing Tech

Via Hilde .
"The newest innovation to hit the electronics industry doesn't involve technology; rather it's who's buying the products. Women are actually out-spending men in the electronics aisles, accounting for fifty-five-billion dollars' worth of sales last year alone. More women are focusing their purchasing power on electronics."

"Women have crossed the digital divide that once separated them from the male-dominated world of technology. Last year, women spent fourteen percent more than men on electronics."

Does this really mean the Digital Divide has closed?

"Best Buy General Manager Chris Annan said, "Women want to know what immediate impact this is going to have on my life, where someone like me, I like to have a gadget because it's a gadget and it's the newest gadget, where a woman wants to have some practicality in it and wants to know how it's going to affect my life right now."

Located here.

This is my 300th post!

Blogging might be a bit scarce as I am writing my second comprehensive exam (qualifying exam) - on The Internet in the Home. More on this later...

:: Netwoman 10:09 PM [+] ::
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Talking Race and Cyberspace

NetTime - May 25, 2004

Talking Race and Cyberspace: Interview with Lisa Nakamura

By Geert Lovink

"I met Internet scholar Lisa Nakamura at a conference in Oslo, late 2001, where she showed how techno-utopian dreams reproduced racist patterns. Her analysis was of a shocking normality because it, once again, proved how 'the old' got teleported into the new in such a friction-free manner.

Nakamura's material shows how the Internet, despite all its alternative claims, is part of dominant visual culture. "No one on the Internet knows you are a dog." It is this flirt with fluid identities, so common in the roaring nineties, that distracted Internet advocates from futher investigations. That, of course, changed over the past years. A number of conferences were held and studies done, and Lisa Nakamura's work stands out within this context.

The following email interview was done after we both got involved in a debate about the merits of 'Internet research'."

Full Interview located here.

:: Netwoman 12:13 PM [+] ::
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