:: Netwoman ::

:: Saturday, July 22, 2006 ::

Blogging is bringing new voices to the online world

New Pew Report on blogging:

Most bloggers focus on personal experiences, not politics

Washington, DC (July 19, 2006) - The ease and appeal of blogging is inspiring a new group of writers and creators to share their voices with the world.

A new, national phone survey of bloggers finds that most are focused on describing their personal experiences to a relatively small audience of readers and that only a small proportion focus their coverage on politics, media, government, or technology.

Related surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that the blog population has grown to about 12 million American adults, or about 8% of adult internet users and that the number of blog readers has jumped to 57 million American adults, or 39% of the online population.

These are some of the key findings in a new report issued by the Pew Internet Project titled "Bloggers":

* 54% of bloggers say that they have never published their writing or media creations anywhere else; 44% say they have published elsewhere.
* 54% of bloggers are under the age of 30.
* Women and men have statistical parity in the blogosphere, with women representing 46% of bloggers and men 54%.
* 76% of bloggers say a reason they blog is to document their personal experiences and share them with others.
* 64% of bloggers say a reason they blog is to share practical knowledge or skills with others.
* When asked to choose one main subject, 37% of bloggers say that the primary topic of their blog is "my life and experiences."
* Other topics ran distantly behind: 11% of bloggers focus on politics and government; 7% focus on entertainment; 6% focus on sports; 5% focus on general news and current events; 5% focus on business; 4% on technology; 2% on religion, spirituality or faith; and additional smaller groups who focus on a specific hobby, a health problem or illness, or other topics.

:: Netwoman 7:10 PM [+] ::
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Second Life - Trinity Strong

As if i don't have a million other things to do, i decided to take a short break and spend some time in my second life.

Here's the new blog of Trinity Strong - new member of SL.

:: Netwoman 6:40 PM [+] ::
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Explaining disconnect between women, video games

By Nicole Girard, Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: June 9, 2006, 7:47 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO--It's not that women don't understand video games, it's that video games don't understand women.

Or so says Sheri Graner Ray, a game designer for the last 16 years, a veteran of Sony Online Entertainment and the Cartoon Network, and a keynote speaker at the Sex in Video Games conference, held here Thursday and Friday.

In her address, Ray, author of the book "Gender Inclusive Game Design: Expanding the Market" and a longtime spokeswoman for female gamers, offered up an explanation as to why women make up less than 10 percent of the gaming population.

Most video games, Ray argues, are like bad boyfriends--they're too involved with their own male sexuality to even try to crack the female sexual code.
Click here to Play

Video: Sex, games and videotape
Visitors find hot stuff at the Sex in Videogames conference.

Ray pointed to your typical video game heroine: overly endowed, highly sexualized, all but naked.

But "male characters are just as exaggerated as female characters, and women just need to get over it, right?" Ray asked.

Well... not exactly.

While it's true that both male and female characters display the common heroic traits of being young, strong, virile and fertile, Ray said, only the female characters display physical traits humans get when they're ready for sex: partially open mouths with large red lips, heavy eyelids (or "bedroom eyes").

The female characters are also dressed in sexually explicit clothing and placed in sexual poses, whereas the male characters aren't.

These "sex object" images aren't going to appeal to the average female gamer, Ray said.

:: Netwoman 3:55 PM [+] ::
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Canadian Men doing more Housework

ROMA LUCIW for the Globe and Mail

The Statscan report suggests that traditional sex-based divisions of labour are starting to blur and that household chores - once perceived to be solely a woman's job - are increasingly being viewed as a joint effort.

Dual-income households are now more common in Canada, and women are as likely as men to trek to work each day. The study also found that when wives are working late, their husbands are more apt to put supper on the table, do a load of laundry, or clean up the kitchen.

"While women have made dramatic breakthroughs in the job market, men have only gradually been getting into housework," the Statscan report said. "However, the study shows that although gender differences in the division of labour are still evident, they are slowly breaking down."

:: Netwoman 1:12 PM [+] ::
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Game Industry Careers

Upcoming WIGI Events

The Balancing Act: Game Industry Careers and Quality of Life
September 16, Seattle Washington

Finding a balance between quality of life and successful career in the game industry can be extremely challenging. It can also be a major obstacle for women who are considering the game industry as a career. At this conference, we will identify quality of life issues and discuss methods for coping or balancing the demands of the industry and a healthy life.

:: Netwoman 10:17 AM [+] ::
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Trinity Strong
Originally uploaded by Netwoman.

Get A Life - A Second Life

I was recently sucked into the vortex of my second life, thanks to Joanna Robinson. What started last week as just a peek, became an interesting journey into virtual play in Second Life.

What I really like about SL is the character creation. You can customize anything on your body and you can be as realistic or surreal as you like. This really took me a lot of time, and I'm still making modifcations. This snapshot here is the first one i took of her.

I couldn't really decide what my relationship to this avatar would be. At first it seemed more like a character that was somewhat removed from me, but the more time I spent in SL and withTrinity, the more she incorporated bits and pieces of me. In some ways she is a lot like me, but in other ways she isn't. I would love to have pink hair - but can't for obvious reasons; but Trinity can. She can do all the things i can't and do things i can. I picked her last name for that reason - she's strong. Here are a couple of reasons why i picked the name Trinity: Trinity is a character from the Matrix - a strong character who can kick butt. Trinity is said to represent Maiden, Mother, Crone.

As i said, there are so many ways you can modify your avatar - but for me it was almost too much - if you can believe it. I have never really dissected my body parts in such a way that i thought about where, how and in what proportion i wanted a certain body part. It's a fascinating experiment, but potentially overwhelming and tedious - but absolutely addicting.

My son has also recently join Teen Second Life - and he loves it. I am amazed at how fast he's caught on to the scripting and customizing. The only issue i had is that you had to give a credit card number since my cell/mobile phone company wasn't listed. I thought that was a bit exclusionary - not everyone has a credit card or wants one.

So, if you're in SL and you see Trinity Strong - say hi! I've been hanging out at the Moonshine Casino making some money.

More on Sl to come...

:: Netwoman 12:04 AM [+] ::
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Silencing Women Gamers?

New Game Plus has pointed me to some new software to disguise women's voices in video games:

Audio4Fun is launching a new piece of voice changer software that's designed to stop female gamers getting hassled by stinky old boys, snappily titled AV Voice Changer Software.

According to research conducted by the company, "The number of female online game players is not small", would you believe. In fact, "Many of them have reached the highest level of some very difficult games such as World of Warcraft (60th level), which is considered the game for men only." Bless their lacy little cotton socks.

"However, most women have a common concern about the long-lasting existence of "male chauvinism" in the world of online games. In considering this point, Voice Changer Software proves very helpful to solve the problem."

In essence, "AV Voice Changer Software is somehow a unique product for female online game players who want to prove that playing online games is not a pastime for men only, and that their talent can make male partners goggle."

Are you kidding me?

Can someone please explain to me how changing my voice to sound like a guy is going to prove anything? How is this going to challenge the terrain of sexism and harassment in the gaming world? Come on. This doesn't change anything. It doesn't change the behaviours of the jerks online who can't seem to wrap their heads around the fact that women are gamers, and they're damn good - and that they like to play all sorts of games!

Bitch, please. Why should women have to disguise their voice? How about we look at why this harassment happens in the first place? How about we do something about the people who are harassing women and making them feel unwelcome in virtual spaces? How about we turn the gaming world upside down and ensure that people know (and hear) that women are gamers?

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again

:: Netwoman 6:54 PM [+] ::
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Women in technology & culture

Anne Galloway has started "an in-progress list of women researchers, designers & artists working in pervasive computing-related fields". I am not on this list yet - though I have emailed her. It's a good start to what I am sure is a very long list....

:: Netwoman 11:53 AM [+] ::
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Women are as good at using the Web as men are

Steve Johnson
Gender differences non-existent when it comes to surfing skills

Among the cliches long exploited by stand-up comics, particularly stand-up comics who aren't too proud to specialize in gender differences, is the one about women being behind the curve on technology.

But a growing body of research about women and the Internet suggests that, in that realm at least, the opening act at the Laff Shack is going to have to get some new material.

Latest is a study out of Northwestern that includes two conclusions: 1. Women are as good at using the Web as men are. 2. Men think they're much better at it than they really are.

In a study of 100 Internet users in New Jersey, researcher Eszter Hargittai found that "none of the women claimed to be experts and none of the men claimed to be complete novices."

Yet when Hargittai and research partner Steven Shafter of Princeton followed the group through a series of search tasks, "with respect to being able to find different types of content, men and women pretty much did the same," she says. "It could either be that women are underestimating their skills or men are overestimating their skills. I can't say which."

:: Netwoman 11:05 AM [+] ::
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Women Rule Mobile Gaming

Interesting article from Next Generation - Interactive Entertainment Today

A new study reaffirms that women are still the dominant consumers of cell phone games.

ImageMarket research firm Parks Associates' study, "Electronic Gaming in the Digital Home," indicates that women make up 59 percent of consumers who play mobile games.

Also according to the study, 61 percent of mobile gamers that play for 1-4 hours a month are women, and they comprise 58 percent of those that play for over four hours per month.

"Women are the foundation of the gaming market, and as an industry, we need to cater to their preferences," said John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates. "This effort is key to future revenue growth because right now women generally spend little on gaming even though they like to play games and often have disposable income. The industry just needs to find a game they are willing to pay for."

And what are their preferences? Has anyone asked women? Or are we still using stereotypes to shape game design?

:: Netwoman 7:19 PM [+] ::
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Casual Game Players

From Gamasutra:

A new report released by Macrovision Corporation, which operates the Trymedia Network for the digital distribution of PC games, reveals that, according to a recent worldwide survey, 37 percent of those who use casual games play nine or more two-hour 'sessions' each week.

In addition, the survey, of 789 worldwide participants, found that casual gameplay happens most often at night, as opposed to during commute hours or other 'quick break' times during the day, again indicating that the moniker 'casual' is a little anachronistic for the gameplay style.

Other findings include the fact that 37 percent of casual game players are between the ages of 35-49, while 28 percent fall between the ages of 50-60. Casual game players were found to be predominately female, with women making up 71 percent of those playing. Interestingly, 58 percent of those surveyed were found to have no children under age 18 living in their households.

Puzzle games was found to be the most popular genre of casual games, capturing the attention of 67 percent of those surveyed, followed by card games with 44 percent. 35 percent of the participants preferred strategy games, while only 34 percent most liked to play action games.

Additional interesting findings in the report include that 30 percent of those surveyed have downloaded more than 21 games in the last year, while 70 percent have purchased a game after first playing it free of charge on the internet. 67 percent indicated that they read game reviews, and 46 percent of those who do feel they are influenced to try or purchase a new game by the reviews they read.

"Our survey has determined that mainstream audiences dedicate a substantial amount of time to gameplay -- not just in 15-minute increments as previously thought," said Loren Hillberg, executive vice president and general manager of Commerce at Macrovision. "Whether advertisers are reaching out to casual or core audiences, we want them, through the results of our survey, to realize who gamers are, how they operate and what they like."

Hillberg added: "The survey findings will certainly help them to adjust their advertising strategies accordingly to ensure maximum penetration to the appropriate audiences."

:: Netwoman 1:36 PM [+] ::
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Political Blogging - Just for the boys?

An article from The Guardian talking about women who blog about politics (and those who don't), and their experiences about it...Here's a snipit...

The internet is an unfriendly place for women wanting to write about politics. Ros Taylor asks why - while we profile the British bloggers daring to speak out.

When Polly Toynbee asked the readers of the Guardian's Comment is free blog why she and her fellow contributors were the target of so much abuse, "BollockstoBlair" got in the first heckle on the comments section. "Give it a rest, love - time of the month is it?" he wrote, adding "Just kidding" and the semi-colon and bracket that denote a grin and a wink.

Read that how you will - teasing provocation or blatant misogyny - it is not a riposte that would ever be hurled at a male blogger. And such comments might well be having a detrimental effect on would-be female commentators. Because, while women are now blogging in increasing numbers, very few write about politics.

:: Netwoman 1:24 PM [+] ::
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