One of the questions Ponzi asked me during a webcast interview was, "Why is there a need for a separate conference for women bloggers?"
I am not sure of the reasons - I have some hunches - but the preliminary data suggests for whatever reasons, a gap exists.
As a co-moderator for the on-line portion of the Blogher Conference, I met Ponzi on line. She subsequently interviewed me for the Chris Pirillo Show and I got even more tied onto the ongoing conversations around blogging and where world of the internet is going.
I was not familiar with IT Conversations until the Blogher Conference of 2005 when my business partner, and Drupal maven, Laura Scott, sent me some links to it.
IT Conversations News is an excellent source of information. They have a great pulse on the internet. That's because conversations are outstripping books and even magazines as the best souces of timely information. IT Conversations is a treasure trove of conversations that make excellent listening during drive-time or other times when we are starved for content and want to put our time to maximum use.
It was through IT Conversations that the following information was called to may attention, forwarded to me by Doug Kay who writes, in part
I've just created a new survey for IT Conversations listeners. It would be a huge help to us if you would spend five minutes and take the survey. Not only will it help us attract underwriters and sponsors (and therefore keep the content free), but it will also help us set the direction for new programs.
Some very interesting early results from the survey:
* 92% of you are male
* 40% of you have a Master's degree or higher (that surprised me)
* 76% have at least a four-year degree
* 47% of you are outside the U.S.
The results are well beyond the statistically significant threshold.
What surprised me was not the educational level. And I did suspect men would be the majority - but 92%?
Certainly the subscribers to IT Conversations do not correlate one-to-one with the all the blogging world, but it does show that women may well not be accessing valuable resources available to them.
One of the questions Ponzi asked me during a webcast interview was, "Why is there a need for a separate conference for women bloggers?"
I am not sure of the reasons - I have some hunches - but the preliminary data suggests for whatever reasons, a gap exists. To test this, I looked a bit further. An article in ClickZ appeared last May.
The number of people, irrespective of gender, who have "created a blog" is nine percent. Younger people (18-29) are more likely to have created a blog than people older. Males more than females.
Hopefully the internet will turn out to be its own answer.
Those already on the internet now have to help others get on board. Becoming a blogger is relatively easy for someone already on the internet. The big problem is how to reach people who are not on the internet, which might well be through traditional channels.
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Rich Orris has been involved with Open Source software since 1999, working as lead developer for CivicActions, LLC, web developer, graphic designer and house manager for Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center (The Egg), and technology and information specialist for the Home Care Association of New York State.
