Women && Tech: Strategies for Commending the Awesome

This was presented on June 13, 2013 at North by Northeast Interactive.

We’ve pledged to post 50 in-depth interviews about women in tech doing awesome things on our blog, womenandtech.com. Along the way, we’ve learned a few strategies for building a personal project that kicks ass and engages a worldwide audience.

Yes, we’re going to talk about the women in tech issue, but we promise: no pink, no curly script typefaces, no bullshit. This is a topic that affects everyone in our industry, and we’re going to share what we’ve learned from talking to heavyweights like Nora Young and Amber Mac as well as young women just beginning their careers.

We plan to share all our secrets:

- How to build a committed team with volunteers from around the world
- Why we would interview men for a women in tech series
- How to build relationships and create opportunities
- Negative feedback and what we’re doing about it

Transcript

1. Strategies
   for Commending
   the Awesome
   @cassiemc
   Cassie McDaniel
   

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2. Story
   Inspiration
   How-to
   

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3. www.womenandtech.com
   @womenandtech
   /womenandtech
   

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4. “”
   I don’t want to be the token woman speaking
   at a conference, but I do want to be a woman
   speaking at a conference to show other
   women it’s not scary.
   – Pearl Chen
   

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5. For me, the way in to technology was not
   through science and math, it was through making.
   It was through art, it was through design.
   “”
   – Martha Ladly
   Beginnings
   

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13. writing
    Writing
    

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16. www.webmaker.org
    

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17. Gender issues are so often just under the surface
    that they aren't visible and therefore fester or
    change dynamics in unseen, indescribable ways.
    “”
    – Ayla Newhouse
    What is Women && Tech?
    

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20. How do you
    open source design?
    ?
    

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28. mauricio calero
    

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29. rachelle sabourin
    

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30. rachelle sabourin
    

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31. David waldman
    

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32. David waldman
    

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33. pam lau
    

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36. Jon lim
    

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37. jon lim
    

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39. You just get so much more out of a project by
    having a network effect, rather than just working
    alone on something. It’s nice when collaboration
    makes something better.
    “”
    – Pearl Chen
    The team
    

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40. 40
    OUT OF
    ***
    Audrey Kuo
    ***
    Brenna O'Brien
    ***
    Brett Bergmann
    ***
    Cassie Kaiser
    ***
    Cassie McDaniel
    david waldman
    ***
    Ivonne Karamoy
    katrina keilhauer
    keith loo
    kelly seagram
    ***
    Lucia Mariani-Vena
    22
    volunteers
    

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42. 3am / launch night
    

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45. Twenty years from now, it would be
    great to say that we built this thing and
    it had a positive impact in the world.
    “”
    – Dessy Daskalov
    Building a
    committed team
    

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46. =
    $€
    £
    

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49. 611 subscribers
    

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50. 2300 followers
    

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51. My stance towards technology is engaged;
    it's critical but not fearful.
    “”
    – Nora Young
    Feedback
    

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53. I'd prefer a slightly different slogan. [...] I feel like
    "We're really not complaining" is a bit insulting to
    those who really are highlighting the problems with
    sexism in technology fields.
    “
    ”
    @gilrain
    Thanks! We think you're right and we're already
    looking at changing that bit.
    @cassiemc
    “
    ”
    

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54. PeopleAndTech.com? If they are celebrating
    awesomeness?
    “ ”
    @timc
    ...
    “ ”
    

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55. Sharing stories from startup women is great,
    although I’m not a fan of the reverse sexism.
    “ ”
    @mibbitier
    We do have several men on our team (more
    men than women, in fact) and don’t at all intend
    “reverse sexism”.
    @cassiemc
    “
    ”
    Reverse sexism? Check your privilege.
    “ ”
    @mediacrisis
    “Privilege?” Check your cultural Marxism.
    “ ”
    @NotMyMorals
    

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56. WomenAndTech.com – I wholeheartedly
    approve of this message. Awesome. Now
    how do we New York this?
    – Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit
    “”
    

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57. Twitter feedback
    

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73. It seems so obvious to me, [science is] how the
    world works! Why wouldn’t you be fascinated with
    the mechanisms that create everything?
    “”
    – Ariel Garten
    The process
    

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76. 30 hours per
    interview
    

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79. Design-centric
    Free-flowing
    Beautiful
    Inefficient
    Time-consuming
    Unicorns make babies here
    Humans, elves and
    dwarves live happily
    together. There are trolls,
    though.
    Must work with rules
    Efficient use of time
    Limited set of beauty
    Inflexible
    Beauty = loss of data
    sharing
    Unicorns are for hippies
    Middle Earth CMS Heavy
    

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80. Design-centric Middle Earth CMS Heavy
    Where we live is outside
    in another dimension,
    timeline and reality.
    x “
    ”
    

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81. If you don't have the confidence and the
    courage to take risks in your own career
    you're not going to get very far.
    “”
    – Martha Ladly
    Funding
    

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82. $1000. In cash. In a paper
    bag. To do something
    awesome. ... That's it.
    

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85. rachelle sabourin
    

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86. Yay sponsors and supporters!
    

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87. Income Microsoft
    Camp Tech
    Supplies
    Food
    Marketing/promotion
    Domain and hosting
    Parking Tickets
    4000
    500
    427.68
    282.84
    112.56
    66.95
    21.50
    Total
    Total
    Expenses
    $4500
    $911.53
    

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89. People talk about having it all, but I just
    said I’m not gonna think about that
    anymore. I’m just going to do what I do.
    “”
    – Lucia Mariani-Vena
    Think lean
    

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90. Hack for Her
    

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93. Think lean
    Scope
    Events
    Scholarships
    Art-directed templates
    Podcasts
    Swag
    School presentations
    Poster series
    Infographics for every post
    Pay writers & photogs
    Animations
    World’s best app
    Connect mentors
    T-shirts
    Chapters around the world
    

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94. Think lean
    Scope
    Events
    Scholarships
    Art-directed templates
    Podcasts
    Swag
    School presentations
    Poster series
    Infographics for every post
    Pay writers & photogs
    Animations
    World’s best app
    Connect mentors
    T-shirts
    Chapters around the world
    

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95. Distributed
    responsibility
    Distributed
    responsibility
    Think lean
    

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96. Think lean
    established
    hierarchy
    Mutually
    

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97. Honest and realistic
    time-frames
    Think lean
    

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98. Listen to your audience
    (but not too hard)
    Think lean
    

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100. Will we be around forever? No. I think once the
     industry is more equal, we’ll stop having the need
     for groups like Ladies Learning Code.
     “”
     – Heather Payne
     Next Steps
     

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101. How can
     you help?
     

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102. www.womenandtech.com/contributor-guidelines
     Start a W&&T Chapter!
     

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103. @cassiemc
     www.womenandtech.com
     volunteer@womenandtech.com
     contact@womenandtech.com
     Thank you
     

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