Sometimes
I’m ashamed to a male involved (however peripherally) in the technology industry. I’m not a conference goer, never have been and never will be, but I sit on the sidelines here and I see all these conferences being held, and with the exception of BlogHer (and even there this year the men who attended created more buzz than the women it seems), there are almost no women involved in the conferences as participants as opposed to attendees. Shelley has discussed this frequently, most recently here and been dissed and ignored for it by the men running the conferences. How can you ignore a technologist like Shelley, who has written many textbooks and given so much to the community? Only through blatant sexism that’s how. Jeneane took up the torch last night and I think expressed many peoples views, including some men. I think Jeneane summed it up perfectly when addressing the sexist men that put on these conferences she gave them a very big
FUCK YOU
and allow me to add
If you plan to attend any tech conferences in the future you should ask check the roster of speakers and see if any qualified women are included. If not, or not enough, you should demand to know why. You should boycott those conferences and you should inform the companies that are advertising at them exactly why you are considering no longer using their products and services. It’s time for the men who are outraged at this inequality to stand up and and take a stand. Our friends need us.
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Comments
Comment from M. Douglas Wray
Time: September 3, 2006, 6:18 pm
Damn straight Dougie!!!!
Glad to hear another Real Man point this out.
Elisa also raises some excellent points.
Comment from Doug Alder
Time: September 4, 2006, 7:31 pm
Elisa
Good points. To this I would add thatBlogHer is not enough and that women in technology need to start putting on conferences and inviting a balanced group of female and male speakers. The men that consistently refuse to attend will be branding themselves for the sexists they are.
Comment from Elisa Camahort
Time: September 5, 2006, 8:16 am
Agreed Doug: Yes, especially since BlogHer isn’t really a “tech” conference, with half the programming about non-technical subject matters. [I do have to point out in response to your initial post: if you review the media coverage of BlogHer, there's not much of a peep about the men in attendance, the buzz is all about the women. The male "A-list" bloggers? Another story altogether: focused on the male attendees. Not too surprising, sad to say.]
Anyway, back to our list of what will work: I would add a #5 to my list above: Women AND men who are on the advisory boards or organizing committees for such events need to rattle some cages and rock the boat. Change from within, and all that.
Comment from Doug Alder
Time: September 5, 2006, 9:19 pm
Elisa – I should have been clearer 
not so much the media coverage, but the blogosphere coverage – at least on the blogs I hang out on. The controversy seemed to center around a number of guys who attended – Winer chief among them – or the commercialization factor much of which had nothing to do with tech which only goes to emphasize your point:)
BlogHer isn’t really a “tech” conference
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Comment from Elisa Camahort
Time: September 3, 2006, 8:11 am
Great post.
To Shelley’s question “what will work?” I think the answer has to be a combination of:
1. People speaking up
2. People putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to what events they attend.
3. People telling the event sponsors that they are doing #2.
4. And yes, people who want to speak themselves or see more speakers of whatever persuasion speak actively promoting themselves and other speakers whenever they see an appropriate opportunity.