Everything Trumps Blogging
Sadly, I missed the “life trumps blogging” meme a while back — because I’d be jumping right on that bandwagon, let me tell you. Soon, I promise, soon you’ll be treated to some of the half-finished posts I have floating around. It may even have been yesterday, had a certain small child not chosen that moment to bathe the cat in the toilet (don’t ask…).
Till then:
First, I find it interesting that I received one public comment but four private e-mails on this recent post. I’m curious if those of you who also blogged on the subject had similar types of feedback, and also wondering what about the topic lends itself to private, rather than public discussion?
Secondly, a Friday funny for you all — or, more like, a “who has this much time on their hands?” funny. (video + sound warning)
Lastly, maybe it’s just me, but does this seem like a heck of a lot of work for a five-year volunteer commitment?
Deborah:
I can tell you why I only respond to posts like this in private forums or via e-mail. It’s because 10 years of non-library related systems administration taught me one thing about being a woman in IT: unless the behavior is so egregious that it is a lawsuit waiting to happen, don’t complain. The only way to be taken seriously as a smart technology-minded person is to be one of the guys. Women in technology can be respected in non-hardcore-technology aspects of the field (e.g. user support, management, etc.), but the only way to be taken seriously as a hardcore technology person, in my experience, is to obfuscate gender. And complaining about sexist or exclusive behavior, whether in person or on a public blog, is admitting to being a woman, and therefore, probably not very good at technology. (I am making some incredibly bold statements here which will be understandably very upsetting to the vast majority of very nice, very convinced that they were not sexist technology guys I have worked with in my career. Nevertheless, in my experience, the statements are true.)
24 July 2006, 7:37 pm