01

Jun

Women Dominate the Social Web

Image

In an article on TechCrunch, Aileen Lee, Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Buyers explained that “When it comes to social and shopping, women rule the internet.” This is a lesser known fact, but one that holds true when understanding the growth of companies like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Zynga, and Pinterest. A number of studies (by the likes of Comscore, Neilsen, MediaMetrix and Quancast) have shown that women are the movers and shaker s of the social web. Comscore reported that women are the titans of social networking sites, spending 30% more time on sites than men. According to Nielsen, in mobile, women are 55% of the users. There are a number of e-commerce sites that directly look to leverage the power of women on the web, but even more widely used social social sites such as Facebook, Zynga, Groupon and Twitter are dominated by women.

Sheryl Sanberg, COO of Facebook, has explained that women dominate Facebook: they participate in 62% of the activity in terms of messages, updates and comments, and 71% of the daily fan activity. Women also have 8% more Facebook friends than the average man, and they spend a great deal more time on the site, too. An early Facebook member even noted that women were the key to Facebook’s early success; women were posting to walls, adding photos and joining groups much more actively than their male counterparts.

This female phenomenon holds true when we look at Twitter. Despite Twitter being known as a technie (in other words, predominantly male) destination, women follow more people, tweet more, and on average have more followers than men. Bloggers Dan Zerella and Darmesh Shaw have researched these gender dynamics.

In many ways, these findings are not so surprising. At the end of the day, women are thought to be more social, more interested in relationships and connections, and better at multi-tasking. Robin Dunbar, a social anthropologist, came up the Dubar Number after finding that the one person can maintain around 150 stable relationships at once. However, this number differs between men and women -women are able to maintain more relationships and in a more intimate matter.

Cameron Marlow – the “in-house sociologist” at Facebook found that the average number of “friends” in a Facebook network is 120, and that women tend to have more friends than men. Since the number ranges so much it can’t be proven. What IS proven is the likeliness of women to be more social than men. On average, a man with 120 friends will respond to around seven friends by posting on individual’s photos, status messages or “wall.” They will directly communicate in e-mails or chats with only four people. Women will respond to ten, and will directly communicate with six. Obviously the number is a bit higher the more friends a user will have. For a user with 500 friends, men will leave comments for 17 friends, women for 26. Men will directly communicate with ten, and women 16. Net-net, the Dunbar Number is audience to which users will broadcast their inner lives. However, there will always be a smaller circle where communication is strongest.

At the end of the day, a strong women presence is key for the success of any internet company. This has been proven time and time again using case studies of various internet companies that are leaders in the social web (Facebook being the most prominent example of this). Essentially, women are the gatekeepers to a sites popularity, this is an empowering message. Keeping this in mind, companies have to strategically figure out how to market to women. Technology is often labeled as “masculine,” so it’s ironic that success is tied to women. If more women were aware of the message Aileen Lee was trying to get across in her TechCrunch article, perhaps there would be more female entrepreneurs.

-Michelle (socialnetworkingwomen.org)

352 days ago Short URL Comments

Uncategorized

/

20

May

Evolving Media Channels

Image

Are our traditional channels of media becoming irrelevant? In my opinion, we’ll be reliant on TV for a while, but what about local radio stations? There are a few apps that attempt  to save local radio by giving the option of streaming stations off of mobile devices and laptops (TuneIn Radio and iHeartRadio). This is a convenient option for most dedicated listeners, but is it enough to maintain the demand? It’s likely that local radio will slowly fade as dedicated listeners get older, and as application systems are developed in cars. With the advent of companies like SiriusXM and Spotify, local radio seems to be holding on by a thread. The thought of local radio dying due to the advent of technology is a disappointing thought. For many, they grew up listening to the same radio show hosts every morning —it was a way of connecting with their surroundings. If this option is gone, the way we use radio will loose that local aspect (which will make it a lot less meaningful). Technology has a way of doing this, it’s one of the negative aspects of it. Online retailers have made it difficult for small business and mom and pop shops to exist. So, just as technology has transformed our consumer options and means of communication with each other, it has also changed the way we relate to the world and our surroundings. This is something that will continue to evolve, and the outcome is not too clear.

-Michelle Rosin (socialnetworkingwomen.org

364 days ago Short URL Comments

Uncategorized

//

10

May

Online Marketing: Late 1990′s-Today

Image

The internet has always been deemed important for it’s ability to shed light on the aspects of human behavior, including consumer behavior. With that said, it’s no secret that the internet has drastically changed traditional marketing practices. Social profile information has been valued for the rich data it provides (demographics, connections, Likes, searches, and post content), which has improved targeting marketing. How did we end up here?

Over the last two decades technology has advanced tremendously. If we take a step back to the late 1990s, the avenues for marketing research were very broad. There were four main types of online communities:

  1. Boards: Otherwise known as electronic bulletin boards, boards were a way to organize information around particular products, services, or lifestyles. An early pioneer of boards was Google.com’s newsgroup search engine (acquired from deja.com).
  2. Independent Web pages and Web Rings: These were the early websites on the World Wide Web. Two examples are Epinions (www.epinions.com), which provided an online community for consumer-to-consumer exchanges, and Yahoo!’s Advocacy Listings and directory of Web Rings.
  3. Lists (Listservs): Listservs were thematically organized e-mail mailing lists (they were organized around a variety of themes, such as art, diet, music, professions, toys, educational services, hobbies). Search engines of lists were egroups.com and liszt.com.
  4. Multi-User Dungeons and Chat Rooms: These communities were considered less market oriented because they were usually fantasy oriented, sexual, or social in nature. Yahoo! provided a directory of communities.

The online communities that were most useful were ones that had (1) focused information (2) high “traffic” (3) active users (4) more detailed “rich” data and (5) more member-to-member interaction. In this sense, not much has changed, a sites marketing usefulness is still valued by all four aspects mentioned.

As companies began to recognize the importance of online communities, they started to tap into the cross-consumer communication that was taking place. Early adopters of these practices were Cyveillance, eWatch, NetCurrents, and GenuOne and consumer services such as Epinions.com, PlanetFeedback, Bizrate.com, and eComplaints.com. Their reason for picking up on this trend was twofold:

  • First, they noticed that consumers were active on the internet. If companies could narrow in on the discussions taking place in online communities they would be able to better inform and influence customers, thereby increasing brand equity.
  • Second, companies would have a way of understanding the tastes, desires, and decision making influences of consumers and consumer groups.

To pick up on these trends, marketing researchers would do qualitative research to figure out what questions they were trying to answer, which would allow them to target appropriate online communities, and then learn as much as possible from the conversations taking place.

Looking back on these days, the types of online communities companies targeted seems archaic, but their methodology and purposes have stayed the same. With the advancement of technology we now have the ability to analyze more heavily. The “online communities” of today have honed in on what information is valuable and made it accessible. Marketing has become more specific than we would’ve ever dreamed possible!

-Michelle Rosin (socialnetworkingwomen.org)

374 days ago Short URL Comments

Uncategorized

/

28

Apr

Solving the Entrepreneurial Gender Gap

Women have climbed to top positions within corporate and academic hierarchies; they make up 46% of the workforce and 50% of college students. Still, only 35% of startup business owners are female. Women have made it into positions of authority in the realm of science and technology, and have contributed to the growth of high-net companies. In a new paper titled “Overcoming the Gender Gap: Women Entrepreneurs as Economic Drivers,” Lesa Mitchell, Kauffman Foundation vice president, explains that “More women are entering these fields that ever before. However, while women have broken through the glass ceilings, they seem to encounter ‘glass walls’ that keep them from venturing out of big companies or structured academic setting to launch their own firms at the same rate men do.”

In a 2006 study titled “Gender Differences in Patenting in the Academic Life Sciences,” which tracked over 4,000 science researchers at U.S. universities over 30 years, it was found that men, compared to their female counterpart, were more likely to patent their research and serve on advisory boards (93 percent compared to 6.5 percent). While women looked for more of a work/life balance, men looked to establish new networks.

In the Kauffman article, Mitchell suggests that women entrepreneurs are key to reviving the U.S. economy. She suggests three steps to boost female entrepreneurship: first, increase the non-for-profit opportunities for women to receive funding from high-powered women in addition to networking events; second, successful female entrepreneurs need to be approachable, visible models; third, women need to be encouraged to join science/tech advisory boards, which will help further tech entrepreneurship.

It is not the first time, and certainly not the last time, women have been deemed an “untapped” resource in the entrepreneurial world. Slowly but surely, more female engineers are emerging and starting their own companies. This has been accompanied by an increase in female tech incubators, such as the Female Founder Fellowship (started by The Founder Institute), which has set out a goal to double the number of women in the program. These programs successfully retain talent, and produce female founders across the startup spectrum (post launching their Female Founder Fellowship they saw a 30% increase in female graduates from their program). I believe these solutions are a great opportunity for women to get more involved, and are a step forward in addressing the “three steps” suggested by Mitchell.

386 days ago Short URL Comments

empowering women/female entrepreneurs/glass ceiling/women in tech/women in technology

//

07

Mar

I recently came across this video for The Dollar Shave Club, a company attempting to disrupt the high-end razor market. The video is catchy, and the idea behind it is great. too. The Dollar Shave Club came about when two guys realized they were sick of spending $15-$20 every time they needed to razors, so they decided to make high quality razors that they would sell for cheap ($1/month, $6/month, or $9/month). Another company that has had recent success disrupting a larger market is Warby Parker, an eyeglass company that attempts to compete with other boutique-quality eyewear companies (their glasses retail at $95/pair). Both of these ideas are great, but the Warby Parker example stands out because not only offers cheap, chic glasses, but it also partners with Visionspring.org to give one pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair they sell. This one-for-one model is a larger trend that what pioneered by Tom’s Shoes, TwoDegrees Food, and L. (a condom company).

-Michelle Rosin (socialnetworkingwomen.org)

438 days ago Short URL Comments

Uncategorized

//

15

Feb

Social Networks: Transforming Communication

Social networks have drastically transformed our modes of communication. Some argue that these networks have been for the better; they have increased our literacy, intimacy with others, knowledge base, ability to impact politics, and marketing channels. Others argue that social networks have a predominantly negative impact; diminishing our attention spans, ability to empathize, and personal identity.

Our modes of communication are constantly changing, but for the most part the goal of social networks is to increase communication between individuals. At first, this was a hefty goal for social networks to achieve. Sites like MySpace, Livejournal, and even the early Facebook had users but users were not yet comfortable with the high level of communication that we take for granted today.

In this same vein, Twitter and Quora have been game changers, they have caught on and have forced Facebook and other social networks to alter themselves accordingly.

  • Twitter has introduced a way for companies and individuals alike to publicly market themselves, sharing information about their every move.
  • Quora has introduced a platform for individuals to ask question, and receive high quality answers, making the traditional search engine nearly obsolete.

These sites have proven successful, but could not have been possible 5, or even 10 years ago. Today, users of social networks are more engaged and willing to share personal information. The introduction of Facebook was the tipping point; it made the private public. Once users became comfortable breaking this boundary, social networks proved to be useful, meaningful ways of communication.

With that said, there are many users who still do not feel comfortable with the boundary that these social networks seem to encroach upon. No matter which way we look at it though, these sites are our future; they will impact our group formations, our interpersonal relationships, the way we build our communities, and the way we choose to specialize our knowledge. In order to bring true value in these communities individuals need to create quality content in a way that displaces seemingly archaic forms of communication (boards, independent webpages, listservs, and chatrooms). Sure, there are drawbacks to this fate of communication and social networks, it might produce a generation of individuals who are overly concerned with their appearance on the web. However, others will learn how to capitalize on the power of social networks to learn and collaborate more closely with people in their communities.

Net-net, I believe that social networks provide its users with a tremendous amount of power; connections enable users to reach others who are like minded, and those connections will surely help us progress technologically. You’re either a part of it, or you’re not.

-Michelle Rosin

459 days ago Short URL Comments

Uncategorized

02

Jan

Women Execs in PE: Few and Far Between

It’s a well known fact that women are rare specimens in the PE world, making up less than 10% of private equity executives globally. An article in Asian Venture Capital Journal gives the following statistics:

Women occupy a paltry 8.7% of executive positions in private equity outside Europe and North America, according to a Prequin report released in February. Europe leads the field with 9.1%, while North America is on 8.9%. Statistics on the topic are difficult to come by, and Prequin’s figure itself is wide-reaching, encompassing buyout, venture, mezzanine, distressed debt and other private equity vehicles. If the number of women GPs were specifically examined, representation would undoubtedly fall below 8.7%.

Why is this the case? According to the article, it’s due to “[the] strenuous work schedules, constant traveling and too much testosterone in the office.” Really? Perhaps this is partially accurate, women do need to work on closing the ambition gap. The article also explains that the white men in high level positions are inclined to hire people like themselves – i.e. not women. So, what will make them change their minds? The article concludes that the only thing that can be done to change this is for women in high level PE positions to continue fostering valuable relationships with their male counterparts. Psilo Suennen, co-founder and MD of Psilos Group gives some advice:

Don’t be afraid to hang with the guys on their terms, put your head down and deliver. Find a mentor or colleague that is gender-blind and perform the hell out of your job,” she says. “When you produce cash returns to investors, they are eager to see you do it again and forget you are wearing a bra.

Even though women are few and far between in the PE world, there are some positive figures that show women are making strides:

Blackstone Group and KKR did not respond to AVCJ queries by press time.
Interestingly, there is a global trend for women to create their own opportunities. Rather than work their way up the ladder to the top of existing firms, women are launching independent funds. Asia has been a hotbed of spinoff vehicles. In China, former Baring Private Equity executive Kathy Xu launched Capital Today, Melissa Ma, Rebecca Xu and Laure Wang started Asia Alternatives, and, most recently, Mary Ma departed TPG to launch Boyu Fund. Activity in India has been led by Renuka Ramnath, who departed ICICI Venture to launch Multiples Alternate, and Veronica John, who started Serasi Capital after leaving IL&F.

The day of a women enjoying being the sole-female at a bar celebrating with her male co-workers will probably never come… Until then, women should foster relationships with their male counterparts by talking about politics, current events and relevant business!

503 days ago Short URL Comments

empowering women/empowering women in the workplace/glass ceiling and private equity/private equity/venture capital

////

28

Dec

Women: Valuable Social…. Gamers?


Once again, a study shows that women are more valuable than men in the social networking space. Visa-owned PlaySpan has found that women are more likely than men to buy virtual items in social games than men, especially Facebook games:

Women outspend males in virtual goods purchases in MMOs with an average spend of $111 vs. $74 (when purchasing directly from the game maker) and $86 vs. $77 (when purchasing from a third party source)

I was surprised when I first read the TechCrunch and the Business Journal that discussed these findings, but after doing some of my own research I realized these numbers aren’t shocking at all, in fact they make perfect sense. The TechCrunch article fails to mention that the average social gamer is a 43-year-old woman! PopCap’s 2010 Social Gaming Research gives a detailed overview of the social gaming space; they found that 38% of the women who play social games play multiple times a day (vs. 29% of males) and that women are more likely than men to play social games with real-world friends and family:

  Women are also more likely to play social games with their real-world friends than men are (68 percent vs. 56 percent) and are nearly twice as likely as men to play social games with relatives (46 percent vs. 29 percent). The vast majority (95 percent) of social gamers play multiple times per week, and nearly two-thirds play at least once a day

Other interesting facts (via PopCap & Gigaom):

  • Facebook is by far the most popular destination for social gamers, with 83 percent of those surveyed saying they play games there, compared with 24 percent who play on MySpace, 7 percent on Bebo and 5 percent on Friendster.
  • Social gamers spend 39 percent of their time on social networking sites/services playing games, compared with chatting with/messaging friends (17 percent) and playing solo games (15 percent). Nearly half (49 percent) said that when they connect to social networks, they do so specifically to play social games.
  • The most popular games are Farmville (69 percent of those who play it say they play once a week or more), Bejeweled (65 percent say once a week or more), Texas Hold’em Poker (63 percent) and Cafe World (61 percent).
  • A little over half (53 percent) of social gamers say they’ve earned and/or spent virtual currency in a game, but only 28 percent have purchased virtual currency with real-world money and only 32 percent have purchased a virtual gift.

So, it makes sense that companies like LimeLife and cable channel Oxygen are entering the interactive-gaming space.. And that companies like Zynga are, in fact, extremely profitable! Knowing all of this to be true… Why doesn’t the tech-savvy female world translate into having more successful female entrepreneurs in the tech space?!

508 days ago Short URL Comments

ambition gap/empowering entrepeneurs/empowering women/female entrepenurs/female entrepreneurs/female gamers/internet technology/social media statistics/social networks/women in technology

/////

10

Dec

Untapp the Talent

This picture is a part of a larger infographic from the Socialcast Blog titled “Hail To The Female: Untapped Tech Talent,” which I found on Women 2.0.

It highlights the following statistics:

-Women hold more than half of all professional occupations in the U.S., but make up just 24 percent of the high-tech workforce

-For every two men who get a college degree this year, three women will achieve the same

-Despite making up the bulk of the workforce, women are still occupying proportionally fewer positions in technology-based professions 

  • Electrical & electronics engineering: 7.7% of women compared to 92.3% of men
  • Computer hardware engineers: 19.4% of women compared to 80.6% of men
  • Engineering managers: 6.3% of women compared to 93.7% of men
  • Computer & information systems: 27.2% of women compared to 72.8% of men

-The National Center for Education Statistics has tracked the number of BS degrees awarded in CS, the discipline that prepares students for the information tech sector. Even though it shows some growth, their data shows that women are still underrepresented when compared to men

-TechCrunch analyzed the backgrounds of 652 startup founders in the tech industry and found that male and female tech startup founders go through many of the same obstacles and share many of the same motivations

-According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, women own 40% of private business in the U.S.; however, they create only 8 percent of the venture-backed tech start ups, and receive less than 10 percent of venture capitalist funding 

526 days ago Short URL Comments

female entrepreneurs/internet technology/women in technology

/////

06

Nov

Rebekah Cox of Quora.com on Women in Tech

Rebekah Cox, head designer at QuoraRebekah Cox, head desinger at Quora.com, explains what it’s like to be a women in the Tech Industry in this Huffpost article. She presents the “unfortunately reality,” that women are raised differently than men and so when they enter the industry and are “verbally hit,” they aren’t always prepared. The success of their career is a reflection of how they react, those that brush it off and keep their heads high end up having the most successful careers. Since many women chose to retreat from the tech industry (perhaps for this very reason), the women that stay often feel alone. Rebecca also presents the “fortunate reality,” that women in tech aren’t alone, and if you stick it out long enough you’ll find yourself surrounded by passionate, confident women and will have multiple opportunities thrown your way. Rebekah encourages women to build, learn, and publish; she explains that you must start with the building blocks and that eventually, your hard work will pay off. She points out that “the barriers to entry are pretty low and inexpensive” and that being a women is a competitive advantage – so shoot for the stars!

561 days ago Short URL 2 Comments

ambition gap/empowering entrepeneurs/empowering women/empowering women in the workplace/female entrepreneurs/internet technology/Quora/women in tech/women in technology/women who tech

//////////

Blog at WordPress.com.
Theme: Customized Esquire by Matthew Buchanan.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.