• Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology enables technical women in industry and academia to advance in their careers through its resources and programs.
• Astia is committed to building women leaders and accelerating the funding and growth of high-potential, high-growth, women-led startups.
• DevChix is an organization for women software developers currently we have 300+ members across 15 countries.
• Digital Sistas provides technology education and enrichment for young girls and women who are traditionally underserved.
• Girls in Tech (you know…us!) is an organization focused on women’s entrepreneurial and innovative achievements in technology.
• LinuxChix is a community for women who like Linux and Free Software, and for women and men who want to support women in computing.
• NCWIT is the National Center for Women & Information Technology is a coalition of 200 corporations, academic institutions, government agencies, and non-profits working to increase women’s participation in information technology (IT).
• She’s Geeky organizes Unconferences around North America connecting women in tech & STEM fields.
• Women 2.0’s vision is to be a catalyst for innovation, mobilizing a global community of women entrepreneurs seeking to advance the world through technology.
• Women Who Tech champions women in technology and social media who use their tech savvy skills to transform the world and inspire change.

and…

• Women Techies United brings together 10 different women in tech organizations & events.  Their booth will run panels, events and other happenings at SXSW & beyond.

So all ya’ll head over and say “hi” if you are at the conference or will be there!

***Girls in Tech would like to thank Sanford Dickert for his support in making our presence at the booth possible. (You can check out his website at: http://whoissanford.com/.  Thank you, Sanford!

(Also thanks go to David Hou and Lan Nguyen from DramaFever.com for creating the Women United logo. — We greatly appreciate your stellar creativity!)

I had called TWC customer service many times over the months – demanding a pro-rated fee for the service I wasn’t receiving, asking for help, a solution – and the feedback I would always get was, “restart your cable box.” I began restarting my cable box at least once a day – and it never solved the problem I was having. My picture was still pixilated and frozen – my Internet service down.

Over the phone, TWC customer service told me there must be an issue with the signal getting into my house…and, basically, “oh well.”

Oh well? OH WELL??

I did not take this lightly. If I pay for something, in a timely and consistent manner, then I expect to get functional service in a timely and consistent manner. I would have dropped TWC altogether except that they have a monopoly on cable service providers in my area. I was stuck (no thanks to you Fios and Uverse-why haven’t you rescued me yet?).

Until, that is, I decided to take to Twitter and vent my frustrations there. At the very least, I could make myself feel better by telling my 6,300 Twitter followers how frustrated I was.

So, in my frustrated rampage I created the hashtag, #dietimewarnercable and began pummeling out Tweets about my “dislike” for TWC. Harsh? Yes. Did it feel GOOD? Oh yes…

In my rampage, I did a search for Time Warner Cable and could not find any Twitter handles associated with the cable giant. I believe I even wrote a snarky Tweet about corporations who don’t have a social media presence, and how people like me can help contribute to a negative online image.

About 20-30 minutes went by of me Tweeting, my followers responding, asking questions about what had set me off, etc. And then it happened. TWC reached out to me via DM. I quickly learned that Time Warner Cable actually has several active Twitter accounts including their PR person, tech support, a social media expert, among others…all of whom personally reached out to me:

@TWCablePhil @twcablebrienh @twcablehelp @alextwc

They apologized, asked what my service issues were, and how they could help. I don’t say this often, but I was wrong.

I. Was. Wrong.

Not only does Time Warner Cable have a social media and Twitter presence, but they monitor it late at night, and actually responded – in a timely, caring way to my disgruntled Tweets. They scheduled a service call for technician to come to my home and solve my service issues. The technician showed up a day later, fixed the problems, and sure enough, everything has been working perfectly since his visit.

What could not be accomplished on the phone with customer service was quickly and effectively taken care of via social media. To me, this is a wonderful example of how an age-old practice – customer service call centers – can take major notes from a new-age practice, social media.

What the call center could not solve, social media did. And that is precisely why it’s here to STAY.

Christine Kirk is founder and principal at Social Muse Communications, a PR and social media marketing consultancy firm for food/beverage, travel, luxury, technology, and lifestyle brands in Los Angeles. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached via e-mail at christine@socialmuse.com or on Twitter @luxuryprgal.

Just sign the pledge at: http://findingada.com/ and publish your blog post any time on Wednesday March 24th,  2010. From our past blogs on Dr. Grace Hopper and others, we know that there are many of these women in tech out there that are worthy of and due our tributes for the accolades they have received and accomplishments they have achieved.  Local and current figures in the tech world who you know, we would also love to hear about!  You are invited to tell the world about these unsung heroines, whatever they do!

Who was Ada?

Ada Lovelace was one of the world’s first computer programmers, and one of the first people to see computers as more than just a machine for doing sums. She wrote programs for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a general-purpose computing machine, despite the fact that it was never built.  She also wrote the very first description of a computer and of software.

Join the movement & post your blog!

Through mentoring, education, and outreach to young girls and women, the National Engineers Week Foundation addresses this gender imbalance. One of the Foundation’s premiere events, the Global Marathon, speaks directly to the next generation of women engineers. Set to begin at noon (EDT) on March 10, 2010 and running continuously for 24 hours through noon (EDT) on March 11, the 6th annual Global Marathon, with the theme of “Launching Tomorrow,” provides a unique opportunity for young women engineers across six continents, as well as for middle- school, high-school and university students.

Through continuous conversation, these aspiring professionals will be able to chat about careers and experiences while networking with some of the planet’s most interesting women in engineering and technology. Empowered by the knowledge that a career in engineering has the potential to both change the world, and is within their grasp, these young women are preparing to use their talents, determination and intelligence to positively impact the way we live – now and in the years ahead.

Sound like something you want to check out? Find out more here

Cheers,
The Boston GIT Team

1. Name, title and your current job and/or mission in life?
My mission is to catalyze innovation. My goals are to educate employees worldwide on emerging trends in business and technology and create the conditions that inspire them to experiment, collaborate, and create new economic and social value.

2. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made and what did you learn from it that’s worth passing along to others?
My biggest mistake was to spend too many years early in my career heads-down instead of taking the time to build a professional network. Don’t get me wrong, focused devotion is important for building domain expertise and strong relationships with close colleagues. It’s just that now I realize how critical it is to also cultivate a broad network of peers, advisors and experts. My advice is to pro-actively connect with colleagues within your profession (not just within your company), and even more importantly across disciplines. The strength and diversity of your network provides a wealth of inspiration that can amplify your options and accelerate your dreams into reality.

3. What’s your biggest success in the workplace?
I am most proud of creating a Global Seminar series that has produced nearly 300 seminars featuring over 750 internal and external speakers that have been enjoyed by over 100,000 attendees. I love creating a culture of continuous learning and generating that spark of enthusiasm within our communities that could one day lead to a breakthrough idea. Every day is renewing and it’s a privilege to do it.

4. What’s your life or work motto?
Strive to wake-up in the morning with something to look forward to, and put your head on the pillow at night with something new to be proud of.

5. What woman in history inspires you most and why?
The 18th century founding families of this country are my heroes . . . the everyday women and men who banded together for a higher purpose to create a system of government that honors individual freedom. They put their fortunes and their lives on the line to create a better future despite the danger and uncertain outcomes. Their grit, resourcefulness and irrepressible spirit are a true inspiration for today’s innovators and entrepreneurs.

6. What piece of technology can you not live without?
My iPhone! If I left my wallet at home I might not go back for it, but if I left my phone I would race back!

7. What tech trend are you following for 2010?
Open Government has the potential to radically alter the ecosystem of public policy development and citizen engagement — having public access to this treasure trove of data will yield tremendous insights, valuable opportunities and revolutionary applications.

8. What one piece of advice would you give the Girls in Tech of tomorrow?
Smart is sexy and passion is attractive. Do something you love and pursue it with unbridled enthusiasm and determination. You’ll soon find that others will want to join you and wealth (the kind that matters) will come naturally.

9. What three items do you always carry on you?
Lipstick, credit card, and iPhone . . . you can go anywhere and do anything!

Go Tribal helps members coordinate with friends by identifying who is willing, able and interested to hang out. It eliminates the time and frustration spent on gathering a group of friends by allowing members to easily see when their friends are available – whether it is your best girlfriend, or even an old college roommate. As a Go Tribal member you can broadcast when you are down, easily see who else is free and use the simple collaboration tool to finally decide what to do or where to go. From this, Go Tribal is able to grant members broad visibility into what their larger network is planning on doing.

“We feel that technology is moving further and further away from facilitating meaningful physical interaction. Our driving vision is to create simple technology that enables friends to get together in the real world. Go Tribal is the first step in fulfilling that larger vision,” said Shruti Challa, CEO and founder of Go Tribal.

You better believe that Girls in Tech will be using Go Tribal for corporate gatherings, meetings and all-hands calls.  Great job ladies!

Vator Splash II will be held on the evening of May 13, 2010 at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco and will showcase 10 up-and-coming startups across the high-tech industry, as well as Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, serial entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal (founder of ClickAgents, Blue Lithium and gWallet), Founders Fund VC Dave McClure, August Capital VC Howard Hartenbaum, Mayfield VC Raj Kappor and many more. Once again, Robert Scoble will be on hand to emcee the presentations. About 400 people, consisting of industry peers, investors and media are expected to attend.

Submit an early-stage company to pitch below:
http://vator.tv/competition/vator-splash

Reserve a discount ticket or pitch table (discount code: Vatorgirls):
http://vatorsplashmay.eventbrite.com/

Betaspring – a mentorship-driven startup accelerator for technology and design entrepreneurs – is opening up applications for it’s 2010 summer program. They bring the best entrepreneurial teams from around the world to Providence, RI, for an intensive twelve week program. During that time they get your company up and running, provide mentorship, legal assistance, office space and a small amount of seed funding. At the end of the program they line up investors who want to fund you and strategic partners who want to work with you.

As Co-Founder of Olive Interactive, LLC. (DandyID and Claim.io), headquartered in Providence – and a Rhode Island native – I can personally attest for our vibrant community of technologists, artists, business leaders and innovators. Not only will you spend the summer working with stellar Betaspring mentors and members – you’ll also bump heads with The Creative Capital’s top scholars (think RISD and Brown students/grads), energetic young professionals, and enjoy plentiful access to a thriving nightlife and live music, great eats, and ocean/summer activities. Watch the I Heart Providence People’s Confessions videos for more takes on what makes this city shine: http://www.betaspring.com/2010/02/21/why-providence/

The deadline for applications is March 22nd, but early applicants will have the benefit of allowing the partners more time to get to know you and your company. The application process is quick, easy and painless, and will ask nothing you don’t already know. Head to http://betaspring.com for more information about the program and to access the application form. Questions about the program? Email Program Director, TJ Sondermann at tsondermann@betaspring.com

During this high-level event, top Publishers, Agency Executives and Brand Marketers will come together to discuss how Social Media is everywhere and is changing everything.

–>DIGIDAY gives media and marketing leaders a chance to converge and reveal high-level success strategies as well as offer insights on how the future of Social Media Marketing will play out for all.

–>Leading Women Include: Cynthia Neiman, Vice President of Mattel Digital Network, Mattel, Marty Collins, Group Marketing Manager, Windows Digital Marketing, Microsoft, Tameka Kee, editorial director, DIGIDAY, Sarah Hofstetter, Senior Vice President, Emerging Media & Client Strategy, 360i, and many more!

–> We’re partnering with digiday: Social on this event, so Girls in Tech LA Members Save $100 off the registration price. Use this code for your discount: GITDS. Register at https://registration.dm2events.com/event/socialla/.

It’s an easy, free way to celebrate them and give them special recognition.  When you add your chosen inspiring woman her name and a message from you will appear alongside the names of hundreds of women across the globe. Their map will connect women across continents, creating a powerful visual representation of the vast, change-making impact women have on our world.  The result will be a powerful visual representation of the vast, change-making impact women have on our world.   To get started on your entry, click on their website, here.

You can also check out the inspiring stories of women around the world featured intheir current online exhibition, Economica: Women and the Global Economy. With topics like ‘Giving Women Credit’ and ‘Women’s Wealth’ it is a great way to find out how women are impacting our global economy.

See the globe when you visit their page at www.imow.org/economica/stories/map. (image and links courtesy imow.org)