Girls In Tech

Girls in Tech Portland chapter(GIT PDX) hosted an event for inspirational speaker, Katherine Durham, Vice President of Marketing, Imaging & Printing Group, Americas, Hewlett-Packard. The event started off with social networking among women with backgrounds in technology who reside in Oregon. We had a great mix that included engineers, developers, social media specialists, marketing and PR professionals, entrepreneurs and others. The evening ended with a great presentation and Q&A during which Katherine shared her passion for the HP business and connecting with end users.

Katherine started off by sharing her background and then quickly dived in to how to shift the digital marketing and technology mindset to harness the power of an integrated approach. With constantly emerging digital trends and a new media-mix landscape, how does HP harness these trends and measure success?

Effective marketing has remained the same for years: connect the right customers with the right message at the right time and in the right place. What’s changed is that consumers are spending more and more time connecting through social networking, video and mobile.

In fact, consumers are now devoting more time online than to any other media, averaging a total of 14 hours/week or more. This amounts to more than 40% of their free time. In the last year, microblogging and social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia, Blogger, Baidu and more have exploded in popularity. Video and mobile technology trends all continue to point up. There is huge opportunity if you look at total media consumption vis-a-vis the total U.S. advertising spend.

HP concentrates on maximizing the cross-channel shopping opportunities online, in-store and via advertising. This creates a synergy that delivers results.

Take “Pioneer Woman,” one case study in success. The campaign features Pioneer Woman, a blogger with a growing following. HP reached out to her niche audience by having Pioneer Woman show how she incorporates HP solutions into her life. By leveraging this already-existing social community, they were able to bring more credibility to the message, in that the audience is not being told what to do, but is having information shared with them.

One key takeaway from the HP social networking presentation was how important and effective it can be to find ways for your brand or business to share and collaborate in the social media space.

Katherine closed with a few takeaways:

• Digital AND social media are the future…how do they work with and impact other assets?
• Use the data AND trust your gut if you have a good compass (or get someone who does)
• Leave enough room for innovation AND experimentation
• Traditional AND emerging measurement are both important

Thanks to 24Notion for the event sponsored. As well as for everyone who attended the lecture. For more info about Girls in Tech Portland, check out our Facebook group

A hot topic in the current online media community as well as the business/legal arena has been the topic of regulating advertising and affiliate marketing. Advertising historically has consisted of traditional mediums such as television, radio, print, outdoor collateral and product placement, just to name a few. In the last decade, additional avenues such as the web, branded entertainment, viral videos and blogs have changed the direction of advertising and marketing dramatically. This has begged the question of whether regulation on a new level was necessary and to what degree the Federal Trade Commission should require mandatory disclosure of advertising. (see http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec09.shtm)

The first step is defining advertising in broad terms. Advertising is almost any communication with consumers. Because of the breadth of this definition advertisers and markets are held to high standards both statewide and federally. The FTC has prohibited advertising and marketing that is deemed to be “unfair or deceptive”. This is further defined as any advertising that is likely to materially mislead the average reasonable consumer.

But what does that mean to us as consumers? The FTC has recognized the evolving challenges presented by new media advertising and marketing and has created mandatory “clear and conspicuous” disclosure rules. Under the FTC standards, any disclosures must be easily accessible, in a large enough print and understandable by the average consumer. The line is drawn at whether the disclosure is considered “unfair” to consumers. This includes any advertising which is contradictory, in “mouse type” or disclosures made after the fact.

To advertisers and marketers this means additional challenges and uncertainty in promoting their product or message to targeted consumers. One way around the challenges is to promote user-generated content, to make advertising more integrated as a conversation then as obvious as a banner ad or flier. This also allows for a dialog on a topic which can generate ongoing viral exposure on multiple media properties simultaneously. Not only does this advertising “conversation” adhere to the FTC standards, but it minimizes in many ways the previously required budget necessary to reach the same number of consumers.

The takeaway here for business owners is this: Advertizing and marketing is evolving into new hybrids. The recognition of multiple new outlets for all things marketing and advertising is not only suggested but almost required in this day and age. And why not jump on the bandwagon. If “new media” simultaneously helps you bottom line and minimizes potential liabilities, I’m all for it.

Laurel Kaufman, Esq.
Co-Founder, AK Consulting Group
www.ak-cg.com
follow me on twitter @LaurelKaufman
facebook: Laurel Kaufman
818.263.6213 p
818.301.2068 f

October 22, 2009
6:30 pm	to	8:30 pm

Last month it was that time of year again: Panel Picker Voting for the Annual South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) conference in Austin, TX. Sound familiar? Check out fellow GIT blogger Kristine Gloria’s post about it here: http://girlsintech.net/2009/08/31/girls-in-tech-at-sxsw-2010/

Each year the public votes online for which proposed panels should make it through to being accepted for the conference. I submitted a panel proposal, titled “Impact of Women in Technology”. Whether the panel makes it through to the final round and becomes an official SXSWi panel or not, I do want to share some of my thoughts on the subject, as well as hear everyone else’s and get some great discussion going on this.

For all you girls out there, was there a female presence that got you excited about tech? Maybe it was a mother, sister, aunt, or friend. Perhaps someone well respected in technology today, like Social Media Strategist Erica O’Grady, or Ad-Village CEO Marissa Louie for example?

If you do have an example like this, what about them or their journey in the tech world inspired or empowered you to pursue your dreams? How important do you think their roles are as pillars of Women in Technology to the future of Women in Tech? For me, two of those people are Tekzilla Co-Host & Gadget Guru Veronica Belmont, & New media producer and star of “The Guild”, Felicia Day. These two women are strong willed, have shown great initiative in their respective spaces, and have become pioneers and tastemakers in the fields of Journalism & New Media.

How have women influenced and changed the face of technology as we know it? This includes anything even remotely tech related, whether it be Journalism, Gaming, PR, Marketing, Social media, & more. Are there any famous cases of companies or brands that have seen great success due to Women in Technology? What issues as a Girl in Tech have you had to face? What issues have other women who’ve made a major impact in technology had to face on their paths to success? What would you tell younger or newer women entering the tech space to help them overcome these hurdles and encourage growth of the amount of women in the tech field?

Why are women in tech important to you, or the Tech Space in general?
I hope this post serves as some great food for thought, & would love to hear everyone’s thoughts and discussion (preferably in the comments below) about this!

Thanks!

September 28, 2009
7:00 pm	to	9:30 pm

We all know someone who shares too much — that girl who tells the whole office about her bad breakup or the guy who insists on going into gory detail about his latest extreme exploits. But most of us know when to draw the line when it comes to lunchtime discussions at the office, chats around the water cooler or meetings with management. It’s a lesson most people learned way back in the days of bologna and bag lunches: different people merit different kinds of discussions. You wouldn’t tell the playground bully the same deep dark secrets you’d spill to your best friend, and you definitely wouldn’t let the teacher in on the stuff you were passing notes about during class. From our first experiences with socialization, we’ve been conditioned to understand the unspoken societal rules that dictate what’s appropriate to share, when it’s appropriate to share it and who it’s appropriate to share it with.

But, social media is a whole different ballgame – especially now. At first, it was easy to know when to share what on the web. Your facebook friends often mirrored your real world friends, and it was easy to insure that the things you shared with those friends didn’t also get broadcast to your boss, your parents and your future potential employers. Now, with cracks beginning to show in the walls around Facebook’s garden, and the burgeoning open web movement connecting your tweets with your status updates, your blips with your blog, it’s become a lot harder to ensure that what you say on the web stays between friends.

So, how do you protect your professional brand while still staying true to your personal identity? How do you maintain a presence on the social web that complements your career goals instead of impeding them? How do you balance a personal web brand with a professional one? These are just a few of the questions we’re just beginning to grapple with as girls in tech — and as the tech industry as a whole. Lately, it seems like every blogger and big name pundit is issuing their own treatise on the topic, and a google search for “tech etiquette” returns over 6 million results, with articles from big names like CNN and Forbes just to name a few.

Clearly, this is one discussion where everyone has an opinion. So, how do you synthesize all of those opinions into a strategy – not just for your company but for yourself? How do you balance the demands of constant connectivity and personal and professional courtesy? And how do you figure out what the right answer is for you? Those are tricky questions, but they are quickly proving to be key components in determining the best social media strategy for yourself and for your brand.

Fortunately, you don’t have to grapple with these issues alone. Since this is a topic on everyone’s minds at the moment, Girls in Tech LA is hosting a discussion about all of these issues and more on September 28th. The event, called “Tech Etiquette – How Much Can you Say Online and Not Tarnish Your Brand” will feature a discussion by the following guest speakers:

*Marsha Collier – Author of 15 “For Dummies” books on ebay/commerce, Host: KTRB Computer & Technology Radio

*Lynn Langit – West Coast Developer Evangelist, Microsoft

*Brette Borow – Founder, GirlsGuideTo.com

Event Details

When: September 28th 7 – 9:30PM

Where: Fox Audience Network

2500 Broadway, 2^nd Floor

Learn More & RSVP

Hope to see everyone there!

Guest blogger: Alexis Stack

June 24, 2009
6:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

Everyone in the world of tech is vying for the attention of Mommy Bloggers. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Mommy Bloggers are simply mothers who are blogging about the experience of motherhood. They discuss everything from household tips, health and food, to the latest and greatest designers in children’s fashions and everything in between.

For those in the know, Mommy Bloggers are the hottest new commodity in influencing consumer purchases. Girls in Tech recognizes the persuasive power of these mommy bloggers and is dedicating a night to help GIT members understand this group of consumers and trendsetters and how best to market products and technologies to this new power group.

Marketers are extremely excited about Mommy Bloggers because of their broad category reach and brutal honesty regarding consumer products, but few know how to harness this authority and monetize their influence without taking too much mommy and me time. Girls in Tech is proud to present a Mommy Blogger panel to address these and other mommy-related issues.
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Please Join Girls in Tech Wednesday June 24th at the Abbey 692 North Robertson Boulevard. The panel will include Jessica Gottlieb – one of Nielsen’s Power Pack Moms; Lolita Carrico – Founder of Modernmom.com, Rebecca Woolf – author of “Rockabye- from Wild to Child,” Erin Kotecki Vest – Producer of Special Projects for BlogHer, and Kim Tracy Prince – Notable Mommy Blogger

Tickets are available here!

What the heck is WOMM? For those of you non-marketing folks, this concept is the next generation, icing on the cake for big brand names and companies; sort of a social media movement on steroids.

As published in Wikipedia, Word of Mouth Marketing is marketing through a reference to the passing of information by verbal means, especially recommendations, but also general information, in an informal, person-to-person manner. Word of mouth is typically considered a face-to-face spoken communication, although phone conversations, text messages sent via SMS and web dialogue, such as online profile pages, blog posts, message board threads, instant messages and emails are often now included in the definition of word of mouth.

Here are a few solid WOMM resources out there for companies wanting to implement a WOMM program within a budget:
•    WOMMA, the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry, who’s mission is to promote and improve word of mouth marketing.
•    BzzAgents, a platform that allows people to experience new products and services, share their honest opinions about them with people they knew and report those activities and opinions so marketers could directly see the results. This community would be something entirely new, bringing consumers and marketers together to organize and track honest word of mouth.

Some key takeaways for your next WOMM campaign:
•    Leverage Existing Social Networks
•    Target the Influencers
•    Encapsulate Exclusivity and Scarcity
•    Micro-Market: market to the individual by providing highly customizable products
•    Industry Marketing: focus on the people who can build your brand

Sources:

http://www.doshdosh.com/word-of-mouth-marketing-strategies/

http://www.womma.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_mouth

Working in the public relations and marketing fields for pretty much my whole career, I’ve observed a major shift from traditional ways of promoting a company, brand, person or service through mailed press kit packages, faxed press releases and b-roll tapes to multimedia links, Twitter, blogger lounges and Facebook.

A point of contention is that new media is losing credibility, value and the due-diligence nature that traditional dailies hold in high regard and reporters with high standards. That is not to say that bloggers aren’t as good as traditional reporters (I’m a “blogger,” so that means I would be self-depricating at this point); what it means is that there is a disruption in the system and some think that the middle man – i.e. PR and marketing folks are no longer needed. Are traditional PR and marketing professionals going to have to become social media experts? Is social media killing PR or is it just enhancing it?  

Because this is such a hot button topic, Girls in Tech and The Horn Group are producing a lively debate on the future of the media ecosystem - Jason Calacanis thinks you should fire your PR agency. Robert Scoble thinks you should ignore it. Michael Arrington says PR as its practiced today is “broken.” Jeremiah Owyang sees value in PR, in some surprising places, while Steve Rubel wonders if the thrill of discovery has made PR as we know it obsolete. 

But one thing is completely clear. As the media industry becomes increasingly more social, so does the ecosystem around it, which means, everyone—from editors to CMOs to PR professionals—is a connector, a hub and a source. 

So if everybody’s a communicator, what is the value of PR? No question that it’s changing, but helping our clients connect with influencers is only a piece of what we do. Much of the value we offer to clients is the thinking and strategy we provide, which media benefit from but may never see directly. And that never goes out of style.

Please join us as we invite journalists, analysts, bloggers, PR folks and various combinations thereof to have a drink and a bite as we discuss the new media ecosystem.

The date, time and panelists for this event is still being determined, but it will definitely happen on either the first or second week of November. We’ll keep you updated and we really hope that you’ll be able to make it.