Girls In Tech

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!

Back in June I wrote a blog post about the top 5 luxury hotel brands on Twitter and wanted to follow it up with a post about the top 5 food brands using Twitter today. Our food & beverage/lifestyle clients at Murphy O’Brien ask us on a daily basis if and how they should get involved in social media. There are several food brands using Twitter wisely and effectively. They have found a transparent brand voice and engaged their followers all while staying true to their brand essence. Here are my top 5 picks of who’s using this social media tool well and why:

LemonadeLA (@LemonadeLA): Followers – 384

A great new restaurant concept in LA now with two locations – one in West Hollywood and one in Venice, Lemonade offers over 35 varieties of freshly prepared salads, veggies, pastas, proteins, sandwiches and stock-pots all at a reasonable price. Their Tweets are fun, upbeat, full of energy and clever – they created the “Lemonade Girl,” an attractive brunette who bikes around town with a “Tweet This” sign on her back – if you snap a pic of her and TwitPic it, you win a free glass of fresh lemonade. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Fiji Water (@FIJIWATER): Followers – 2,102

Fiji Water company is designer water that some say only snobs would drink but there’s nothing snobby about the brand’s presence on Twitter. Fiji does something right with their Tweets and that is, the @reply. There is nothing worse than a brand who doesn’t write back to their followers. Fiji communicates with their followers, responding, engaging, asking questions and answering them.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese (@LoveMyPhilly): Followers – 7,966

Philly Cream Cheese does a great job of representing their brand on Twitter – the background of their page perfectly represents the brand and also directs followers to their presence on other social networks including – Flickr, YouTube and Facebook. The company Tweets recipes and also engages with their followers with a steady stream of @replies.

Kogi BBQ (@kogibbq): Followers: 41,239

Kogi is the Korean BBQ taco truck that exploded on the Twitter scene sending out real-time Tweets about the location of their mobile food truck for hungry fans to easily find them during lunch hour. The company uses Twitter as a real-time GPS tracking system – just without the GPS. At any time of day or night you know exactly where to find Kogi’s “roach coach.” This level of accesibiltiy has made the roving vehicle a social-networking juggernaut, drawing 300 to 800 people (and a bevy of Twitter followers) each time it parks (often several times in an evening) and spawning a burgeoning cyber-hippie movement affectionately referred to as “Kogi kulture.”

Border Grill (@BorderGrill) Followers – 1,995

Border Grill is a Mexican restaurant concept in LA serving gourmet tacos, quesadillas, ceviches, and more from “Too Hot Tamales” chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. The Twitter feed models Kogi’s real-time tracking of the Border Grill food truck around LA but also offers their Twitter followers special deals by using the secret code – like “sweet tooth” for a free brownie. Delish!

Christine Kirk is a PR representative and social media explorer for luxury brands including travel, real estate and food/beverage, at Murphy O’Brien Public Relations 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 ckirk@murphyobrien.com or on Twitter @luxuryprgal.

Twitter has taken both traditional and new media by storm these past few months and our clients at Murphy O’Brien have been asking us on a daily basis if and how they should get involved in social media. For the right company, Twitter is a powerful tool for your toolbox but should not be viewed as the end-all, be-all of a brand’s marketing efforts. Marketing should be looked at comprehensively – how are advertising, public relations, social media, and marketing working together to craft a brand image and an authentic brand voice? Over the past few months, several 5-star hotels have emerged as using Twitter wisely and effectively. They have found a transparent brand voice and engaged their followers all while not sacrificing the exclusivity and quality of their high-end brand. Here are my top 5 picks of who’s using this social media tool well and why:

Fairmont Hotels (@fairmonthotels): Followers – 3,531

Providing “Suite Tweets” to its followers, Mike Taylor, designated Tweeter on behalf of the hotel group, does an outstanding job of engaging followers with a flurry of @ replies, behind-the-scenes TwitPics, general hotel industry news as well as updates and special offers from the Fairmont Hotels.

Hotel Casa del Mar (@casadelmar): Followers – 1,035

The Casa del Mar Twitter feed consists mostly of property updates, however, they effectively capture the romantic, beachfront atmosphere of the hotel and provide followers with tips from various property experts – wellness tips from their Wellness Director, etc. Their special hotel rates for their Twitter followers makes me want to pick up and permanently move to the beach.

Four Seasons Resorts (@Four_Seasons): Followers – 2,378

Four Seasons Resorts provides their Twitter followers with a bevy of “insider” views through their Twitter profile. Get spring cleaning tips from their world-class housekeeping staff, the latest information on their Spa offerings with the Himalaya Salt Scrub, and learn about their new Pool Concierge service. You can even learn how to prepare and drink Mate, the national drink of Uruguay. Sign me up!

The Citizen Hotel (@thecitizenhotel): Followers – 1,235

The Citizen Hotel is a Joie de Vivre hotel and is Sacramento’s answer to LA’s trendy, “Bazaar” hotels. The Twitter profile has the most unique, quirky voice of this group and does a fantastic job of engaging local Sac-town media through Twitter. They provide followers with information about fun, local area events and generally make the California state capital feel like the next, best hot travel destination we’ve all been missing out on! The hotel’s restaurant has also recently joined Twitter (@DineGrange) and highlight’s the organic and inventive menu.

 The Ritz-Carlton (@simonfcooper , @ritzcarltonpr , @brucehimelstein): Combined Followers – 1,344

Ritz-Carlton’s PR team has President Simon Cooper saying all the right things about the brand’s foray into social media. They’re backing it up, too by having the top execs in this world-renowned hotel group Tweet on behalf of the company – from the President, to the PR team themselves, to Bruce Himelstein, SVP of Sales and Marketing – each and all providing a unique perspective on their respective roles in the company. For me, getting a sneak-peak into the life of an executive as recognized as Simon Cooper is in the hospitality industry, is pretty exciting – even if he’s only Tweeted seven times. From his TwitPics of his weekend hangout spot to his candid conversation with the Luxury Channel in London about how Ritz-Carlton has dealt with the challenges facing luxury brands, it’s an interesting read I want to be in on.

Christine Kirk is a PR representative and social media explorer for luxury brands including travel, real estate and food/beverage, at Murphy O’Brien Public Relations in Los Angeles. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached at ckirk@murphyobrien.com or @luxuryprgal.

 

What a night! The Girls in Tech LA – The New World of PR event on Friday, April 16th was a great success. The event started early in the afternoon at the Must Bar, because so many people were in town for the LA Tech Karaoke party Friday night. I was thrilled that they came a day early to come and support our event. When I walked in the bar to start setting up at 5PM, Brian Solis, one of our panelists, was there with Erica O’Grady, Brett Petersel, Reem Abeidoh, Paige Craig, Efren Toscano, Jeff Henderson, Francisco Dao, and many more. 

Once the time came to get going on the panel, that’s when we came into a few audio/venue issues. I was afraid that we would not be able to have the panel, which is the whole point of GIT and the event. Not to worry, because Julie Rico, owner of Weeneez next door to the bar, let us quickly set up our panel, get the audio going, and over 60 people crowd into her very cool, retro hot dog joint. I, at first, did not know what to make of the situation, but I have to say once the panel was in full swing and I was looking around the room, the majority of young women who came to the event were furiously taking notes and that’s when I knew everything was OK. 

The focus of the panel was understanding Public Relations today, how it differs now as to a couple of years ago, how does social media factor in, and what is necessary for it’s continued success for the future. Nicole Jordan made the point that instead of looking at Social Media as something separate, it’s part of what makes up the Internet and essentially must be part of any companies’ business initiatives. Jennifer Fader said that at the end of the day, it’s about money and what is necessary to move any business forward. 

Once the panel was complete, it was back to the Must Bar for mixing, networking, and enjoying their fabulous menu of food and wine. 

Finally, a big thank you to the Must Bar, all my panelists, Brian Solis, Nicole Jordan, Jennifer Fader, Christine Kirk, and Heather Meeker, Julie Rico from Weeneez, and Jeff Henderson of Adept Marketing Concepts for helping with the audio. Jeff’s company provides SEO, Online Reputation Management, and Web Design so if you need help with any of those just give him a call. For more event coverage, check out LA Weekly’s article here.

*Photo taken by Wm. Marc Salsberry 

April 16, 2009
7:00 pm	to	10:00 pm

With the current state of traditional media, the public relations industry is trying to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world of online and social media. We are going to be discussing what seems to be developing into the new world of Public Relations.

With companies reassessing their budgets or simply just tightening them, the value of PR seems to be diminishing. It almost seems due to our current economy like a luxury business tool rather than being a necessity. And with the advent of the digital and user-generated media such as blogging, social networking, and twittering PR professionals have to acquire greater strategic results for their clients.

To help us navigate through this complex topic are:

*Brian Solis – Principal at FutureWorks

*Nicole Jordan – Director of Public Relations & Communications at Rubicon Project

*Christine Kirk – Senior Account Executive at Murphy O’Brien Public Relations

*Heather Meeker – Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications at Pelago

*Jennifer Fader – Vice President of eMedia at Rogers & Cowan

The event will be taking place at The Must Bar. The brainchild of Coly Den Haan of Santa Barbara, Certified Sommelier and Entrepreneur, The Must is a concept wine bar and gastropub featuring more than 50 local and global wines destined to be a ‘must’ visit location for wine and beer enthusiasts. The exceptional, yet simplistic farm-to-table menu and wine pairings created by culinary talent, MaryAnn Saucedo, former sous chef to Gordon Ramsey on the hit television show “Hell’s Kitchen” for three seasons. So, we are in for quite the treat!

So come join us for a little wine and little PR 2.0 on Thursday, April 16th at 7PM. Please register for tickets at http://thenewworldofpr.eventbrite.com/. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. We are also raffling off one special gift bag full of delicious goodies. Finally, Brian Solis will be showcasing his new book, “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations – How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR”. The book will be available for purchase (cash only) at the event. Looking forward to it!

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