Girls In Tech

During a panel discussion at the Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo in Los Angeles this past weekend, a Los Angeles chef brought up the topic of Yelp reviews.  While this chef was in mid-sentence, Yelp’s Business Outreach Manager Luther Lowe happened to be walking by and stepped into the room to join the conversation.

An interesting discussion ensued, focusing on issues related to negative reviews by Yelpers with no restaurant or culinary training and the increasing need for chefs (and other local business owners) to join the Yelp conversation.  

With over 12 million user reviews and approximately 33 million views per month,* the power of Yelp’s word of mouth loud speaker is having a significant impact on local restaurants.  Yelp has given millions of users the power to review restaurants’ chefs, menu items, wine lists, drink specialties, service, and ambiance and publish to an audience of millions of viewers – a power that was once reserved only for professional food and wine writers working for traditional publications.

As a result, Yelp is changing the way restaurateurs and chefs interact with their customers, as well as the way they must handle both their formal and informal public relations and marketing efforts.

On the positive side, Yelp is making the world of restaurant reviews a more democratic process rather than an elitist one.  This process allows local restaurants which might not have received attention from traditional print or online food writers to receive a new type of media attention that can be a powerful force in generating new customers.   In addition, Yelp allows restaurateurs, chefs, and front-of-the-house managers to receive real-time customer feedback that they can use to quickly evaluate and adjust everything from their menu choices to hiring choices.

On the negative side, for many chefs and restaurateurs who have amassed years of training in the culinary arts and whose restaurants are the result of considerable blood, sweat, and tears, Yelp’s democratic force in the world of reviews means that reviewers with no understanding of or training in the restaurant industry or the culinary arts can slam a chef for one off night or because they don’t understand what a particular dish is supposed to taste like.

Also problematic is the fact that the democratic masses of reviewers are not part of the traditional institution of journalism, which carries with it principles of responsible reporting (in theory at least…).  An average Yelp reviewer is not likely to research the chef, his or her past experience, or the background of a particular menu’s cuisine influences before writing a good or bad review as would a traditional food critic.

The power of Yelp, however, is a reality that restaurants and other local businesses must now take into account in their business practices.  As Yelp’s Lowe emphasized, businesses have an important voice on Yelp.  Yelp provides businesses with the ability to take ownership of their listings by unlocking them on the site, allowing businesses to put information out there for the Yelp audience.  Yelp also provides businesses with the ability to respond to reviews both publicly and privately, giving them an equal voice in the conversation and a means to reach out to customers who had negative experiences.

Lowe also emphasized Yelp’s efforts to maintain the integrity of the site’s reviews.  As he explained in a follow-up conversation, Yelp employs a filtering technology to help ensure (to the best of its ability) that only trustworthy reviews end up on businesses’ pages. **

While it can be overwhelming for chefs, restaurateurs, and other business owners to have an endless parade of critics to contend with, social media outlets such as Yelp are here to stay and will continue to play an important role in influencing consumer decision-making.  Only restaurants and other businesses that take a proactive approach to social media, incorporating this new force into their marketing plans, will be able to take advantage of its benefits.

* See http://www.yelp.com/about

** For more information about Yelp’s filter system, watch this: Yelp\’s Review Filter

Meredith D. Williams is on the executive board of Girls in Tech LA and writes for girlsintech.net on topics ranging from wine technology to the intersection of law and technology. In her day job, Meredith is a partner at Miller | Williams LLP, an employment litigation and counseling law firm.  She helps businesses handle employment issues, including legal compliance, hiring, discipline, terminations, sexual harassment, workplace policies, disability accommodations, medical and pregnancy leave, and wage and hour, counseling them on a day-to-day or situation-by-situation basis and defending them against employee lawsuits. Follow Meredith: @MerEsqLA and caemployersresources.com

Talk about “girls in tech” — a new live chat on Twitter hosted and moderated by seven savvy women seems to epitomize the phrase!

Launched just two months ago in June 2010, #luxurychat is a live chat on Twitter discussing the intersection of social media and luxury. The list of all the co-founders of #luxurychat can be found in the image below. The live chat takes place on the third Wednesday of every month. Being a PR and social media consultant for luxury brands, I have been increasingly approached about the void in live Twitter chats addressing the topic of how luxury brands can effectively use, and have effectively used, social media to market their brands.  Having corresponded on Twitter regularly with six other tech and marketing savvy women in similar industries, we banded together and formed #luxurychat.

The response has been overwhelming.

In just it’s very second incarnation, we featured travel industry expert, and social media pioneer Mr. Simon F. Cooper, President of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. We already have plans to feature more high-profile industry experts in the coming months…and believe we have touched just the tip of the iceberg of the scope and reach of #luxurychat.

We hope you join us live for our next #luxurychat on Wednesday, August 18!

Christine Kirk can be reached via e-mail at christine@socialmuse.com or on Twitter @LuxuryPRGal.

Girls in Tech Los Angeles has been kicking butt and taking names.  Our most recent event at the Hotel Erwin’s High Lounge was a mix of some of LA’s premier social media circle and our first sold out event.  Attendees sipped our signature GITinis while overlooking the gorgeous pacific ocean views.  

Girls in Tech LA has been partnering with local and national social media companies such as Digiday, Women in Technology International (WITI) and New Media Vault just to name a few.

Our core team has been working diligently to bring you the best in content and events here in the LA area.  A huge thank you must be given to our Media Director Mollie Vandor as well as our core LA team; Heather Meeker, Dimple Thakkar, Christine Kirk, Meredith Williams, Lauren Berger, Stacey Soleil and Rachel Blum.  We could not have built such an incredible community without your support.

Stay tuned for our Social Fashion Beauty Summit September 10th sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue .  It promises to be our best event yet.

July 22, 2010
7:00 pm	to	11:00 pm

Join GIT LA on the roof at the gorgeous Hotel Erwin in Venice for sunset cocktails, networking and more.

Enjoy $5 GITinis and an amazing rooftop view of west LA while mixing and mingling with some of LA’s best and brightest. Check in with your favorite GIT LA friends, meet some of our new members and celebrate summer with a great crowd of men and women from all sectors of the social media, tech, entertainment and business scenes in LA.

Space is limited, so RSVP early at http://gitsummer2010.eventbrite.com/to guarantee your spot. The mixer starts at 7pm and goes until around 11. Hope to see you there!

I admit that this is a pretty self-indulgent blog post, but so many people ask me about my work experience and the launch of my new company, that I thought I’d dedicate a post to it.

I’m Christine Kirk, but many simply know me by my Twitter handle, @LuxuryPRGal. I definitely respond to both names so feel free to call me whichever you prefer. I started my career in PR at various in-house positions including a law firm, and renewable energy company. I eventually merged into agency life at a tech/consumer lifestyle shop in LA, where in the early 2000s, I was introduced to social media as we know it, with the start of Friendster and developing my blogger relations skills. I was hooked right away, and was then brought on-board at a luxury hospitality agency to introduce many of their high-profile clients to social media. In December 2009, I finally took the leap and launched my own company, Social Muse Communications, a social media marketing consultancy firm for luxury travel, restaurant, tech and lifestyle brands in Los Angeles.

PR agencies across the board have gone through hell and back in the past 2 years — due to the economic climate, and the rapid changes in traditional media as we know it – and at the same time. Let me be clear here — traditional media is not dying. It is changing, and in my opinion, for the better. Print and boradcast media outlets are interacting with their readers and viewers in ways they never had the opportunity to before — and it’s making the news much more relevent..and even accountable. For various reasons (including finances, fear, ignorance, etc.) many PR agencies have not quickly adapted to the changes taking place all around us. Some have done a great job, while others are still playing catch-up. Personally, I never want to “catch-up” to anything, and would prefer to be at the forefront of one of the most exciting revolutions in recent history. There are many PR people who have embraced this “new PR” and who are inspirations of mine including, @NicoleJordan, @BrianSolis, @skydiver (Peter Shankman).

Social Muse Communications is employing a whole new type of public relations and Return on Influence (the new ROI) – there is no one way for a brand to reach their target audience. Simply securing a placement in a glossy magazine, or a news segment on television, is not going to cut it anymore. To go from a good, to an excellent communications strategy, a brand must get in front of consumers through many different levels of media – print, broadcast, online, blogs, and social networking sites. This new world of PR gives PR practitioners the opportunity to communicate not only with media, but also with a brand’s customers directly — and that “high-touch” level of communications is what is most effective to enhancing a brand’s bottom-line. Through real relationship building, both online and offline, people (consumers) are more receptive to hearing and acting on PR messages when it comes from a PR person who has taken the time to get to know them. I personally have over 7,500 followers on Twitter and cannot believe the amazing wealth of knowledge, expertise, inspiration, new business leads, media contacts, bloggers contacts, humor, and friends I have made.

Social media is not, and should never be the only tool in a PR pro’s toolbox, but it just might be my favorite.

Christine Kirk is founder and principal at Social Muse Communications, a social media marketing consultancy firm for luxury travel, restaurant, tech 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.

In March, Aol announced that it’s social aggregator platform, Lifestream, would serve as a standalone product. In a further bid to push what David Eun calls Aol’s “start-around” they are looking for a hip and cool ambassador for their Lifestream product. As they push to revive themselves in the social media world, it looks like ladies are leading the charge!

Aol is on the hunt for an Ambassador who is not just tech savvy but actually a FUN geek. From seeing a number of different videos Tweeted and blogged, the females seem to have the loudest voice. With two of the three final contestants being female, it looks like this contest is reflecting what’s happening all over the web: a lady stampede! With 55% of Twitter users being female, more women in the US on Facebook , and more relationships on all social networking sites – women are taking full advantage of all that social media has to offer. Women like to talk, like to be social, and like to share— from 1930s Tupperware parties to the virtual world, women are raising their voices… and not just in the personal sphere but in all aspects of their lives.

In fact, though it’s still early—the two female finalists for AOL Lifestream are females and are rocking ~94% of the votes! One of the gals in the contest, Tessa Petrich is a Girl in Tech in the SF Bay area. She was the former VP of Marketing at Zimride, a carpooling startup in Silicon Valley. Now, she is hoping to be the life of the party as Ambassador of AOL Lifestream.

So help the ladies be heard, check out AOL Lifestream, and vote!

Attensity360’s IdolStats.com monitored millions of conversations to choose Casey James as this week’s American Idol cast off and if the current social media buzz is correct, we may have a winner in the underdog this season as Lee currently has a HUGE percentage of the American Idol conversation happening now.

Idolstats uses the Attensity360 social media monitoring and analytics product to track the power of social media conversations to predict which contestant will be voted off each week. Millions of tweets, comments and social media conversations about American Idol are analyzed in order to gauge American sentiment toward contestants.

In addition to predicting a cast off each week, the team at IdolStats has also been reading the tea leaves on how heart-throb status , fan-dialing and the judges opinions contribute to who will actually come out on top.

Fans can view the real-time data at IdolStats.com throughout the week to find out America’s uncensored opinion and tweet their own predictions based on updates and new data. Fans can visit the Idol Stats blog, http://blog.idolstats.com and follow the Twitter hashtag #IdolStats to keep updated on IdolStats.com and the community.

Success in selecting the American Idol cast off comes on the heels of Attensity Group’s acquisition of Biz360 enabling them to now offer the industry’s most powerful and easy-to-use analysis, delivery and response capabilities, enabling businesses to effectively listen, analyze, relate, and act on information, both inside and outside of the firewall.

I have always had a passion for video games. Since I was a child, I played them whether I was with friends or alone. I loved games so much that I started an online social network for female gamers. Yet despite all that, when I’m faced with the question of “what do you do?” I seem to get the same premature response every time: “Really? Girls play video games?!?”

Now I know what you’re thinking: “This isn’t the 18th century anymore, people don’t really still think that, do they?” Well… the good news is… they don’t.

As much as men (and the occasional woman) like to crack jokes about females not being into technology, or gaming, I’m happy to say that these people are now few and far between. This is a time of change, and the ones leading the way are the ones who have familiarized themselves with all things tech around them. Women who could barely enter the menu options on their cell phones just five years ago are now adding friends and family to their Facebook App on their smartphones. Forget sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper in the mornings, moms today use the Kindle to stay in touch with the news before the paper can even reach the doorstep. Young girls are asking for the upcoming iPhone 4G for their birthdays before the boys on their block knew there was a new iphone on the way.

The transition happened so fast one could barely see it coming. And the gaming industry is no different. Today, whether you game, work, or know someone that does, it’s hard to walk through a mall and not be surrounded by people and media of video games. This is especially true for women. More women play video games today than they have ever in the history of the industry. In fact, the numbers are split almost 50/50.  With so many platforms, genre’s and choices available today, it’s no wonder we’re now seeing those kinds of numbers.
Whether you’re a friendly Solitaire player, or a competitive player at parties or with friends, or an avid game developer, women are flooding the halls with gaming influence. And I, for one, am raising my glass to the prospect of this growth continuing.

May 27, 2010
6:30 pm	to	9:30 pm

Girls in Tech NYC is pleased to announce:

The GIT NYC Entrepreneurship and Venture Series Kick-Off with ASTIA

Tickets are available at http://gitnycventure.eventbrite.com/
Copy courtesy of Christine Lemke.
Blog post The Gender Issue sourced from http://nothingventuredblog.com/ by Jalak Jobanputra and I wrote a short piece on VC and Social Media.
Fantastic, ever-present vision and leadership provided by Melek Pulatkonak.
Heart and soul provided by all women pioneers listed here.

The road to raising venture capital is never easy. And as a recent New York Times article, Out of the Loop in Silicon Valley highlights, navigating this opaque and clubby world can pose unique challenges for female entrepreneurs, including lack of visible role models.

So please join Girls in Tech NYC and ASTIA for an evening discussion with high caliber female entrepreneurs who have successfully raised venture capital. Hear tips and experiences from a panel of four women who have taken an idea through the fundraising stage and beyond.

Moderator:

Jalak Jobanputra – Senior Vice President and venture investor at the New York City Investment Fund

Panelists:

Heidi Messer – Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of LinkShare, sold for $425MM. Currently Co-founder of World Evolved.

Stephanie Sarka – Co-founder and SVP Product and Marketing and Executive Director of Overture Europe, Overture was acquired by Yahoo for $1.63B. Currently founder of a stealth social semantic startup.

Jenny Fleiss – Co-founder and President of Rent the Runway, recently funded by Bain Capital and Highland Capital.

Jen Bekman – Founder of 20×200, funded by True Ventures and several prominent technology angels including Caterina Fake, Chris Dixon, Zach Klein, James Joaquin and Scott Heiferman.

Details:

Date and Time: Arrival and reception at 6:30pm, program start at 7pm on Thursday, May 27

Cost: $5 per person to benefit the Girls in Tech organization.

Venue: DogPatch Labs, 36 East 12th Street (between Broadway and University)

Partners:

Girls in Tech would like to thank:

Christine Lemke, Entrepreneurship Series Lead, is COO and Co-Founder of Sense Networks. Most recently, at Microsoft, she was the XBOX World Wide Program Manager in charge of development programs encompassing four global regions and twenty markets. Prior to her work at Microsoft, Lemke was the President and co-founder of Channel Velocity and currently serves as an advisor. Prior to that, Lemke was the first employee and Director of Product Management at Returns Online, Inc., a venture-backed reverse-logistics technology firm. In addition, Lemke has held roles at 3i Group, Paris, where she analyzed the Internet, Software, and Advanced Technologies markets, and at SAP AG, Germany, on the Global Execution Acceleration Team. Lemke holds an MBA from HEC Paris and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Washington.

Jalak Jobanputra, Entrepreneurship Series Lead, is currently Senior Vice President at the New York City Investment Fund (NYCIF) where she oversees technology and digital media venture investments, Jalak spearheaded the formation of NYCSeed in 2008, a seed fund dedicated to funding early stage tech entrepreneurs in NYC, and sits on its Investment Committee. Prior to NYCIF, she was a Principal at New Venture Partners, a $300 million early stage venture fund. From 1999-2003, Jalak was at Intel Capital in Silicon Valley. In 1997, she was on the launch team of online financial research startup Horsesmouth, and began her career in media, telecom and tech investment banking at Lehman and Broadview in NYC and London.

Jalak has invested in North America, India, Europe, Africa, East Asia and Latin America. She is also active in supporting education reform and social entrepreneurship and serves on boards of Achievement First Bushwick Charter School (Brooklyn) and Echoing Green, and has consulted for the Big Picture and Fenway charter schools in New England as well as Jobs for the Future. She spent four months setting up microfinance programs and training women entrepreneurs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania after receiving her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in 1999. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Communications from the Annenberg School and a BSE in Finance from the Wharton School.

Melek Pulatkonak, Entrepreneurship Series Lead, Melek Pulatkonak is the President & COO of Hakia, a semantic search technology company. Since 2004, Melek has been dedicated to semantic search and can’t wait to see how its successful implementation will change our lives. Most recently, she was the Associate Partner of Star Venture Group (SVG), a VC firm with investments in the U.S. and Turkey. Prior to her work at SVG, she was the Advisor to the Chairman of the Istanbul Stock Exchange. Prior to that, she was a Research Associate at the New York Stock Exchange where some of her academic work was published. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a B.Sc. degree from London School of Economics and Political Science. In her play time, Melek co-organizes TEDxEast and TEDxGotham, leads the International Committee at the Columbia Business School Alumni Club and is building the Turkish Women’s International Network.

As we submerge ourselves deeper and deeper into the chasm that is social media, we are beginning to see the affect and evolution IRL (in real life).  The most humorous of these real life interactions is, of course, meeting a person IRL who you know only be their avatar.

It’s a little like online dating.  You get excited about the back and forth, the witty repartee on your social media drug of choice, and develop expectations that the real person will be even better  Sadly the trend seems is to the contrary.  In fact, as I traverse the social media event scene in Los Angeles, I have come across more avatars in real life and come to the realization that my social media induced fantasies have been reduced to little more than pixels.  Of course this is not always the case.  There are many sparking avatars that we come to love as real life people, capable of human interaction, in spite of the fact that their avatars look infinitely better than their real life counterparts (again, much like online dating).

Most recently, I had an experience that exemplifies the growing disconnect between online interaction and real life.  For many weeks I had been tweeting with an avatar who seemed to be in a similar social circle, in fact I had met him many times before in passing.  Many replies, retweets and DMs later, we found ourselves together at an event.  We shook hands, made small talk and enjoyed the evening in close proximity, interfacing with each other and those around us.  The very next day in response to a tweet about the previous night’s event I got a message stating how sorry he was that he missed me.  I thought to myself, “this is why we wear name tags while networking”.  The question is whether we should be offended by this disconnect.  Is it disingenuous interaction or just a slip of social graces more prevalent than ever due to the abundance of communication methods, handles and titles.

The takeaway?  Weblebrities (as they have come to be known), have usually created online personas for a reason.  Leave them there, keep your web fantasies intact and grab an Us Weekly.

Laurel Kaufman
Managing Director Girls in Tech, LA
www.ak-cg.com