Girls In Tech

 You’ve all heard about the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake which has hit Haiti this week.  CARE organization is sending additional emergency team members to the city of Port-au-Prince and could use your help.  This is their worst earthquake in 200 years and has left many injured, and left thousands homeless.  It is not yet known what the death toll could be.  If you would like to help and are wondering what you can do about it, consider donating to CARE. 

“…The immediate need is to help rescue people trapped in the rubble, then to get people food and water.  We’re particularly worried about the children, because so many schools seem to have collapsed.” says Sophie Perez, CARE’s County Director in Haiti.  That’s why CARE is rushing to aid Haiti right now.  If you feel like you would like to help, please see below.  Your gift, however large or small will help save lives.

Click here to donate online now:  DONATE .    Every penny will no doubt be appreciated!

To read more about CARE & know where your money is going, their website is:  http://www.care.org/ or  Read: About CARE’s work.

Tags: earthquake, Haiti
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So, you’re looking for a social media job. You want to be a content coordinator, a social media marketer, an editorial executive, whatever. You’ve polished up your resume, rounded up your references and picked up the perfect pair of interview shoes. You email every job post on the web. And then you wait. And wait. And wait. And meanwhile, I’m sitting at my desk, sifting through resumes and wondering why we can’t find anyone halfway decent for social media openings at our company.

So why aren’t you interviewing with me? Well, assuming you’re a qualified candidate, then the problem is probably your cover letter.

You see, your cover letter is a lot more than a simple intro for your resume and references. It’s a first impression of your qualifications. And, in many cases, it’s the only impression that busy person on the other side of the screen is going to get before they decide to dismiss you completely.

So, how do compose a killer cover letter? Simple. Just follow the three P’s. Personality, profiles and proofreading.

Personality is probably the trickiest of the trifecta. Social media certainly ain’t a 9-5 gig, so when I’m screening resumes, I’m always aware that I’ll probably end up spending more time with the person we pick than I do with my friends and family combined. A little personality in your cover letter is a great barometer for me when making those decisions. But, show too much personality, and you might come across as unprofessional. So, I’ll gladly read colloquialisms, creativity and even the occasional quip. Emoticons and excessive exclamation on the other hand will probably get a less positive response.  And don’t forget, one person’s treasured triple-exclamation-point sign off might just be another one’s personal pet peeve. (Hint, hint).

If you’re applying for a job in social media, the profiles part should be the easiest part of this equation. Just make sure you include links to all of your social media sites. And you might as well include the personal and professional. Don’t think I’m not gonna google it if you don’t. When we’re hiring for a heavy social media job, we want to see people with a presence on the social web. So,I’m looking at your ratio of Twitter followers to followers, your number of tweets, your social aggregator accounts, your blog, your boyfriend’s blog — whatever I can find to prove that you know your way around the web. You don’t need to have your fingers in every profile pie, but you should have some background in this whole social networking scene. If you don’t, then you better have a backup plan for proving to me that you’re the person for the post.

Last, but not least, make sure you proofread. If I had a nickel for every typo, grammar gaffe, misused word or spelling mistake I’ve seen in cover letters over the past year, I could probably afford to just fund the invention of a robot who would cover all of our open job posts, so I’d never again have to stare in disbelief at the cover letter of a college graduate who can’t tell the difference between ‘their’ and ‘there.’ Seriously, I can’t stress the importance of proofreading your cover letters enough. This is also true for emails sent from mobile devices. If it’s the first piece of writing I’m going to be seeing from you, it’s worth a few extra minutes of meticulousness.

At the end of the day, crafting a killer cover letter comes down to this: you could have the best background of anybody on the web, but if your cover letter is awful, it’s like hiding a gorgeous gown under a crappy coat. What’s the point? If you’re going to invest in the gown, make sure you spend some time on the outerwear too. After all, it’s the first layer of your first impression. And, the first step towards scoring a chance to show off those interview shoes.

Tags: careers, hiring, jobs, socialmedia, tech, web
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The Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference is coming up on January 26, at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.  The Catalyst Conference enables & propels women to take the next step, whether they’re launching a venture, making waves in the corporate world, looking to join an innovative startup, or building their online and digital-media brand. So, if you are still on the fence about whether or not you will attend, here are some good reasons why you should!:

• To network with over 250 eager and influential women in the tech industry
• Understand industry trends, what models are working and what models aren’t working
• To promote your ideas and your company to a group of very targeted women in tech
• To learn how to catapult your career in technology through workshops and presentations from top, successful women in tech
• To learn how you can create change by using the web tools and platforms available for developing nations

Visit this link to register:  REGISTER HERE.

You owe it to yourself & your career to be there!  We look forward to seeing you there.

Tags: career, Catalyst Conference
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If you are looking to launch your start-up but what you need is an extra little push, i/o Ventures is there to help.   This company is a start-up accelerator who seems to be the “working angel,” not a typical  angel investor, with the resources to help you by:  investing up to $25K,  providing office space (including space for small conferences and meetings), and other assistance which runs the gamut from matching you up with mentors to holding off-sites for you to meet with them.

Their program starts with an orientation, and is followed by a 4-month period of intense product market readiness.  This time includes weekly ‘one on one’s’ as well as an abundance of critical feedback.  Also throughout this time, they will host events to allow you to meet other budding entrepreneurs.   Off-sites and events can be held in a variety of venues and make for optimal bonding and advice-swapping time.   According to the company,

“The most honest discussions, best feedback, and most memorable experiences often happen on a chairlift while snowboarding, on a nice hike or around a campfire. Every one of us at i/o can attest to that personally.”

Visit their website to read more about the company or how you can apply to be chosen! -  http://www.ventures.io/info/about

i/o Ventures was started by leading industry specialists from companies such as MySpace, BitTorrent, and Lefora.  You can also see their bios on the i/o website.

Tags: i/o ventures, start-up
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The Founder’s Institute and TheFunded.com are amazing resources for anyone starting their own business and looking for a network of colleagues and advice.  We’ve partnered with them on the upcoming Catalyst Conference, getting their help spreading the word about our exciting inaugural conference.  I wanted to take a moment to let you know about some equally exciting things they have going on.

This Thursday, they’re hosting the Founder’s Showcase. There, you can meet top investors, socialize with other entrepreneurs, hear great talks, and see inspiring pitches from cutting edge start-ups. The Founder Showcase is an open startup pitch and networking event that highlights seed stage businesses, helping founders gain traction among the Silicon Valley elite. On Thursday, January 14th, ten companies elected by over 13,000 registered Members of TheFunded.com will present to an audience of over 200 investors, founders, and members of the press. A panel of experts will critique the pitches, and an open ballot of those in attendance will determine the Founder Showcase Winner – who will win a number of prizes, including $2500 in cash, $1000 in free legal services from Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, and a free two-day rental of a Ferrari 360 Spider.

Showcase guests will be treated to food and drinks, as well as informative talks by two leading Silicon Valley CEOs – Philip Kaplan of Blippy, and Jay Jamison of Moonshoot. There is also a networking and Pitch Table area for startups, service providers, and investors to convene. Previous investors that have attended include JAFCO, Leapfrog, Polaris, Omidyar, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, First Round, Blue Run, and various angels. A finalist at the last event, RelayRides (www.relayrides.com), even received funding as a result of the event.

Only a few dozen tickets and inexpensive pitch tables remain – to register and learn more, visit http://foundershowcase-girlsintech.eventbrite.com/.

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“Twit-tahh?” the manicurist gave me a puzzled expression, “What’s that?” she turned her attention back to my nails, carefully cutting away at the dead skin near the base of my nail and listening as I explained the viral phenomenon that is Twitter. I asked her if she had heard about the “Twitter manicure” I read about in a PopSugar article recently, negative. None of the manicurists in the Palo Alto-based salon had ever used Twitter or Facebook, let alone heard of either of them.

As shocking as the image of hot blue nails with miniature light blue birds and bright orange “fail whales” painted on them is, it’s only the newest concept in the evolving relationship between social media and fashion. Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have been featured on t-shirts for a long time now. Popular shirt sites like cafepress.com and threadless.com sell shirts that feature slogans such as “140 is the new 420,” “Don’t Make Me Unfriend You” and “I’m Not A Blogger, I just Tweet A Lot.”

So, does this mean that social media not only a hot trend, but a haute trend as well? Last year, I wrote briefly about Shopflick —a place where online shopping meets YouTube. The website doesn’t feature mass-market retailers, major fashion brands, or look to advertise through mass-media. Instead, it calls itself a “video-powered marketplace for indie-inspired goods.” And features designers like Amy Hall, for Amy Kathryn Handbags. By viewing the two minute video (each item has their own), we meet Amy and listen to her describe her product, her inspirations, and her reason as to why her product is better than the rest. At the end of those two minutes we have all the information we need to make a purchase. Another site similar to Shopflick is StyleHop. This one brings social gaming and fashion together through fun style-rating games and links to post directly to Myspace and Facebook. It uses a Yelp-like system and provides viewers with advice on the most popular fashion for that city.

Is video shopping better than window shopping? That is up for debate. Personally, I prefer strolling through the mall and trying things on over sitting at home in my pajamas clicking on images and videos.

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With $110 million in revenue last year and selling for only $40, the YMax Corporation’s Gen2 MagicJack allows cell phone users to bypass their carriers’ charges for long-distant calls. The product plugs into a computer which then communicates with recognizable cell phones in range (even locked phones); enter a code and then your long-distance calls are ready for routing over the internet!

In running a startup, every penny counts and since most of us have been ripped off by huge cell phone charges at some time or another, MagicJack sounds cool and like a new paradigm that companies will begin following. Though femtocells preceded this Gen2 MagicJack, the cell phone companies were still charging big bucks for this technology as much as $250 per unit. By allowing callers to circumvent big company charges, the YMax product is more like the Napster of the cell phone industry.

Let’s just hope that its engineer, Dan Borislow, won’t face the same fate that programmers Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker had to face after being featured on the cover of Wired ten years ago.  For the time being, Borislow’s forty-dollar-a-unit technology is legal. So, enjoy free long distance calls as long as you can—move over Skpye!

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While the economy may still be down, there are actually many ways that small business owners capitalize on the rebounding economy and succeed in 2010.  Thanks to business owner, Kara Goldin — founder of the popular HINT Water, with an extensive marketing background — for offering her services to advise small business owners.

Even in a down time, Kara worked to expand her distribution to more than 2,000 retailers across the country, that tripled HINT’s revenue.  Kara can offer information on ways to grow your business in the time of recession, from smart marketing strategies to ways to tap into your staff, she brings first-hand knowledge of growing a business from the ground up.

Ms. Goldin has an innate ability to forecast consumer market trends and has an extraordinary track record of business success. Formerly a Vice President of Shopping and E-commerce Partnerships at AOL, she grew AOL’s shopping business from startup to more than $1 billion in revenue in less than 7 years.   For more information, you may contact Jamie Evans at: jevans(at)5wpr.com to be put in touch with Kara.   Good luck!

About Kara Goldin:  Kara Goldin is chief executive office and found of San Francisco-based HINT, Inc., which produces all natural essence waters with no sweeteners.  Since its official launch in April 2005, HINT has garnered praise from the likes of Time Magazine and Good Morning America, and has appeared on such popular shows as Grey’s Anatomy and Boston Legal.  She brings her knowledge of the media & entertainment industries along with an extensive network of contacts, to the company’s marketing and sales strategy.

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Tags: Afterparty, Catalyst Conference, girls in tech
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That is what a new Economist article is saying, and all I can say is:  Go girls! According to the article, statistics show that within the next few months, women will cross the 50% threshold and become the majority of the American workforce!  It is a fact that women already make up the majority of college graduates in major countries such as the U.S.  And women lead many of the big corporations:  both abroad — ie, Areva in France and in the U.S., such as PepsiCo just to name one of many.

This is a remarkable accomplishment, especially when you think of the fact that just a generation ago, women were stuck in mostly menial, low-wage jobs.  Women in those days were constantly faced with sexism, in all areas.  Now they are C-level executives, own their own businesses, and in general have more control over their own lives.  So, we can see that we have come a long way since then.

With all their successes, however, women still face many challenges in the workplace, such as lower overall wages in some cases.  Not to mention, juggling work and family.  These issues being very closely related, it is obvious that it will always be a hurdle for women to navigate.  The good news is, as the article states:  “Demand for female brains is helping to alleviate some of these problems.”  The author goes into more depth on these intricacies; so I encourage everyone to read the entire article to see how and why this is.

To read the full text of the article, go to: http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15174489.

Tags: wages, women in the workplace, work and amily
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