Girls In Tech

If you are located in the Bay Area and interested in getting more involved, please join the SF Chapter at 7 pm on January 31st at Sandbox Suites in Southpark (SF) at 404 Bryant Street. We will discuss ways to get involved at all levels of commitment including leadership roles. We have needs in event planning, social media community management, blogging, website and graphic design and partnerships/biz dev. Please RSVP to sanfrancisco [at] girlsintech.net and bring a friend!

The meeting will begin at 7 and last until abut 8 – please feel free to drop by for part if you can’t stay for the whole thing. And if you’re unavailable to attend but would still like to be involved in our chapter, drop us a line at sanfrancisco [at] girlsintech.net.

Special Thanks to Sandbox suites for hosting our meeting!

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Guest blog entry written by Brandy Wimberly, Founder and CEO of Buyvite

Not everyone has the luxury of paying for a large group purchase then collecting the money from their friends and family down the road. That’s why we built Buyvite, to help solve and simplify the entire group purchase lifecycle.

Creating a new payment platform is not an easy task and the very nature of the product is more all encompassing than focusing on a particular demographic like some other technology startups.

We didn’t start a “female tech startup,” we created a company with a product that could be used by everyone. We simply saw a need in the market place and hopefully have addressed that need with a powerful platform.  Some tech startups created by women approach technology in ways men simply don’t, which is focused on creating products for other women. The same way college students or recent grads tend to focus on technology products specific to addressing the needs of that age group. This isn’t to say that these products aren’t relevant, interesting or necessary, it just wasn’t the focus with Buyvite. We’ve created a Patent Pending group payment system that leverages the power of social commerce for our partners.

The idea for Buyvite sprang from my personal experience looking for a product that could do what Buyvite ultimately does and not being able to find one. However, the ability to launch a technology startup comes from my professional experience in ecommerce and Internet marketing. This is key for anyone interested in starting a technology company.  Having professional experience in the space is critical to understanding the market, building a high-level team and instilling confidence with investors. Having an idea is great, but being able to actualize that vision on a professional level will ultimately help get ideas from concept to company.

Buyvite’s group payment system is currently in beta. We are working to integrate our system with partners before a public facing launch. Our Patent Pending platform functions differently than similar companies. We have created a unique web/mobile based application that is designed to leverage the power of social commerce in a very streamlined and user friendly way.

The plan for Buyvite over the next few years is to grow the company organically with strong partnerships, excellent customer service and by staying true to our company mission. Coming out with a beta product and a Times Square Advertisement is not the approach we are interested in. Our goal is to thoughtfully and methodically grow a successful enterprise that prioritizes the experience of our partners and our site members.

In addition to a rock solid technical team we’ve put together a great advisory board that has been critical to our early success. Advisory Board Members include Brad Bialas, Founder & President, End2End Payments, John Reas, Solutions Program Manager, Alcatel – Lucent, Poornima Vijayashanker, Founding Member of Mint.com & CEO of Bizee Bee Software, Bobbi Vaughan, Manager of Software Engineering, University of Toledo, and Ian Hartten, Founder & President, Thrive Internet Marketing.

Buyvite was built and is maintained by our team in Ohio. For more information about our company or services please contact us at info@buyvite.com.

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, Brandy Wimberly, Buyvite, girls in tech, Group Pay, women in tech
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In recent news, everywhere we look apps are being integrated into our everyday life whether we want them there or not. Facebook announced that 60 new open graph websites and apps are either in demo mode or launching remotely. The apps can publish user activity back to Timeline. Facebook will also begin approving apps from third-party developers, this will create more buzz around some apps that haven’t cracked a top ten list in iTunes.

Some of the apps that were included in Facebooks rollout were – Foodspotting, Rotten Tomatoes, Pinterest, TripAdvisor and e-reader Kobo.

Don’t thing apps are on the forefront of the tech world?

Flurry notes that roughly 40 billion applications have been downloaded from the iTunes App Store and Android Market sincetheir debuts. There is one problem; the app world has yet to see a creditable search engine that will allow equal opportunity from both a consumer and developer standpoint.

As of December, the usage of mobile apps has climbed to 94 minutes per day, and web consumption declined to 72 minutes.

With so many different types of apps and all of them being filed in different categories with outside influences including ratings and comments, GreatApps.com has found a way to allow an individual to find an app on their own. The site only allow up to 15 new apps to be displayed daily, giving a consumer the chance to judge an app on their own. Site tries to cover all different categories although the gaming apps dictate downloads.

“Many times the app consumer may not be looking for an opinion on an app, yet wants to discover something on their own. This is one of the advantages that GreatApps.com has from a consumer standpoint.” stated CEO of GreatApps.com, Rick Singer. “We are presenting consumers an option that is both innovative and creative.”

GreatApps.com is innovative from both a consumer and app developers/owners standpoint. For consumers, this is a direct source to learn about apps, yet without being bombarded on a daily basis. For developers, their marketing services are $995 for the year (12 months of marketing). They have also been gaining notoriety from celebrity apps. Snookify Me! is currently featured on the homepage.

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, girls in tech, GreatApps.com, Rick Singer, women in tech
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Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, DEMO Asia, entrepreneurs, girls in tech, Tech Start-ups, women in tech
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By Adriana Gascoigne, Girls in Tech

The advancements of technology and our ability to connect in an instant and share our lives with the rest of the world seems to have left some people very isolated and anti-social. With all of the real-time connection to technology, primary relationships are disconnecting, or worse, not even forming at all. Human attachment influences every aspect of human development: mind, body, emotions, social ability, values and productivity*.

I’m always amazed with the number of people who pull out their smart phones while dining with friends, families centered around video or social gaming as a primary source of entertainment, teens wanting to IM or spend multiple hours social networking or even worse, couples bringing their laptops or iPads to the bedroom ‘needing’ to connect, share and communicate with friends and followers before and after bedtime (talk about a romance-killer) – What is “normal” when it comes to technology usage?

I guess there is no specific guideline when it comes to the amount of time we spend with our devices versus face-to-face time with friends, family and significant others; the thing is that most of us do not think it’s a big deal to use our devices so often. In fact, most people view using devices and spending multiple hours a day on the computer as a part of everyday, 21^st century life. The primary issue lies in the time-suck that comes from the abuse of the devices, often taking away precious time we should be spending on building our personal relationships.

Whether you’re texting or IM’ing, social networking, blogging, social gaming or shopping online, a good majority of our day is spent utilizing and getting distracted with some sort of tech gadget, device or activity. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is now the fastest rising mental illness in adults. Based on a research report from John Bowlby, a British psychoanalyst*, the underlying factor for internet addiction in adults is directly connected to a fear of intimacy and this fear has its origin in failed primary attachment. The report also reveals that attachment to technologies such as TVs, movies, internet, video games, cell phones iPods, and iPads are resulting in a detachment from all that is human. Human detachment resulting from technology overuse is happening at such a rapid pace, it is difficult to determine what would be the immediate, much less long term effects.*

In an effort to help those who have IAD or those whose relationships are damaged and dying a slow death due to the overuse of devices, I have created a list of suggestions you can follow to help balance your investment in technology in exchange for more real-time, interpersonal communication and romance –

1. There’s a time and a place – create guidelines that work for you and your loved ones. For instance, no cell phone usage during meal time or no laptop usage in the bedroom or even, no social networking on the weekdays. These rules will help set boundaries for you and your family in an effort to increase the amount of human interaction and engagement, crucial to developing and strengthening relationships with loved ones and peers.

2. Remember how life was before 1980 – take a trip back into time when we didn’t have cell phones, iPods, iPads, computers, or even the internet. What was it like? People had to be creative and proactive about discovering new and interesting activities to entertain their families and communicate with each other. Meeting at parks, going to amusement parks, having more gatherings at home, going to the movies, etc. How do you ask your girlfriend on a date in this day and age? With a hand-written letter, phone call or with a text message? I bet most of you answered text message. Text messages are so impersonal and lazy. To show that you care and want to make an effort in courting a woman, the more traditional approach is best.

3. Plan outings to enjoy the outdoors – nature is one of the best forms of entertainment and can facilitate authentic engagement with loved ones. Going on a hike, bike ride, sailing or horse back riding on a nice day is pure euphoria. You will inevitably bond with those individuals around you, engage in exploration, deep conversation and exchange smiles. This human interaction coupled with exercise is good for the soul and helps develop stronger relationships whether it’s with a family member, friend or a date.

4. Join a club, take on a hobby – as much as “joining a club” or “taking on a hobby” seems like something you would do while in primary school, it is still considered a very important part of a balanced adult life. Partaking in diversified activities and having unique interests creates a channel for open and interesting dialogue, it allows people to interact and bond with others and it enables people to learn and grow – whether it’s a book club, boxing lessons, cooking classes or joining a dance group, these are all activities, which do not involve new technologies or devices.

5. Leave your laptop at work – try to get into the habit of leaving your work at work. Limit the hours you work per day and the hours you spend answering emails, IMs, or text messages from co-workers. Once your fellow employees realize that you’re a “work-a-holic” and that you are readily available and accessible via your devices at all times, they will feel free to take advantage of this and hound you whenever they feel like it. Set boundaries. Leave your technological devices related to your work at work and if you work virtually or from home, be disciplined and keep a daily work schedule, highlighting specific working hours, which you can realistically honor.

6. Reignite the romance – the heart of this article originated from the lack of romance in society today. Women (and men to an extent) are not only getting asked out on dates via SMS, they are getting more “I love you” emails and eCards than actually being told “I love you” face-to-face. It’s time to reignite the romance in your relationship; be creative when taking your mate on a date, try to decrease the amount of technology used to communicate with them (i.e. in-person is best) and be present when you are with that person; don’t use your devices, focus on the person, the dialogue and growing the relationship.

7. Honesty is the best policy – Ensure that you are open and honest about your internet activity with your family members, boyfriend or girlfriend, or spouse. Every year the amount of people with IAD increases, in addition to the number of divorces resulting from Facebook. Analyze your day-to-day usage of technology devices and the number of hours spent on the internet and calculate how much time you are spending with a piece of metal or plastic versus quality time with loved ones. Face-to-face interaction, sharing and engaging are crucial to human happiness and natural development; even though you might get some immediate attention and temporary excitement by setting up your online dating or social networking profile, it will never replace the fulfillment, sensation, and warmth you will obtain from a human relationship.

*Supporting Attachment Websites:

Attachment Early Intervention Program - www.circleofsecurity.org
 Dr. Pat Crittenden’s website - www.patcrittenden.com
 Kim Barthel’s website - www.labrinthyinejourneys.com
 Centre for Successful Parenting - www.sosparents.org

*Certification Course on Attachment

Attachment course instructors were occupational therapists Kim Barthel and Irmie Nickel who follow Dr. Pat Crittenden’s Dynamic-Maturational Model of attachment and adaptation.

Article source:

http://www.zoneinworkshops.com
 Article source:

http://EzineArticles.com/3262901

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, girls in tech, Overuse of Devices, Overuse of Technology, Relationship Tips, Romance, women in tech
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Guest blog entry written by Roshini Rajkumar, speaker, communication coach and author

Getting the job you want is about walking the walk and talking the talk as they say. Your wardrobe, vocal and subtextual behavior should be consistent to your passion and work ethic. Use your communication styles to let colleagues, superiors or potential employers see you in the role you desire. Roshini is in the business of using communication to successfully get your intended message across. Body language such as crossing your arms can send messages that say “I’m nervous,” and gestures like flipping your hair can unintentionally communicate flirting. Messages like these can undermine your position and can take away from your bottom line. Roshini connects communication to ROI; in 20 seconds you can leave the kind of impression that will enhance your career OR diminish it. Take the right steps to upgrade your professional image and watch your career soar!

Roshini’s Advice on How To Upgrade Your Professional Image for 2012

Start the year out right by defining who you want to be or become this year. Be specific. Write it down. Keep it close so you can always look back and measure your progress throughout the year. If you’re already who you want to be, then pinpoint how dynamic you want your persona/brand to show itself. We’re talking about growing your WOW! for 2012. Make a Lasting Impression!
Three key areas to develop as you grow the WOW!:

1. What are you saying?
2. What are you doing?
3. Who’s mentoring/advising you?

The Saying: make sure you have key messages and words that define your brand—whether that’s you as an individual business person or your company

The Doing: make sure your actions match your words and the mission you set for 2012

The Advisors: make sure these are people who are your raving fans; ask them to hold you accountable to your goals; seek their advice; celebrate accomplishments with them and show them gratitude
Other important components towards building the career you want in 2012! 
(These DOs are fantastic for New Year’s Resolutions)

DO: Define your passion and determine ways to incorporate it into your current job or determine career fields where your passion would be an asset. In your current position, are your colleagues and superiors aware of your passion and associated talents?

DO: Network in related professional organizations or clubs, or start your own! For example, Bloggers Who Eat could be a great club for a group of local writers who enjoy writing about food.

DO: Board Service is a great way to meet people with similar passions and to showcase your own. There are many opportunities to serve on boards in the fields of art, music, theater, animal care, medical conditions, etc. Connect your service to your passion and you may find that it leads to the job of your dreams!

DO: Mentoring. Seek out mentors who are where you want to be and can show you the way. Also pursue opportunities to mentor others if you’re looking to move into a managerial role.

DO: Awards. Get recognition in the areas you are passionate about, leverage awards and distinctions in your current career or your next one.

Roshini is a speaker, communication coach, and author of Communicate That! She is a sought-after keynote speaker and commentator to local and national media on topics related to powerful communication for executives and politicians, business strategies for climbing the corporate ladder, and rehabbing celebrity images. Her background includes more than twenty-five years of public speaking and a career in television news. Roshini is also a licensed attorney.

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, Career Tips, Communicate That, Executive Coach, girls in tech, Roshini Rajkumar, women in tech
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Girls in Tech’s newest hobby is beauty subscriptions. Just like Birchbox, which focuses on delivering beauty product samples in the US or blissmobox, which introduces eco-friendly products to consumers, VanityTrove, a Singapore-based start-up, delivers a box of hand-selected beauty samples direct to subscribers’ doorsteps for $25 per month. Besides having subscription-based services, there is also an option to buy gifts for friends. Every month VanityTrove will feature 4 to 7 deluxe sample-size beauty products from the latest, trend-setting beauty suppliers in the industry.

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, Beauty Products, Cosmetics, girls in tech, Singapore, Subscribers, VanityTrove
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Did you ever think your social media prowess would help you score an exceptional gift to impress your sister, mother or girlfriend?  Or, how about just treating yourself in this season of joy?  This holiday season, Swarovski Elements has taken over Rodeo Drive with their Let it Sparkle campaign. The streets are sparkling and we want to let you know how you and your community can also get involved in the festivities and win some goodies!

• Swarovski  is asking anyone and everyone around the world to send a holiday greeting tweet with #letitsparkle OR text their holiday greeting with the word SPARKLE to 877877 (Text is US only). They already had tweets sent from Jessica Alba, Versace, Armani, Roberto Cavalli and more
• Swarovski Elements will choose 3 of their favorite tweets every Friday in December to win jewelry from SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED™.
• The above greetings that come in will be displayed on a custom created helix sign on Rodeo Drive for all to see either on the street in LA or via a livestream camera showing until January 10, 2012 on the Swarovski Elements Facebook page!
• For Swarovski fans located in Los Angeles, we have a FREE app with GoldRun that they can download, play with the products in the Let it Sparkle collection and win a free gift with purchase at participating retailers!

For details on all of the above plus a fun 3D mock up of Rodeo Drive, please see the Swarovski Elements Facebook page here: http://on.fb.me/uahwgj

So go get your social media on! & Win some great bling for your holiday secret Santa

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Guest blog entry written by Darren Hardy, Author of The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success

A lot of jobs that once were, aren’t coming back. Ever. To look for what isn’t there is a waste of time and an insult to your dignity.

If you haven’t noticed, the world has changed — radically. The traditional yellow brick road to success and financial security has imploded. The path to a high-paying job used to involve getting the highest academic degree you could obtain, along with specific technical job skills, to start climbing the ladder. Today, most of the ladders are decimated. If those jobs still exist, the needed knowledge and skills of those jobs have changed . . . and change again every day.

These are the greatest times of opportunity we have seen in human history — but only if you know how to seize them. To succeed you need to change with the way the world is working now. If you are unemployed, underemployed, or want to take control of your financial future, here are seven strategies to thrive in the new world.

1. Adapt to the new reality.

Over the last decade we have witnessed the death rattle of an era gone by. The corporate structure and monolithic systems of the industrial age have begun to crumble. We are returning to the way we started — as entrepreneurs. When America was founded, the majority of people had their own business, farm, market or trade. People used their skillsets and hobbies to make a living as entrepreneurs. Then the industrial age flipped the ratio and most people became employed by new systems of repetitive labor and mass production.  Technology recently wired all of us directly to each other, destroying heavily controlled and highly valued distribution channels, giving every entrepreneur immediate and direct access to a global marketplace of opportunity, right from their fingertips . . . or laptop. This means competition doesn’t just come from the business down the street, but also from every basement or second bedroom of every home in every city or suburb in every country of the world. You better become a continual learner and constantly improve your special skills.

2. Stop looking for a job and start looking for an opportunity.

Take the skills you have as an employee and turn those into a contract services business. You have an expertise, knowledge and experience in something that’s unique to you. Your skillset might be so unique you don’t even recognize it as personal expertise. What is your experience, knowledge or unique gifts? Ask a good friend, colleague or former employer to tell you. Once you discover your specialization, hire your expertise out, offer it to multiple businesses and entrepreneurs who need what you can deliver. More companies are hiring consultants and contractors for specific projects, specialized skills and services. Bartering services on the Internet are booming — sites like SwapASkil.com, UExchange.com, TradeAway.com and SwapThing.com.

3. What do you have?

What goods do you have that others might want? What goods do you have easy access to that most do not? What goods can you make that people would want? Answer one or more of those questions and take it to market through eBay or an automated Amazon.com store. You also can write about your area of skill or expertise. You can create a how-to information book and sell it through ClickBank, create a podcast or video blog series and distribute it through iTunes or other distributions channels. Follow through on a great idea. There are probably thousands of people who want to know what you know or how to do what you do. Plus, it has never been cheaper to build, outfit and market your business than it is today. Vendors are flexible and partnerships are open.

4. Who do you know?

If you want to calculate your potential for increased wealth, don’t look at your current bank balance, cars or property inventory. Look at the inventory of your high caliber relationships. With the Industrial Age over, we are now in the Relationship Age. Unequivocally, the relationships you build will be your No. 1 asset in these expanding and fast-changing times. Your ability to network is the skill you want to hone, practice and master. Your ability to get to, connect with and establish relationships with important and purposeful people will be your gateway to any goal, destination or aspiration you have.

5. What problem can you solve?

The economic downturn has created a ton of new problems that need solving. Problems are food and oxygen for entrepreneurialism. Those who create solutions to our new problems will become the beneficiaries of these times. Remember, 90 percent of entrepreneurs started out at the bottom, broke or with little capital or savings. Today they are among the world’s wealthiest.

6. Return to self-reliance and self-responsibility.

You make your choices; then your choices make you. Everything in your life exists because you made a choice about something. Choices are at the root of your results. Don’t choose at all and you’ve made the choice to be the passive receiver of whatever comes your way. Most people think they take responsibility for their lives, but many people operate in the world of blaming, finger pointing and expecting someone else — or the government — to solve their problems. You can’t count on anyone else for your success but you.

7. Take control of your future!

Separate from everyone else by developing the mindset, habits, actions and persistence it’s going to take for personal accountability and control of your future. Your soft skills can give you the leading edge. With the mind-blowing velocity of change and throng of competition, the skills needed for success today are less about academic, industrial, or technical training and more about soft skills — emotional intelligence, adaptability,  resiliency, relationship-building, accountability, productivity and leadership skills.

There are no secrets, shortcuts or quick fixes to success. It takes hard work, personal responsibility and positive choices. You already know all the information you need to succeed. You just need a new plan of action. Now is the time.

© 2011 Darren Hardy, author of The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, Career advice, Darren Hardy, girls in tech, Job Opportunities, The Compound Effect, women in tech
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Girls in Tech İstanbul  has been launched with the participation of several  stellar women from various industries and academic institutions. At the gathering, about hundred women had a chance to meet and greet talking technology and its impacts on everyday life.

Guest speaker Ufuk Tarhan, founder of M-Gen Future Planning  Center and president of Futurism Society Turkey,  shared some important clues on a successful  career, and mentioned the importance of adapting new  technologies  for any person or company  to make a difference in the digital age.

Girls in Tech İstanbul aims to attract a wide array of female professionals from coders, designers, publishers  to social media experts, new generation product and brand executives , social media experts and more; basically any female professional who uses or produces technology to add value to life.Girls in Tech  İstanbul launch  was a good starter in this sense bringing together several like-minded women from different professional backgrounds.

GIT İstanbul will focus on “ entrepreneurship” in 2012 , and  techno-girls of İstanbul will get together on the first Tuesday of every month to  discuss about new busines ideas  and possible funding opportunities. The goal for 2012 is to put together at least one successfully up and running start-up.

Stay tuned!

Love from Istanbul!

Zeynep

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