Girls In Tech

In less then three months, Mountain View based start up, Bizzy, has registered almost 120,000 local business favorites in the hopes of providing YOU with business recommendations for everything from a lunch spot to a mechanic.

We can all go to Google or Yelp and type in “lunch in San Francisco” or “sushi in Soho” but the thing is, we are all going to get the same results. Even if you like upscale fusion sushi and I like the all you can eat buffet. Bizzy, Bizzy.com, is changing that with their personalized local business recommendation engine powered by people with similar tastes to you.

The favorites that have been shared on Bizzy thus far have been used to make over 650,000 local business recommendations and with every new shared favorite, the recommendations Bizzy makes are getting that much better. So sign up and share Bizzy with your friends and family to get the scoop on where to eat, shop and play.

Bizzy has released lists of the most favorited local restaurants in the top 10 cities gettin’ Bizzy including San Francisco, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, Seattle, Shreveport, La., Boston and Austin, Texas. Visit http://blog.bizzy.com/the-bizziest-cities-in-america to see the lists.

Top 10 Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area
1. Absinthe Brasserie & Bar
2. Pizzeria Delfina
3. Little Star Pizza
4. Yoshi’s San Francisco
5. Nopa
6. Cafe Borrone
7. DishDash
8. Coupa Cafe
9. La Fondue
10. Tied House Brewery & Cafe

Are some of your favorites in that list? Head to http://www.Bizzy.com and enter your favorites to start getting personalized local business recommendations. If you end up trying Bizzy and their recommendations, let them know how it goes! You could win $500 with their “Rec Check Challenge! Oh, and yes, there is an app for that: Bizzy.com/iPhone.

Tags: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, DC, dinner, eat, Google, Los Angeles, lunch, New York, play, recommendations, restaurants, San Francisco, shop, Washington D.C., win, Yelp
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You can never be too careful about what you post on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks.

A recent survey by California-based data security company Proofpoint found that 20% of the companies surveyed had investigated whether confidential company information had been exposed on a social networking site (including Facebook, MySpace and Linkedin) during the past twelve months (up from 12% over the last two years).  In addition, 20% of the companiessurveyed haddisciplined an employee for violations of company social network use policies (up from 10% in 2009) and 7% reported that they had terminated an employee for violating such policies.

It’s no secret that companies are also monitoring employees’ social network accounts and tweets more frequently than in the past to determine everything from whether employees’ online conduct might be harming the company’s public image to whether employees are lying about being out sick.

Here’s a roundup of some recent cautionary tales that have hit the news:

• A Connecticut school superintendent was fired after posting inappropriate status updates to his Facebook page during his first few days on the job.  The postings, which cost him his $150,000-a-year job, included: a comment that he slept in until 10:00 a.m. on his first day of work and that it would be “the best job ever” if that happened every day; and “counseling an administrator to retire or face termination. : )”.  (Reported by several Connecticut news outlets, including: www.necn.com and www.ctnow.com)

• Five nurses were fired from a hospital in Oceanside, California after they were caught discussing patient information on Facebook (causing concerns about HIPPA violations).  They were fired despite that fact they did not post any patient names, pictures, or other identifying information. (Reported by several San Diego news outlets, including: www.nbcsandiego.com and www.signonsandiego.com)

• An employee at a European insurance company was fired after her employer discovered she was actively using Facebook after she had requested leave, saying that she felt ill and needed to rest away from her computer.   (Reported by the Economic Times)

Maybe the above examples sound like something you would never do, but people have been fired for things far less obvious.  The new Facebook group “Fired Because of Facebook” has created a forum for employees to share their woes.  These incidents may not have made the news, but they are definitely anecdotes that people should read.

Meredith Davis Williams is an employment law attorney at Miller | Williams LLP in Los Angeles and can be reached at (213) 426-2144, mwilliams@millerwilliamslaw.com, or @MerEsqLA.

Tags: facebook, Fired Because of Facebook, Fired over Facebook, girls in tech, linkedin, Los Angeles, Meredith D Williams, social media, social networks, twitter, Using Social Networks at Work
Posted in All Chapters, Los Angeles | 1 Comment »

Social Media week is right around the corner, and the Los Angeles Moms have a great panel  for you. Moms Online: Harnessing Social Media to Empower Families.  Jessica Gottlieb GITLA fangirl and Mommy Blogger will be moderating a fabulous group of dynamic women. Lolita Carrico founder of Modern Mom, Jennifer Taggart of The Smart Mama, and Arpana Vashisht of Parentella will discuss how the internet empowers families.

In addition to the standard subjects (how do we reach the moms) Jennifer will explain how she unleashed a nationwide recall of Shrek branded drinking glasses that were offered with McDonald’s Happy Meals. Lolita promises to talk about the very important difference between being first and being agile, and Arpana will share her mission to connect families and school.

KCET Studios Auditorium
4401 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM (PT)

http://empowerfamilies.eventbrite.com/

Space is limited, get your free tickets now!

Tags: girls in tech, Jessica Gottleib, laurel kaufman, laurelk, Los Angeles, networking, social media, Social Media Week
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Women in Technology are taking over the Silicon Valley for their Biggest Event of the Year

Join Girls In Tech as we help celebrate the world’s leading professional organization for executive women in technology.  We are in for a conference that will truly inspire “Collaboration, Strategy and Growth” through hands on speaking engagements and panel discussions.

Top technology leaders from Clean Tech, Mobile, Search, Cloud, Social Media, and Business teach WITI Summit attendees how to capture and target more customers, build stronger relationships with existing customers and take advantage of the applications and tools to build a stronger web presence, increase revenue and streamline costs for their companies.

WITI represents the ideal market for business Networking – CIO’s, executive women and men as well as leaders in technology from around the world converge at WITI’s Annual Women and Technology Summit to discuss and collaborate on innovative solutions to common business challenges, and explore new business opportunities.

Join us September 12-14 for this incredible event.

REGISTER NOW and use the code GITsum10 to receive a free annual membership and 20% off tickets!

Tags: conference, girls in tech, laurel kaufman, Los Angeles, netowrking, summit, technology, women in technology
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WITI (Women In Technology International) and Girls in Tech is thrilled to share with you an opportunity to attend the 2010 Annual WITI Foundation Executive Auction and VIP Closing Reception on Tuesday, September 14th during WITI ‘s Annual Women and Technology Summit in San Jose, CA.

The Annual fundraising event is one of WITI’s most celebrated festivities, a fun setting where attendees competitively bid on auction items and one-to-one meetings with Tech’s leading executives from the industry’s most prolific corporations including GEICO, Symantec, eBay, Genentech, McKesson and Charles Schwab.

Executive Auction attendees enjoy food, drink and networking with colleagues and new contacts to propel their careers skyward. At the same time, they will be able to bid on auction packages to benefit the WITI Foundation such as an executive lunch or dinner meeting with Mr. Randy Spratt of McKesson at a Bay Area restaurant of the winner’s choice; plus an iPod Nano, American Express gift card and tickets to the September 16 San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

All proceeds from the Annual Executive Auction and VIP Reception assist the WITI Foundation in our efforts to continue to celebrate the remarkable women who innovate the world around us and to nurture young girls to seek careers in Science and Tech.

Take the opportunity to bid on meetings with:
Raji Arasu, Vice President, Technology, eBay Inc.
Janice Chaffin, Group President, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec
Laura Ipsen, SVP/GM Smart Grid, Co-Chair EcoBoard, Cisco
Todd Pierce, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Genentech, Inc.
Tama Ruiz, Vice President of Information Systems, GEICO
Randy Spratt, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Officer, McKesson Corporation
Hugh Westermeyer, Senior Vice President, Technology, The Charles Schwab Corporation

To learn more about our Executive Auction please visit:
http://www.witi.com/center/conferences/2010/summit/auction.php

To learn more about our 2010 Summit Growth Café – San Jose, CA from Sept. 12th – 14th 2010:
http://www.witi.com/center/conferences/2010/summit/

To register to attend our Executive Auction or the entire Summit please visit:
http://www.witi.com/regforms/conference_registration_form.php?id=2490

Tags: auction, girls in tech, GIT, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, tecnology, vip party, WITI, women in technology
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…And that’s just what I’ll be doing on September 10 all over a little piece of heaven I like to call the Saks Fifth Avenue shoe department.  Louboutin ankle boots…Chloé knee-high pebbled leather… I think “I just found me a brand new box of matches, yeah!”

Join Girls in Tech LA and shop for a cause on September 10 at GITLA’s Fashion’s Night Out event at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, benefiting Dress for Success.  With 15% shopping discounts, rock star makeovers, swag bags, and cocktails, is there any way this event could get even more fabulous? Actually, there is…

Attendees can enter to win a pair of must-have Fall boots from 10022-SHOE – an even bigger piece of heaven located at Saks on Fifth Avenue in NYC.  (A shoe department so big, it has its own zip code. Yes, that’s right, its own zip code!) I told you, FABULOUS!

So take a walk around the 90210 shoe department on September 10, enter to win, and let your feet celebrate Fashion’s Night Out!

What: Girls in Tech Presents: Fashion’s Night Out sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue
When: Friday, September 10 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Tickets: Click here!

“…Are you ready, boots? Start WALKIN’!!”

Tags: Dress for Success, fashion, Fashion's Night Out, girls in tech, Los Angeles, networking
Posted in All Chapters, Los Angeles | No Comments »

Girls in Tech is pleased to announce our newest strategic partner A Gadsby Affair. A Gadsby Affair, LLC is a full-service boutique marketing firm that helps businesses achieve maximum impact in their target market, gain and retain customers and build brand awareness through unique and customized events & experiences.

Founder and CEO Hillary Gadsby has provided service for renowned brands in the US and European luxury industry.  Hillary has collaborated with Ralph Lauren, Gucci and Vera Wang and has created successful advertising campaigns, event planning and strategic marketing for Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations and foreign dignitaries.

This year, a Gadsby Affair has serviced The Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, Kellogg & Andelson Accountancy Corporation, Convergence Capital Partners LLC Woodcraft Rangers, Friends of Ballona Wetlands and Los Angeles Consulting Group. Hillary holds title as the Director of Strategic Events for CSQ Magazine and serves on the executive board for Business Forums International’s West Los Angeles Chapter.

Her current projects include California United Bank, Hemancipation, Young President’s Organization, Roozt.com and of course Girls in Tech’s upcoming fashion event at Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills.

Hillary Gadsby can be contacted at:

(805) 758-1524
hillary@agadsbyaffair.com

http://www.agadsbyaffair.com/

Tags: a gadsby affair, csq magazine, event marketing, event planning, girls in tech, hillary gadsby, international marketing, laurel kaufman, Los Angeles, luxury, saks fifth avenue, strategic marketing
Posted in All Chapters, All Chapters, Los Angeles | 2 Comments »

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

Tags: Chefs, food critics, girls in tech, Los Angeles, Luther Lowe, marketing, Meredith D Williams, public relations, real-time customer feedback, restaurants, social media, traditional journalism, user reviews, Yelp
Posted in All Chapters, Los Angeles | 5 Comments »

Thursday, August 19, 2010
6PM – 9PM

This is an annual favorite, with a big turnout. So register early!

Use member discount code: GITLA

http://www.witi.com/regforms/chapter_meeting_registration_form.php?id=2370

Join us for a fun evening of networking and socializing with the tech savvy community of Los Angeles! Come one, come all, bring your business cards, and schmooze with us as we enjoy the summer weather and good company!

Men are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Complimentary Hors d’ Oeuvres. Cash bar. Bring a light sweater/jacket as the event is outside.

ADP to raffle off an Apple iPAD 16GB Wi-Fi with 3G
iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G offers superfast data speeds up to 7.2 Mbps over 3G cellular networks around the world. It’s perfect when you’re out and about with no access to a Wi-Fi network, because you can still get a fast connection for surfing the web, sending and receiving email, or getting directions. Since iPad seamlessly switches between 3G and even faster Wi-Fi, you always get the best connection available. And with AT&T data plans, you’ll have access to over 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots.

Cornerstone OnDemand will raffle off a dinner for 2 people at the Penthouse, the Huntley Hotel’s Rooftop Restaurant, in Santa Monica. Enjoy The Penthouse, LA dining and nightlife soars to breathtaking new heights. Venture into the Santa Monica restaurant and ultra lounge that pulses with excitement 18 stories above the California shore.

Event Date and Venue

This event will be held from 6PM – 9PM on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at:

Shanghai Red’s
13813 Fiji Way
Marina Del Rey, California 90292
Map

Tags: girls in tech, laurel kaufman, Los Angeles, networking, shanghi red, technology, WITI
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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.

Tags: digiday, girls in tech, laurel kaufman, Los Angeles, networking, new media vault, saks fifth avenue, social media, technology, WITI
Posted in All Chapters, All Chapters, Los Angeles | 2 Comments »