Something very important in the online world took place recently- and this guy, and this guy, and this guy, and this guy, and even this guy all missed it.
It had nothing to do with the election (half of you just sighed and said ‘thank gawd’) and it had nothing to do with my kids (the other half just sighed and said ‘thank gawd’). It also had nothing to do with Google or Yahoo or anyone who may even come close to ever landing on ValleyWag.
So what is this all important event that should have the web world buzzing?
I know, doesn’t seem like a big deal at all-does it?
Let me explain- Sarah started plurking and *I* was not the one who showed her Plurk. More importantly, Sarah saw a bit of buzz and checked it out on her own.
If you are still confused, let me break it down for you:
Sarah is a mommyblogger who once said to me ‘What the hell is Twitter and what the Fuck is an Utterz?’
Sarah is a friend, a fellow community member, who got into this whole ball of social media and tech as a hobby.
A hobby.
As in- starting writing about her kids for fun and to meet other moms.
Sarah does not code, Sarah does not care about scalability. Sarah could give a shit who any of you tech people are-unless you also have twins or want to talk about football or beer.
Sarah blogs to talk with her friends and make a few extra dollars here and there. Sarah is also going to probably kill me for using her as an example, but I shall buy her many drinks at BlogHer and it will all be ok.
Sarah is now an early adopter.
Sarah is out-plurking me.
Sarah and I are officially geeks who know very little geek stuff.
I couldn’t even install a wordpress plugin today, and Sarah needed my help locating where the graphic for her header is housed (after much searching we found it on an old Photobucket account, in case you were wondering).
Sarah now says things like: “What did I ever do before iPhones and Twitter? Oh right. I used to read.” And: “@trollbaby I’m still waiting for someone to pitch me a Kindle.”
Please note how she said ‘pitch.’
Cough.
Over 36.2 million women are writing and reading blogs on a weekly basis. The latest spin is some “believe blogging is now officially mainstream among women.”
Which leads me back to Sarah, and the idea that if blogging is mainstream for her…what is off-the-beaten path? Women have already upped their video site usage. Isn’t video where everyone is wetting their pants currently?
Keep in mind Sarah is one of my ‘dragging-her-kicking-and-screaming-to-Twitter’ late-adopter community members.
I don’t know how else to say this but, batten down the hatches boys.
If the nontechy Mommybloggers and other women bloggers are early adopting the latest betas and talking Friend Feed over playdates, you might want to make room at the lunch tables.
You might also want to think twice about the booth babes for next year.
Oh, and just one more word of advice…and I know some of you have already gotten a taste from me…but please consider leaving the usual BS back in Silicon Valley as we join the party.
I might mix it up with you for fun in a nice twitter or blog fight- but these women won’t. They are much more stealth and a lot less ego-driven.
They will just organize and hit you where it hurts…no, not your nuts (that’s my job)…they go straight for the wallet. All those advertisers you love and court and get all monetize-erect over? Uh-huh, as I said batten down the hatches boys.
“Today, women make 83 percent of all consumer purchases – everything from breakfast cereal to big-ticket items like cars and personal computers – for themselves and for their families.”
Sarah is the canary in the coal mine.
I agree with your canary in a coal mine analogy. I’ve tried getting a few male friends on Twitter and most have resisted or said yes and then didn’t do anything about it.
The women I’ve shown it to. Boom. They’re on it.
Indeed, us guys need to batten down the hatches.
Patrick Byers
The Responsible Marketing Blog
http://responsiblemarketing.com
A couple more links for your story:
http://tinyurl.com/4h89vv
“The Social Media Gender Gap (businessweek.com)
According to a Rapleaf study, while both sexes still use social networking sites in huge numbers, women are the ones holding down the fort…”
http://tinyurl.com/2y3yrn
Rapleaf study showing that WOMEN – specifically women between the ages of 30-45 are now dominating the social media sphere.
Thanks for stopping by Patrick- and Geek Mommy rocks with the links
When you consider how women communicate – overall much more openly and effectively than men – this is not surprising. Web 2.0 is probably better suited to women than to men because it requires handling multiple conversations with individuals and groups. That kind of communication is foreign to us guys, but get around a group of women and it’s plain that it’s completely natural to them.
Because I came to the blogging game kind of late (2006), the only bloggers I’ve *known* are women. I never really thought of it as anything but mainstream.
As far as Twitter or “microblogging,” the my guy friends generally don’t, or the ones I have gotten hooked into Twitter abandon it after a while.
I’m so out of the loop, and barely have time for Twitter – how the hell am I going to Plurk?
And why do all these things have to sound like mini-seizures? 😛
Just being on Twitter now for about a month and 1/2, I am witnessing muchos moms or “mommygangs” lol. Do all moms blog now? What % I wonder?
Interesting points you are making but, who exactly are you speaking to through the following statements?
“Oh, and just one more word of advice…and I know some of you have already gotten a taste from me…but please consider leaving the usual BS back in Silicon Valley as we join the party.
I might mix it up with you for fun in a nice twitter or blog fight- but these women won’t. They are much more stealth and a lot less ego-driven.
They will just organize and hit you where it hurts…no, not your nuts (that’s my job)…they go straight for the wallet. All those advertisers you love and court and get all monetize-erect over? Uh-huh, as I said batten down the hatches boys.”
Cheers!
Aronado
I actually told my neighbors I was an “internet nerd” when they asked me why I was going to San Francisco.
I don’t mind you using me as an example. It’s true. If I can find Plurk – anybody can use social media.
Great stuff. So true – there’s a fundamental shift going on out there right now. Thanks for pointing it out!
I am so sending this to my product marketing, tech geek husband who thinks I’m smoking crack when I keep telling him that mommy bloggers are changing the horizon of online marketing/social media. Also, the millennial generation. He thinks I’m crazy.
My husband was the one who introduced me to twitter a year ago and now he just shakes his head at all of the social media I’ve gotten involved in. I love it.
I went to plurking yesterday when I read a Dosh Dosh post… and still have no idea what I did. I showed it to my guy today and neither did he..oh well if you think your dumb about this stuff I’m in front of you…all I know is I love this stuff and I’m convinced it helped me get through my Cancer shit..one more treatment June 30th..love you guys..
Dorothy from grammology
remember to call gram
grammology.com
I’ve never plurked or twittered. I’m so stuck in the year 2002, it’s hopeless.
this was a great post. it always makes me feel like i’m part of something big when i get see everyone twittering, facebooking, blogging, etc…the world just gets smaller and smaller.
When you think about it, throughout history women have kept diaries, kept scrapbooks of their kids’ doings, and otherwise chronicles and documented their lives. Plurking and blogging are just the latest media through which this is done.
Excellent post. This could be huge!
Right on sister! Look out boys, we’re coming!
I am one of those self admitted non-techy Mommybloggers. I was also dragged kicking and screaming to Twitter. I still have yet to Plurk.
I love this post. I am a reader of Sarah’s blog. And while I am very interested in the idea of “dominating the social media sphere”, most days I am satisfied just to find my car keys.
Perhaps I should take a page from Sarah’s book (or blog as the case may be) and try to throw down with the big boys with all this techy stuff.
Any tech-tutors available for free lessons?
I’ve only been blogging a month – one lousy month – but I already feel part of something bigger. Oh so corny that sounds, but it’s true. I feel like the Mom friends I’ve made a really that – friends.
YOU GO GIRLS!
I am also a non-techie, late to blogging (and all that other stuff I didn’t really understand) kind of mommyblogger.
I’m trying Twitter but most of my friends can’t find more than 5 or 10 minutes to go online. They don’t have time for it.
I’ve looked at Plurk and don’t really understand it.
My husband says I’ll be wanting an iPhone next. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Wonder what actually happens at the BlogHer conference? Is it mostly bout advertising? A lot of blogger seem to be hawking stuff in their posts.
Mmm-hmm, that’s right, we are the canaries, hear us tweet!
i love sarah, and i love you , too.
unfortunately, my twitter has been cheating on me.
i have that little update box in my sidebar, but it will only post updates from some random dude that i don’t know.
i feel betrayed.
Most of the moms I know are not sucked into the internet vortex. I think we’re still kind of fringy.
Ah, we still have a ways to go to hit the mainstream. I attended a family brunch today and my sister-in-law was trying to explain to her brother just what it is I spend my time doing:
“Karen, she writes stuff on the internet, it’s called a blog and it’s basically a website where she writes articles and then she uses some software to spread it around.”
Oh boy…
I am still not convinced.
Oh, my, I am the techy one, with a computer science degree and a day job in software, but I don’t get twitter and plunk yet. It is just a time thing, I guess, it is hard enough to find time to read and post. (It is 12:21am now and my first meeting in the morning is 6:30am.)
But I get the part about women and social media. That makes sense, thanks for writing about it.