A few weeks ago, I commented about the continuous, tired debate of how to get women speaking at technology conference. I know a big part of the reason is because women lack the ability to self-promote. Alot of men have this difficulty, but alot more women suffer from this. I used to coach women on how to raise their self-esteem, so I got a ton of data to throw at you for anyone who wants to contest me on this issue.
I have no problems promoting myself or my work. None. I enjoy the marketing and business development portion of my business, preferring to leave the implementation and support to my very capable Production Manager.
Okay, so what happens when you do everything to let someone know you’re interested and you’re still passed over? But not just passed over, but given the lamest excuse ever as to why they passed women over?
The new Blogger & Podcaster magazine was released this morning – at least that’s when I got the email. I paid it little attention until my friend Karin from Denmark pointed me to the fact that there was only 1 woman profiled in the magazine out of 16 writers, columnists and profiles. This I really couldn’t believe until I looked at the magazine myself and sure enough, only 1 woman.
Now, here’s what gets my goat. Actually, not just the goat, but the farm, the 100 acres of peach trees and the John Deer tractor. The comment that someone left on Karin’s blog is from someone who works with magazine. It was laden with excuses as to why more female voices weren’t included. Anne said:
“We were aware of the gender imbalance in the first issue too and hope in the future more women bloggers and podcasters will agree to interviews and pictures so we can better reflect the industry. Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attention. I’m looking forward to hearing from more women.”
What? You’re kidding me, right? Female bloggers and podcasters not agreeing to interviews? Here’s one word to Anne’s reply – bullshit. Absolute crap. Here’s what they should be doing instead:
- Put together an advisory committee. Include both male and female bloggers and podcasters from a variety of backgrounds and get them to meet once a quarter. Let them help in identifying people that should be included in future episode.
- Look at some of the industry’s biggest events in blogging and podcasting and take a look at past speakers. Then contact them for interviews.
- Start publishing according to themes instead of just publishing a series of articles. For example, one issue can be The Money Issue, another The Envy Issue, and so on. Then every person profiled and every article inside reflects the theme.
- And of course, use Amazon. There are a number of books on blogging and podcasting. Some have been authored or co-authored by women.
I would urge everyone reading this to put together a list of both female and male podcasters that they admire and email it over to the magazine’s publisher. Let the publisher know what you liked about the magazine, what could be improved and suggest a list of individuals they can interview next.
Only then can our industry’s first magazine be truly inclusive. And while I commend their eagerness to publish this publication, they need our help to make it reflective of us.
Tags:
podcasting,
podcaster magazine,
blogger magazine,
blogger and podcaster magazine,
women,
women in blogging,
women in podcasting,
podcast expo
