I finally dug into the Misbehaving.net blog. It is very promising, and its wealth of comments to each post indicates it has hit upon topics that are highly relevant. For example, its post on Accidental Techies has comments galore (25 at last view), with women sharing the many routes they followed to become techies. I shared my PR skills story with them.
As some of you might be aware, I am very interested in the social construction of technology and the potential of a democracy of technology. The site promises to give perspectives on these topics and others from a women's perspective.
It also promises to be a place where women are proud of their misbehaviors.
I am proud of mine (no matter how much I have been dinged on them).
1) I get passionate about what I do. I wave my arms around and my voice gets louder.
[Feedback: You should always stay calm and cool.]
2) Sometimes, I lose my temper at idiocy and slowness.
[Feedback: Getting angry is inappropriate. Showing too much emotion is inappropriate. (Of course, when a man loses his temper, he is showing strength. Women are just being hysterical.)]
Reaction to 1 & 2: I reigned in my temper and passion. I stayed cool. Then, a colleague comes to me a few months later. "All of the new kids are scared of you. You have the reputation of an ice princess." [sigh] Now, I am just myself. If people don't like it, well, tough. I won't compromise who I am anymore.
3) I like to explain the reasons why things should be done. I am fascinated by the theory behind practice and share that.
[Feedback: You are being too "academic" too "smart." Keep it simple. Don't explain, just tell. But when I tell, I am being unreasonable, too harsh, etc.]
4) What's a chick like you doing in tech?? Scenario: A bar in NYC several years ago:
Swaggering type: "So, what do you do for a living?"
Irritated me: "I promote a parallel processing supercomputer, what do you do"?
Swaggering type: "Uhhhhhhhhh" Quick exit.
I could go on, but I won't. I tried to play the game, but I couldn't win. So, I started my own agency, and do things the way I think they should be done. I take my hits when I am wrong, and learn from my mistakes. I am true to my personality. I am a hell of a lot happier.
Update: I just re-read this, and, yes, it is a bit of a self-congratulatory rant, but I will post it anyway. Blogs are as much about personality as what you say. So, now you know a little bit more about me!
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