Women, PR, Technology and Blogging

A few random thoughts came together for me today, and I felt I needed to post about it. Earlier this week, I read and posted a response to a "PR people are stupid about technology" article. Today, I looked at my "PR blogs" blogroll and realized that other than myself, the only other female represented on it was Jeneane Sessum, who is more of a "blogger who happens to also do PR" than a "PR person blogging about PR."

Now, in my experience there are many more women practicing PR than men. My communications classes at BU were comprised, generally, of 24 women and 2 men. This female-male majority is smaller in tech PR, but it is still there.

The majority of bloggers across the board today are male, I believe. And, of course, most technologists are male.

So, putting all of this together, I can conclude that the lack of technology adoption in PR may be related to the numbers of females in the business. Now, this conclusion is not based on scientific evidence. But it seems reasonable to state it.

So, come on women, get with the program. Start blogging (it is easy). Share your stories here (or better yet on your blog so I can link to the posts). Prove my conclusion wrong. Participate in misbehaving.net. I want to add you to my blogrolls.

An aside here:

I don't normally go around counting female-male ratios. I approach my business as a "professional," and don't often consider gender in any day-to-day activities. But then, something clicks, and I look around me and I all see are males.

It is a bit disconcerting when that happens.

Comments

[Tom Murphy]

Hi Elizabeth,

I commented on this post over at PR Opinions, but thought I should post it here also.

It is amazing there are so few female PR bloggers, but your aside made me smile, because now you know how all us male PR Pros feel :-)

Thanks
Tom

[Greg Brooks]

It *is* odd that there are so few female PR bloggers when they (females, that is) are so prevalant in personal blogging.

A case in point (worthless, as it's only a single data point, but what the hell): When I started looking for a layout for my weblog, I couldn't find anything in the countless "blog skin" sites that didn't look something like an electronic "flavored coffee moment." Very frustrating at the time -- now just odd.

Of course, there's something to be said for quality over quantity -- your blog, for example, rocks... but I suspect you know that. ;)

G.

[Sally Falkow]

Elizabeth

I have been blogging about PR and technology for almost two years. I have been evangelizing the use of technology to PR folk for five years.

It has been a slow adoption curve, but the recent LA PRSA chapter event drew almost 100 PR professionals. I do see a change.

And the Blog Her conference proves women do blog - lots of them, and about all sort of things. So let's get the PR women blogging.

Sally

[Steve]

So what are we talking in here? copetetion between men and women in blogging huh?