I've been invited to join Scott Allen of About.com as a featured guest on The Biz Connector, an online talk radio program, next week.
The topic for discussion is Networking, and specifically Men vs Women in business networking. Scharlene (host of the FCGM Small Business Radio show) approached me a few months ago and I agreed to appear on the show and share my thoughts on the topic.
The show was actually scheduled prior to the recent debates in Internet Marketing circles, or the debate about women in search. This is obviously a hot topic right now, and we're hearing a lot of voices on the matter - from both men and women alike.
Have I been thrown into the hot seat? Probably...
Here are the details for the show, which is airing live next Tuesday afternoon:
Join us while we talk with Guest Speakers Scott Allen of About.com and Lynn Terry of Self-Starters Weekly Tips.
Tuesday July 24, 2007 at 3:00 pm CST
- Are you a member of an all womens group or organization?
- Do your male or female counterparts intimidate you?
- Why do you or don't you feel compelled to network with men/women
- What has been your current or past experience when it comes to networking with the opposite sex?
- What is your opinion on the difference between the way that men/women network when together
Stop by and share your thoughts, hear our guest speakers statistics, experiences and opinions on the subject, respond to our callers comments and more! You won't want to miss this opportunity to share your experiences or to change your perceptions or views when it comes to the topic of Men & Women & Networking.
The call in number is (718) 664-9874 and the shows website is at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Biz_Connector
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I imagine it will be a very interesting debate/discussion... Obviously men and women bring different things to the table in regards to business and networking. But I dont see where intimidation or sexist attitudes should play a part at all.
Like most women, I like to be respected as a lady when I am out on a date. And I like to be respected as a fellow business owner when I am shaking hands. I wouldnt open the door for my male dinner companion, any more than I would expect a man to kiss my hand at a networking event instead of shaking it firmly.
Personally, I dont think gender should play a role in business meetings and business decisions. I dont think a woman should be treated with favoritism just because she's a woman. And I dont think she should be discounted for that reason either.
Interesting to note though, is the fact that there are hundreds of groups and resources for women online from women in business, to womens networking to "work at home mom" sites. It is far less common to see a site that is strictly for men...
I would really like your input on this topic. I'd like to hear what you think, how you feel and whether you think gender is an issue at all in business and networking....
Dont send me to the "hot seat" without a little community feedback *grin*
UPDATE: You can listen to the archive of this interview on Blog Talk Radio at Networking: Men vs Women
Thanks,
P.S. For those of you that are interested in Talk Radio Publicity, see: Free Talk Radio Publicity, an exclusive special report where I share ALL the details 😉
About Lynn Terry
Hi Lynn
Good luck with your interview. This is a timely issue and one that is close to my heart.
15 months ago I attended World Internet Summit in Sydney. All the speakers had 3 things in common: They were outrageously successful, they all had great knowledge to share and they were all men. Not a single women speaker in 4 days. The interesting thing is there are so many successful women on the internet but they are not highly visible. We need role models, people we can relate to who are balancing the many roles that are unique to being a women and also creating success on the internet.
So I’ve done something about it. I’m on a mission to find women who have created success on-line, learn from them and share their strategies. So this week is the launch of http://www.wonderfulwebwomen.com. I have found so many amazing women that I am interviewing one every week for 9 weeks and then every fortnight until I run out of inspiring women (which will never happen) - all calls are live and free. These are women who have just got in and done it, regardless of gender. But in a male dominated industry other women need to hear their stories - we all learn and get motivated by people who we can see are similar to ourselves.
On the topic of networking, I have noticed something interesting. Wonderful Web Women hasn’t even launched officially and yet I have already received so many wonderful emails from women. Supportive and encouraging emails thanking me and giving me a genuine pat on the back. I have launched many websites targeted at different niches and have never had this experience before. There just seems to be something about the way that women network with women. We are genuinely encouraging and supporting. This is not to say that men are not supportive but women just seem to be more pro-active in encouraging.
I enjoy your emails Lynn and see you as a wonderful role model too. I hope one day to share your story on Wonderful Web Women.
Cheers
Janet
Thank you Janet - I look forward to discussing that with you. You make a great point about how women interact in regards to Networking also, and I appreciate that. I see that as one of the several ways that the genders differ...
Thanks again!
Hi Lynn,
Darn it, I thought I was going to be the first to comment!
Actually, your post started my brain to churning and I just had to make a post to my blog before I commented here. If you're a good detective, I'll bet you can find it, ha.
You mentioned that you probably put yourself on the hotseat. If that's the case, I have no doubt you can handle it.
I just got back into the Internet world toward the end of February. I'd been without a computer for about three years at that time. Selfstartersweeklytips was one of the very first websites I found that I considered extremely useful. That hasn't changed!
When I get your weekly newsletter, I wait until I have lots of time on my hands before I open it. Tonite it took me on an adventure which lasted about three hours and cost me $16. I got off cheap tonight.
Anyway, I feel, as you do, that a person in business should be judged by what they bring to the table regardless of their sex. In fact, it ocurred to me that most of the information I've found the most helpful in my quest for Internet marketing knowledge was from women.
Besides you, I've bought Ros Gardners book, got "Web Design Mastery" from Shelley Lowery, have picked up a couple of things from Liz Tomey, and so on. Maybe some men feel intimidated or threatened in some way by women in business. I'm certainly not one of them.It seems to me that, often, women have a way of explaining things that is easier for me to understand. Keep up the good work!
Duane
P.S. If I'm dating a woman, I'm not likely to kiss her hand either. I'd probably have loftier goals.
I've been struggling with this internet stuff since January. I wasn't a newbie---I was a newborn.Now, I've found WOMEN who can lead me where I'm willing to follow. I kept thinking, why are there only men running these Million dollar advertising site. I got tired of giving them my money. YIPPEE!!!!
Thank you both for your input - very much appreciated 😉 And Duane, great points at your blog. I enjoyed it!
Hi Lynn,
I'm very excited for you and want to share my confidence in knowing you will do an exemplary job presenting the "real truth".
Your insight regarding the comparison of dating (social networking) to business networking is accurate and real. Thank you for that.
Although not involved directly as you and your associates online I must tell you that the Internet plays signficant roles in my business and personal life. What you do is a mystery to me to a great degree.
I admire, respect and support you in your efforts. I commend you on your success and accomplishments in both your professional and personal life.
It will be my pleasure to tune in to the show if at all possible and share my feedback.
With very best regards I remain sincerely yours,
Brad M. Kaplan ~ be the bean
Well, since men have historically been treated as the default human business person until fairly recently, in a sense, all sites not designated as women's sites are theirs. 😉
I personally have not felt any sexism from the online earnings sites I visit, but I can totally relate in regards to other interests I have - like science fiction. Sci-fi forums can be overwhelmed with fanboyz (of all ages!) who just want to talk about boobies 'n' stuff in every post and resent women for showing up and making them self-conscious about it. 😀
I wonder if the women who gravitate to the sites that support SAHMs and so on are mainly reacting to offline attacks and lacks of support from people around them who have set ideas about how women should earn livings or something?
Hi Lynn,
I choose one day a week to visit other sites, after posting to my blogs. Yours in the one I had found the "Buy Me A Beer" plugin, which I have added to both of my blogs with the "coffee cup " instead, so now I'm back.
I started blogging 4 months ago, and the only women's site that I frequent is Lorelle/WordPress. I have named her the "Queen of WordPress" (she's so knowledgeable), and am pleased to see a female so powerful in the world of blogging.
I don't know that it matters if you're male or female in blogosphere, but most of the "six figure bloggers" are male. I think we women can change that, as we all have a lot to contribute to society,plus, we have such great maternal instincts, After all, it is said, behind every good man, is a great woman. So true.
I'm not at all intimidated by the "manly" sites, however, the sites that are filled with so many "gadgets" and plugins irritate me (too busy), so I don't frequent those. I like a blog that has quality content, is easy to navigate, and gives me what I'm looking for. Whether the author is male or female, doesn't matter to me.
Most of my comments, thus far, have come from males, and they've been very supportive, and some have even offered additional help to me (as I wrote that I am not real well versed in computer language). I appreciate that, and hope that whatever I write, can help both sexes.
Congratulations on your upcoming interview. I bet you'll do great.
Thank you all - the input & feedback so far has been incredibly helpful!
For the women, I am curious: are there "womens sites" that you visit frequently - if so, what type of sites and why?
Also, I would be curious to hear your thoughts (men and women alike) on events. BlogHer is a good example, which is not closed to men but is specifically a "womens event". Interestingly I dont hear any conflict about this from the men... though women may get their 'feathers ruffled' if we saw events that specifically excluded women. Your thoughts?
Best of luck during your radio program "debate." I hope I remember to listen, because I'm sure it will be something else.
I personally don't pay much attention to a person's sex when it comes to listening to their advice, I pay attention to the content and whether I think it will benefit my and what I'm doing. Of course, if I can get the information from a woman, that's great, but I'll listen to a man, too. 🙂
I agree. And the program will be archived online after the fact, so you can check out the site in the original post (above) and check back there to hear the playback.
Thanks again for all the great feedback!
Hi Lynn,
I'm writing in to declare officially and publicly that I am a lunkhead. I saw what appeared to be a charge from you for your private forum. Evidently, I need glasses. I went back and looked at it and saw that there was an itsy bitsy minus sign in front of the dollar amount on my credit card statement. The statement mixes the credits and charges together. I'm sorry to inconvenience you and am embarrassed about my error.
All best wishes,
Deborah
Dont worry a thing about it, Deborah 😉
I'm glad we got it cleared up though, as I was concerned when I got your email. I'm glad to hear there wasnt an error in billing and that all is resolved!
Best,
Lynn Terry