The Women Tech Council has invited 3 social media experts (who happen to be men) to speak in Salt Lake City on May 11. That is on Tuesday. It's a half day conference that you should not miss if you are in marketing. You heard Seth Godin, now it's time to hear Chris Brogan. He's one of the biggest names in the industry.
Speakers:
- Chris Brogan, here is Chris Brogan on Twitter
- Julien Smith, here is Julien on Twitter
- Mitch Joel, here is Mitch Joel on Twitter
Price of admission includes breakfast and 2 books: Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith and Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel. This will also be a good time to network with other social networking geeks like me, Josh Peters, Pete Codella and Nigel Swaby. Yes, even women like Carina W., Kelly Anderson, Jyl Pattee, and Marie LeBaron.
Register Now
This Tuesday, May 11
7:30-8:30 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast Networking
8:30am-12:00 p.m. Speakers and roundtable Q&A
Location:
Noah’s
322 West 11000 South
South Jordan, UT 84095 USA
Event Cost: $65 for members, $75 for non-members
Sponsorship opportunities and group discounts are available.
I hope I'll see you there! In the meantime here's a taste of what's coming:
Don’t get me wrong, solid guys presenting, but the Women Tech Council couldn’t wrangle up a female social media expert? That seems…incredibly ironic or strangely myopic.
(And doubly so since I can’t tweet a character without tripping over a dozen women social media experts.)
Carina,
I knew I could count on you to understand the irony here. Who do you think the most famous woman in social media is? Who would you invite? I want the woman in charge of the Sharpie campaign. She doesn’t have a big name like Chris Brogan (see I don’t even know it but I believe it’s Susan) or a bestselling book but I love her work (it looks fun).
Have you ever noticed that it’s easier to be a social media star with a short, easy to pronounce last name? That’s one thing you and I have working against us.
Janet
Frankly, this fuss created over men presenting baffles me. As women who has worked in technology for years and years, I find the women vs. men discussion both distracting and divisive. Isn’t an expert an expert? Yes, Chris Brogan is the biggest name in social media, a nice guy and one smart dude and we should all be thrilled at the opportunity to hear him, regardless of his man-status. Would you like being left out of the opportunity to present at an organization based on your gender? The WTC has many men as members and supporters, we are an open organization with fortunate support from men. I’m honestly a bit surprised this is an issue at all.
Maile,
I am thrilled to hear Chris and the others speak. No one is being left out or denied anything. Plus I’m not offended in the slightest.
Turn it around – wouldn’t it be funny if the men in tech conference (of course there is no need for a men in tech conference) had women programmers speak? There’s nothing wrong with it – it’s just funny.
Janet
For the Women Tech Council is wasn’t about if the speaker was male or female, it was just a great opportunity to help bring some social media experts to the community.
For those who might not know the Women Tech Council focus isn’t women connecting just with women. The mission of the organization is how women impact the technology economy and an important part of that is the relationships with other leaders in the community. We intentionally have about 35% of our advisory board made up of great male leaders in the community – relationships with whom are beneficial for all.
We never evaluate a program simply based on male vs female, it is always based on what is good for the community and we were thrilled to bring this event to the community. We created great relationships with Chris, Mitch and Julien and they are thrilled to participate.
I just want to say that
1- I’m not on the same level as Chris Brogan
2 – I was making an observation sort of like I might say, isn’t it ironic that a boulder killed the rock hound?
3- If you want a social media conference for women by women, Evo Conference next month is your best bet. Out of the 5 or so keynote speakers only one was a man.
4- It’s perfectly fine IMO to have all men speak at this or any conference.
5- I’d like to see more high profile women in social media, internet marketing and related fields. Just as many, but usually not as visible.
Peace
Janet
I appreciate all the remarks regarding women speakers. The Women Tech Council (not Women in Tech) has had a plethora of them in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Our charter is to support women, to feature them and to connect with our peers, whether they be men or women. The information at the summit will be timely and valuable and will serve our audience well. We welcome information about other events of interest and we will be featuring many excellent women and avenues for their promotion for the rest of the year. We love the open dialog and hope you’ll find value at the Trust Summit.
Kimberley A. Jones
Chair of the Board, Women Tech Council