• April 28

    Go Local with Girls in Tech Boise

    Posted on: 4/28/2010 12:52:36 PM | Comments (0)

    Think Boise First - Girls in Tech Boise May Meeting

    May's Girls in Tech Boise meeting is going local!  That's right, local. 

    We are thrilled to have Beth Geagan, Executive Director of Sustainable Community Connections (SCC) THE organization in the Boise Valley that promotes all things local - business, food, exchange, energy, green development, active transportation, social capital, arts and culture.    

    Ever heard of Think Boise First?  Think Nampa First? They are programs of SCC.  So is the Treasure Valley Food Coalition.

    The SCC is working on some great initiatives and there are plenty of opportunities for the tech world to plug in.  We know that you will come away inspired by Beth and the activities of this organization and anxious to get involved.

    Details

    Date:  Wednesday, May 5th

    Time:  12:00 noon to 1:00 pm 

    Place:  WaterCooler (1401 W. Idaho, Boise)

    Cost:  Free - just bring your lunch!

    RSVP: EventBrite RSVP or FaceBook Event RSVP

  • April 27

    Influential Women in Technology

    Posted on: 4/27/2010 10:57:02 AM | Comments (0)

    Fast Company unveiled their picks for the Most Influential Women in Technology 2010 this week.  Take a quick read through the bios.  Its an impressive group!  I don’t know about you, but I may have stumbled on a new career path – cyborg anthropologist.  How cool is that?

     

    Here at Girls in Tech Boise, we know there are some amazing women doing incredible work in the fields of technology, science, math and engineering.  We want to be able to highlight you and your accomplishments.  If you are working on something cool, have a love of something technical and want to share it, please let us know.  We'd love to have you share your enthusiasm at one of the monthly meetings.  

  • April 27

    The Girls in Tech Boise Community

    Posted on: 4/27/2010 10:53:37 AM | Comments (0)

    From time to time, we get asked about Girls in Tech Boise.  Some want to know why its just for females (designed as a mentoring and support group to encourage more women in the fields of technology, science, math and engineering).  Others want to know why its ‘girls’ in tech and not ‘women’ in tech (because its fun).  Specifically, they want to know just how ‘techie’ they have to be in order to attend meetings or join the group (the group is open to all levels of technical prowess).

    Have you been singled out as geek?  A nerd?  Dork?  Heaven forbid, a dweeb?  Not sure if you should be pleased or upset?  Have you been categorized correctly?  Not sure that the title fits your technical ability?

    Have no fear, we have the answer for you!

     

    The other day, we came across a venn diagram (fancy word for picture) that we think will help everyone become more comfortable with their level of techie prowess or better yet, be able to correctly categorize their ability - both girls and boys alike. 

     

    We found it on the Great White Snark’s blog (posted back in March of this year) and discovered that it was actually posted in 2009 by Matthew Mason on his blog Sed Contra. 

     

    Take a look…see yourself?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Its not just Girls in Tech Boise that is issuing a call to action.

     

    Last week at Ignite Boise, @hipmamacita (aka Megan Egbert) shared her love of nerds.  Tired of hearing all the geek love, Megan challenged each of us to embrace our inner nerds or at least hug the nerds we know.  If you missed the presentation, don’t worry, they’ll be posted soon.  (If it happens at Ignite Boise, you KNOW its important.)

     

    Back to the picture – where do you fall?  Do you have more obsessive traits about technology?  Can you spend a weekend offline?  Are you compelled to share everything with the universe on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc?  If so, you might be a geek.  On the other hand, if you possess knowledge of any and all things technical, you are in nerd territory. 

    Now, here is what Girls in Tech Boise really is:

     

     

    We want all of you and your varying degrees of techieness (it is too a word) to join us and help us build the community. 

     

    Our next meeting will be May 5th at the WaterCooler at 12:00 noon.  Joining us will be Beth Geagan of Sustainable Community Connections of Idaho.  Come and learn about Think Boise First and what you can do to help connect the local food movement and the tech world – right here in the Boise Valley.  Stay tuned for more details.

  • April 21

    Time to Get Your Event On

    Posted on: 4/21/2010 2:05:22 PM | Comments (0)

     

    The next month in the Boise Valley brings a plethora of events, meetings and opportunities to get inspired, exercise your creativity, get motivated and just plain old have fun. 

    logo for mentoring program techstarsIt all starts tonight with TechBoise's TechStars event.  TechStars, based in Boulder, combines mentorship and seed-stage funding in a unique and highly successful program.  Tonight you will get the opportunity hear from its founder, David Cohen and Andy Sack, Executive Director of TechStars Seattle.  Learn about the program and how you could benefit by applying to TechStars Seattle's Fall 2010 class.  Plus, we think you'll really enjoy their passion and enthusiasm for all things entrepreneurial.  The event is FREE and presented by Highway 12 Ventures, sponsored by TechBoise and the Idaho Technology Council.  It starts at 6pm at the WaterCooler. 

    Unless you've been out of the country, you know its time for Ignite Boise 4.  That's right, what better way to celebrate Earth Day than to join with your fellow Boiseans and your new igniters.  If you don't have tickets (yes, they really did 'sell out' the free event in under 2 hours this time), don't worry.  The doors open at 6:30 pm.  So far, no one has been turned away.  Come and down and pack the house at the Egyptian Theatre, Thursday, April 21st.  And, yes.  Its still FREE!

    Just when you thought you could get ready for the weekend...don't start yet.  Friday, the 23rd of April brinsg Startup Lessons Learned, at 8th Street Marketplace at BoDo.  The event is 9:30 am to 7:00 pm.  Balihoo and the gang at 8th Street Marketplace at BoDo are streaming the event - straight from San Francisco to our little corner of the world.  More information is available here.  Again, its FREE, but you need to RSVP (psst!  The lineup is listed there too!)

    This should tide you over for awhile.  We've got the whole merry month of May to discuss - Kickstand, Girls in Tech (yay!), TechLaunch, Startup Weekend, IdaVation and TechBoise.

    Stay tuned! (we did promise a plethora of things)

     

  • April 08

    The Social Media Landscape

    Posted on: 4/8/2010 10:30:14 AM | Comments (0)

    Red Sky Public RelationsWe hope you enjoyed Red Sky's social media presentation yesterday as much as we did!

    When we saw this picture in the presentation, we could totally relate. Let's face it. Social media can be overwhelming. But like it or not, it is here to stay! And we're doing our best to help you navigate the social media landscape effectively. From both a social media user and technical implementation perspective.

    Here are some resources from our meeting yesterday:

    1.  The Social Media Landscape presentation given by Red Sky Public Relations.

    2. HootSuite - A helpful social media client which allows you to schedule tweets, manage multiple Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Ping.fm accounts in one easy to use interface. It also allows you to track statistics on your Tweets.

    3. Social Mention - Offers real-time social media search and analysis. Receive free daily email alerts about your brand, company, CEO, marketing campaign, or on a developing news story, a competitor, or the latest on a celebrity.

    4. Social Media Revolution - Social Media Revolution: Is social media a fad? Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? This video details out social media facts and figures that are hard to ignore. This video is produced by the author of Socialnomics.

    Thank you again to our special guest speakers from Red Sky Public Relations. We so appreciated their insights and hope to continue to provide you with future events to help you manage your social media world.

  • April 08

    What's Going on in April?

    Posted on: 4/8/2010 9:07:36 AM | Comments (0)

    Idaho Women's Journal
    Special thanks to one of our new members, Judi Brawer from the Idaho Women's Journal for providing us with this great list of April Networking events...

    April Networking Events

    Thurs.,April 8, 11:15-1:00, Idaho Business Women’s Network (IBWN) Nampa Luncheon,Northern Lights Cinema Grill at the Karcher Mall in Nampa. http://www.ibwn.biz . $8 for lunch (+ $3 for non-members).

    Thurs., April 15, 11:15-1:00, IBWN Boise Luncheon, Owyhee Plaza Hotel.http://www.ibwn.biz . $15 for lunch (+3 for non-members). Judi will be the guest speaker!

    Fri., April 16, 8-9 a.m., Boise Chamber ofCommerce, Metro Conversations, at RehabAuthority, 5520 N. Eagle Rd., Ste. 102,Boise. http://www.boisechamber.org

    Wed., April 21, 11:30,Idaho Business League Luncheon, Owyhee Plaza Hotel. Reservations Required. http://www.idahobusinessleague.com .

    Thurs., April 22,5-7 p.m., Boise Chamber of Commerce, Business After Hours, at Allied BusinessSolutions, 10394 W. Emerald, Boise.

    Wed., April 28, 6-8:30 p.m., Idaho Women’s Journal Networking Event, 6 Degrees of Collaboration, at the SandlerTraining/Stronghold Remodeling Building, 3040 Elder Street (off Vista nearairport). Come meet our advertisers and readers and be inspired by our SpotlightWoman Kim Lewis! Cost - $25. Pre-registration requested (but not required) http://www.idahowomensjournal.com . 


  • April 07

    April Meeting - Social Media 101

    Posted on: 4/7/2010 2:19:45 PM | Comments (0)

    Linked InWe had our best turnout yet for our April Girls in Tech Boise lunch time meeting today! We saw a big group of new members and had a great time learning about social media from our friends Jess and Alena from Red Sky Public Relations.

    We're always elated to see your shining facings and to get the opportunity to collaborate with you at our monthly meetings, and this month was no exception! It was great to be able to chat with each of you about the projects you're working on and to learn more about you.

    We learned today that with all of the social media assets and tools out there it can be quite overwhelming...even for us techies. We learned some great strategies for managing these online tools and services and found the advice to be very helpful. 

    One of the things we're currently pondering as a group is how to best use the Girls in Tech Boise social media accounts for communication with our members. Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting some tips and tricks and some general information to help guide you through the world of social media and connecting with your fellow Girls in Tech members. Additionally, we'd love to hear from you about your experiences working with these tools and we're always open for feedback. Please comment! :)

    And while we're at it, may we suggest our Girls in Tech Boise Linked In group? We've been seeing lots of member activity on that site as of late. Check it out to learn about Job postings, events happening in our area, news, and to discuss tech issues with your fellow Girls in Tech.

  • April 05

    Meet Our Newest Advisory Board Member...

    Posted on: 4/5/2010 2:10:36 PM | Comments (1)

    Girls in Tech Boise is so excited to announce our newest Advisory Board member, Tina Hudgins-Rowhanian. Tina has volunteered to help us promote our group and recruit new members! Tina has been a huge fan and contributor to Girls in Tech Boise ever since our inception. We're so excited to have her officially on board and look forward to her great ideas and help spreading the Girls in Tech Boise love throughout the Treasure Valley and beyond...

    Tina Hudgins-Rowhanian

    Tina Hudgins-Rowhanian
    Girls in Tech Boise - Advisory Board

    Tina is a Business Manager for SolutionPro, a locally owned and operated data center in Boise, Idaho. Having created a successful career with this 'boutique' data center, Tina espcially loves the very personal service she and her team offer, and is even more proud of her passion and ability to create a FUN enivronment in a sometimes austere industry (sorry, gang, it's just the truth).

    After graduting with a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara in 1995, she relocated to Seattle, WA and began a career in internet marketing. When sun deprivation set in 10 years later she boldly moved to Idaho and found herself in the data center world. who would've thought?

    The Data Center Girl - as she has coined herself - loves to travel, boat, ski, and  hang with her husband and friends, especially other Girls In Tech members.  Tina strongly believes building relationships through networking and social media are the keys to success.