Bloggers Predict: 2008
So last night, the good people of Unlimited Potential held their annual Bloggers Predict event, in which they get a bunch of guys (emphasis on the all maleness of the event) to say what they think is going to happen over the year.
The Bloggers
- David Farrar, of Kiwiblog fame
- Mauricio Freitas, Geekzone Guru
- Hamish MacEwan, local visionary
- Philip Fierlinger, turntable technologist
- Tom Beard, Wellurbanite
No doubt those nice people will post about what their predictions were, so let me instead tell you what my predictions are, and then after the jump, I will share with you my thoughts on the night in note form.
My predictions
- Hopefully they’ll try harder to get a woman on the panel. “They’re all at the Linux Conference” is not good enough, because while I do love Brenda, turns out that there actually are other females interested in technology in Wellington. I suppose they could argue that no women approached them in 2007 about doing it, but meh.
- Face to face contact will make a comeback, facilitated by internet arrangements, like Facebook Events, etc. The stigma of meeting someone over the internet will be almost entirely gone.
- All new workplace Codes of Conduct will specifically mention blogging
After the jump, my nonsensical (did I mention there was free beer?) notes from the night.
- DPF “peaks too early”. Heh heh heh.
- There is Economy Brand toiletpaper in the ladies. Did they have to buy it in special for the night because they are not used to having women around? To me Chamber of Commerce = Stonecutters guild because I am a dirty leftie. Also: aren’t the Chamber of Commerce supposed to be rich? Why aren’t I wiping my ass on minks?
- No one is following the rules and talking about Wellington!
- Heckling = fun
- Peter Jackson for mayor says DPF. ABK!
- America Guy all crazy & wacky ideas
- There’s a guy with a fountain pen. Really? In 2008? At an internet thing?
- Fuck you buddy, Lego IS intelligent!
- TOM FOR MAYOR
- My wishlist: geeks learn English — apostrophes and hyphens etc.
- Wellington =/= Auckland, but Wellingtonista <3 Aucklandista
- Car drivers = C U Next Tuesdays!
- You’re not my best friend EITHER Tom!
- Can’t fit products into tight pants. Mmmm tight pants. “Is that an iPhone in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?”
- Tom “…Mighty Mighty..” Geek “Where?”
- So many snorting laughs
- National + Maori party? BULLSHIT!
If in fact my list doesn’t make it clear, I had a rather fun time and talked to nice new people who knew who I was. It provided me with an endless source of amusement as well when one woman asked me, “woman to woman” if I was in love with Tom, because I had been cheering loudly for him. Quite apart from the fact that I always cheer loudly for all my friends (see: Martha at Mini Webstock, all the categories I cared about at the AWAs), I actually agreed with most things he said. Hurrah!
To save extending threads like this any further — nominations for UP Predictions 2009 are being accepted now.
We’re looking for bloggers (and journalers) to blog predictions for 2009, and we’d love to have you speak to your prediction(s) on 27th Jan 2009, same place, same time. We’ll give you a few minutes per prediction to discuss with the audience.
We’ve confirmed Philip Fierlinger is back to defend his title, and Mauricio Freitas from Geekzone is on board — so who can we mix it UP with?
Looking forward to seeing some of you predicting, and speaking. Come on — they’re just your readers in the flesh 😉
Jo/Mangee
UP, MovieFest, WelMac, Mesh|net and more.
Oh yeah, I need to reply to your email about that, I’m in!
tom, wouldn’t you have been the baby of the panel?
love your work robyn!!!
What’s ‘a pants woman blogger’?
Do you mean ‘lousy’?
Ooh! Gender politics!
When I used to work at Xtra, one of my colleagues was very girl-power, and she’d say things like, “Come on, Robyn! Let’s show the boys that we girls can [do some web-related project]!!!!!” It annoyed me, and one day I told her I’d rather be valued on my own merit than as a woman. Ha!
This thread is an interesting situation, cos blogging is one area where men and women do have different experiences. There are blogs dedicated to specific things that women tend to be more interested in than men (and vice versa). And I get the feeling that women and men might even approach blogging differently.
And then you get blogs like Public Address that haven’t deliberately set out to be male dominated — it’s just sort of worked out that way (but I like PA anyway).
And then on top of all that, there’s the shitty sexist treatment that some women get — particularly ones who are active in blogs around volatile, male-dominated areas like politics.
So I reckon that a panel on general blogging should contain at least one ladyblogger, and not doing that seems really lazy on behalf of the organisers.
But if the panel was on, say, Linux or digital photography I’d rather see the panel filled with the best experts on the subject than have a token women (or [insert minority here]) just to fill a quota.
What I’m saying is that the future does not just belong to white middle-aged men. So if you’re only getting predictions from them, then you’re kind of missing something.
I think there’s a lot of room for consideration on both. Or are you saying that DPF is cooler than me? Cos I know where you live, bitch, and I could cut you up so bad it’d look like a bunyip attack.
It probably would be most disappointing if speakers were selected on gender basis and not on merit.
I think we’ve had this discussion before. The Wellingtonista is a blog (according to James, who founded it), therefore when I write here, I’m a blogger. However, Hubris is not a blog, it’s an online journal. So in that context, I’m not a blogger.
Yes, that’s what “pants” means.
Since we all know there are many excellent women online in wellington the merit issue is moot.
But
The problem is that women are under represented in IT. And the only way to resolve that is for people who are in positions to do so, everyone to take positive action.
So, you’re saying that people should be selected on a gender-basis, rather than merit.
That’s disappointing.
personally I’m more disappointed that clearly some men have no idea how hard it is to be a woman in IT these days.
What does being a woman in IT have to do with anything? We’re talking about bloggers here.
I’m disappointed that sometimes even the simplest things like inviting a single woman blogger onto a panel seems an impossible feat.
Apparently they invited all the ones they wanted. None accepted. (read above)
So you know what if even they could only find a pants woman blogger, that would be better than no female representation at all.
Would it really? How patronising to women.
But since there are so many amazing female bloggers in wellington, many of whom we both know and none of them were asked. Well that is also disappointing.
Either the organisers didn’t know about them, or didn’t want them. Whaddya gonna do.
well Steve
honestly how many women did you invite?
Did you look through your list of RSVPs to the event and spot any of the women attending as bloggers?
I know of at least one prominent Wellington female blogger (who blogs here) who was at the event.
I wholeheartedly agree we should have had women on the panel. Many were asked and none said yes. It was raised as a valid issue at the first bloggers event last year, and was again raised and acted upon this year. We tried and left invites available to the very last minute. Unfortunately this turned out not to be a Field of Dreams scenario.
Previous panelists were invited back as a matter of courtesy as they do it for free and genuinely enjoy the event.
As above in this forum Jo has pointed out our female membership his risen and the number of women on the exec is now four (out of nine).
Steve Rush
UP Events Coordinator
Wait: did you just call Jo a blogger?!
Good call, Robyn
not get into a fight for one thing
personally I’m more disappointed that clearly some men have no idea how hard it is to be a woman in IT these days.
I’m disappointed that sometimes even the simplest things like inviting a single woman blogger onto a panel seems an impossible feat.
So you know what if even they could only find a pants woman blogger, that would be better than no female representation at all.
But since there are so many amazing female bloggers in wellington, many of whom we both know and none of them were asked.
Well that is also disappointing.
Well, there’ll be one white middle-aged man stepping down from the panel next year, since I’m no longer a blogger.
(Middle-aged? You’re going to pay for that, Jo!)