Amazing Female Bloggers – Part One : Crazeegeekchick.com

Amazing Female Bloggers – Part One

This post is the first in my series covering women who are slanted in the areas of technology and social media and who have blogs. We girls are vastly under-represented in technology and blogging in general, and I thought this would be a great way to highlight what some of us are doing and to introduce some of my favorites to those who read my blog. I asked each individual the same set of 10 questions in order to get to know them better, and I'll share their answers with you all in this series.

I'll be posting installments in this series until willing victims errr participants run out! Please feel free to suggest some other great gals in the comments if you know somebody who might like to participate.

Today's Amazing Ladies: Chris Hebert, Chris Hart and Chris O'Dell (aka the gang of Chris – just kidding – total coincidence honest)

Chris Hebert – Make Your Web Dazzling

What kinds of things do you discuss in your blog?

Currently webdazzling.com primarily is focused on Tips & Tricks the average user could utilize in their everyday Internet and/or web experience. The focus is not only on a newbie user, but also on a expert level user as well.
What is your primary skillset/industry and how did you get started?

As mentioned prior, the skillset ranges from a newbie to a expert. My information may apply to someone who is an expert in their designated field, yet may gain further knowledge within my site.I also try to apply my "Tips & Tricks" in a fashion that a newbie would not feel overwhelmed by techie jargon, and detour away from webdazzling.com.
Did/do you have a mentor?

In the IT industry, I have had several mentors depending on the specific topic. To quickly answer the question, yes I have had a many mentors. However, through passion and research I have also self-taught myself a magnitude of IT related information.
Did/do you mentor others? If so, how?

I guess you could actually say my website is a vehicle towards being a mentor. I experience different questions through out the day and try to decide what to research next. During my great finds, I then decide what to share with others who may have stumbled and wish to know the same related information in their daily lives.
How do you utilize social networking in your career?

I often wondered how individuals found time to social network. Now, I often wonder how I ever lived without it. I utilize social networking in my career on a daily basis. Twitter has been my greatest resource in my industry. It is a wonderful tool to use in order to reach out to individuals of all knowledge platforms who have possibly already experienced your current problem and can lead you in the right direction to solve the problem. As apposed to recreating the wheel, social networking is a great short-cut to efficiency.
Did you go to school to learn your field or are you self-taught?

I have 3 degrees and many certifications in my field. The piece of paper is wonderful to have, and no one can take them away from me. I do believe the college courses of today are not teaching students what they should learn in the real world. Much of my knowledge is self taught. I am constantly striving to learn something new everyday. I wake up with a purpose and that purpose drives me to another endeavor of learning something new, which I love to pass on to others.
What are some objectives/goals you have for the future?

I love this question. Without a goal, we are all just floating around without a purpose. How can we know where we are going without a goal to get there?

My largest goal in life is to be a wonderful mother to my 5 children. My second largest goal in life is to pursue my Master's Degree in Instructional Technology, so I may pursue a corporate trainer position (someday).
What advice would you give other women who are trying to get their start in technology, design or social media?

The best advice I would give another woman who is trying to get their start in technology stems from something I read. If you are unsure as to where to start, "JUST START."

It is better to try at something and fail than to have never tried at all. Perfection can come later and along the way.
What advice would you give other women who wish to start a blog?
1. Figure out what your passion is, writing for a passion comes a great deal easier and you won't run out of things to say (as easily).
2. Create a name for your blog and try to purchase a domain name to reflect that.
3. Do not wait for your site to be perfect before you go live with it on the Internet, you can critique it as you go. Put up something, you can make it pretty with time. I always say, "Some of my best work has been by accident." Something is better than nothing.
4. Never stop learning how to update your skillset and level of knowledge in the area you choose.
5. Constantly read information wrote by leaders in your industry, and network with individuals in your industry in order to share information. I learn something new everyday from others I network with!
6. Research on the Internet and through books about blogging (how to be successful, what are the buzz words, what to do/not to do).
7. In order to have a friend, you have to be a friend. Social Networking and owning a blog go hand in hand. Reach out to others, comment on blogs, ask questions and be friendly.
8. Lastly, treat others with the same respect you wish to be treated with.

What do you do when not working/blogging? (hobbies/family/etc)

I am a true geek! When I am not blogging, I am always in a creative mode researching a current obstacle I may have with my blog and/or computer related issue. I am constantly researching information on the Internet and taking classes to broaden my knowledge. The world is in fast forward where technology is concerned. Therefore, if you do not stay focused, grow with technology and continue to stay updated with your knowledge, you will become a dinosaur very quickly. The day I stop learning is the day my brain stops working.

Chris O'Dell – Kareena's Code

What kinds of things do you discuss in your blog?

My blog has primarily a .Net focus, although if I'm honest I'm a terrible blogger who makes far too infrequent posts. I have previously provided summaries of London.Net Usergroup meetings (http://www.dnug.org.uk) with details of the presentations, presenters and links to their respective blogs. I quite enjoy noting down these events for people who did not manage to make it to them and as a reference point for those who did. I currently have my leg in plaster so I have not attended any events in the last few weeks but I plan to bring it back on track within a month as I heal.
What is your primary skillset/industry and how did you get started?

C# ASP.Net Web developer. How I got started is a little tougher to answer, the lines are rather blurred here. My first computer was an Amstrad CPC 464 and my Dad gave me a book of games in BASIC to be coded in. I don't think I got much further than noughts and crosses, but it did mean that I never saw computers as something that was just for boys and I have my Dad to thank for that. I did an 'A' Level in Information Technology followed by a batchelor's degree in Computer Science, so I knew that programming was were I wanted to be since before I was 16.
Did/do you have a mentor?

No, not exactly. I have had excellent tutors in University and some great colleagues, but no-one I could call a Mentor.
Did/do you mentor others? If so, how?

No, I havent, although I have only been a full time developer now for just over 3 years I don't feel I have a wealth of knowledge to pass on just yet, but it is something I may be interested in in the future.
How do you utilize social networking in your career?

I discovered Twitter via the members of the MSWebDev Mailing list (http://www.mswebdev.org.uk) and as such started using the service to maintain links with other members of the List and I met many other members of the London .Net Usergroup through it and other developers throughout the world. I find it an excellent service for keeping up to date on any upcoming events and to easily take part in an impromptu technical discussion with developers of varying levels of experience and fame.

I find that blogs are also a great source of information in the technical world. If you are stuck on an issue it is almost certain that somebody else out there has had the same problem, found a solution and written it down for the world to learn from.

The new social website for Programmers called StackOverflow (http://stackoverflow.com/), which is being put together by Jeff Atwood (http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/) and Joel Spolsky (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/), is also growing into a great resource. It is currently in beta but is proving to be a great playground for ideas, problems and discussions.

If there are any social networking tools I am missing out on please let me know!
Did you go to school to learn your field or are you self-taught?

I went the classic route of school and University, although I am self-taught in C# and ASP.Net. Development is one of those fields where the learning never stops.
What are some objectives/goals you have for the future?

My immediate goal is to get more real world experience under my belt, but this will come with time. I also have a huge reading list which I need to make a dent in, I'm currently reading Pragmatic Programmer, Head First Design Patterns and the D&D 4th Editon core rule books - I find it hard to stick with one book at a time!

In the longer term I'd like to be able to take a more active role in the community and run some presentations myself - I'd like to be able to give something back.
What advice would you give other women who are trying to get their start in technology, design or social media?

Learn your trade well, develop a passion in it and your gender will become irrelevant - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
What advice would you give other women who wish to start a blog?

Well, I am a terrible blogger so I'd like some advice too please :) I guess, just start the blog and see where it goes...
What do you do when not working/blogging? (hobbies/family/etc)

I have some rather typically geeky hobbies: I play far too much World of Warcraft and pen & paper Dungeons and Dragons at the weekend. I also like to go to the cinema a lot and I was quite enjoying learning to ride a motorbike until I came off and broke my ankle - I shall bounce straight back on as soon as I can! I've also decided to teach myself Bass Guitar which is coming along slowly.

I am quite lucky in that my long term boyfriend is also a C# .Net developer and as such we both understand the demands of a career in technology, including the long hours - we are more likely to argue about the merits of one tool over another than how late either of us will be home. I don't have any children, nor do I have any plans for them

Chris Hart – Digital Strawberry Girl

What kinds of things do you discuss in your blog?

SharePoint, Second Life, OpenSim, general .NET stuff, some life-related stuff and opinions
What is your primary skillset/industry and how did you get started?

.NET and SharePoint developer, work for myself on contracts at the moment. I started out with this career about 9 years ago when I worked for Wrox Press, firstly as an editor, eventually as an author.
Did/do you have a mentor?

I learned a heck of a lot from Dave Sussman in particular, and from working with many other Wrox authors when I first started out.
Did/do you mentor others? If so, how?

I've helped many people to improve their code and to learn to avoid some of the common mistakes all beginners face. I also like to think that some of the books I've contributed to have helped others learn.
How do you utilize social networking in your career?

I have grown to love having Twitter on my desktop (via Twirl) – without that I doubt I'd be responding to this survey for a start, and I wouldn't have entered a submission for the DDD conference. I also spend a lot of time on Second Life, since I lead the Second Life .NET User Group, and have made some great contacts from there.
Did you go to school to learn your field or are you self-taught?

I'm very much self taught, ever since reading through the manual for my Atari XE when I was 10. My current skillset is pretty much entirely from experience of working at Wrox and from working as a developer in the field.
What are some objectives/goals you have for the future?

I am keen to explore more alternatives to flat web applications and windows applications and make more of virtual worlds as an immersive form of social interaction and education. I've been involved in the development side to OpenSim (http://www.opensimulator.org/) in the last few months, attempting to stabilize and enhance the MSSQL provider for the C#-based virtual world, and I hope to continue that effort, and potentially contribute to other parts of the platform. I'm also hoping to further increase the membership and reach of the DNUG on Second Life and really make the island have more of a global reach to members by hosting sessions at different times where possible, and getting speakers from around the world to volunteer.
What advice would you give other women who are trying to get their start in technology, design or social media?

Have confidence in your abilities and always admit when you don't feel confident in an area – understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is key to your own success and self-confidence. Reach out to anyone who is approachable – male or female – and read as much as you can on all the best blogs to get a feel for what the industry is like and how you can fit into it. Join twitter, follow up to 100 people, make sure you get replies, and just enjoy the conversations that emerge. Always consider yourself equal to your peers, regardless of gender, so that they see you in the same way.
What advice would you give other women who wish to start a blog?

Rant about things that suck, rave about things that rock. Make sure your blog has a direction, or at least split it out into categories to suit different audiences. We all wear more than one hat, but it very much depends on whether you feel like you want to blog about personal and professional, or keep it strictly on career-related activities.
What do you do when not working/blogging? (hobbies/family/etc)

Family (I have a 2 and a half year old boy who brings so much joy into my life), OpenSim development, Second Life stuff, juggling 15 IM windows around a screen, building/breaking/fixing PCs, building networks – most of my life is full of geekiness, but I love it!

That concludes this installment in my Amazing Women Who Blog Series. I've really learned a lot about these fabulous ladies and can really identify with them now that I know we really DO share quite a bit in common. A **HUGE** thank you to those who are participating in this series – you are very appreciated!

Read Part TWO of this Series