As a gift to our readers, and to bring in the New Year, we’ve compiled a list of what we think are some of the best online resources and tools to make your life in tech easier. Please feel free to share any or all of your favorites with your own community – just copy and paste. Happy 2010!

Coding

1. PHP Anywhere
PHPanywhere enables users to develop and maintain their php/html projects online using any standard Web browser

2. HTML Form Builder
Create HTML forms in seconds.

3. Bespin – Code in the Cloud
Bespin is a Mozilla Labs experiment on how to build an extensible Web code editor using HTML 5 technology.

4. CSS Typeset
Interactive CSS code generator.

5. AskApche’s Compress CSS
Compresses CSS using either URL, file upload or raw CSS

6. The JavaScript Code Quality Tool
An online JavaScript program that looks for problems in JavaScript programs – Warning – It will hurt your feelings.

7. JavaScript Lint
With JavaScript Lint, you can check all your JavaScript source code for common mistakes without actually running the script or opening the web page. Offline and online versions available.

8. YUI Compressor
Offline tool for compressing CSS and JavaScript files.

9. JavaScript Compressor and Comparison Utility
Compares JSMin, Dojo shrinksafe, Packer and the YUI Compressor, with or without gzip.

10. Lottery Post’s Online CSS Compressor
Compact your CSS style sheets into the smallest size possible

11. Lottery Post’s Online JavaScript Compressor
Compact your JavaScript code into the smallest size possible using either Microsoft’s Ajax Minifier or YUI Compressor.

12. Google Closure Tools

The Closure tools include:

1. A JavaScript optimizer – Compiles JavaScript into compact, high-performance code.
2. A comprehensive JavaScript library – A broad, well-tested, modular, and cross-browser JavaScript library.
3. Templating – Simplifies the task of dynamically generating HTML on the server and client.

13. Online code beautifier
Beautifies PHP, Java, C++, C, Perl, JavaScript, CSS.

14. .htaccess Editor
Easily create .htaccess files online.

15. Favicon Generator
Creates a favicon (favorites icon) from any (square) image.

16. XML and HTML Character Entities
Lists the numeric values and names of the available XML and HTML entities, such as the copyright, Pound, Yen and Euro symbols.

17. ASCII Table
lists the ASCII characters and their decimal, octal and hexadecimal numbers.

18. HTML Color Names
Lists the available HTML color names, including their hex codes and matching colors.

Decoding Utilities

19. Base64 Online
Base64 encode or decode text or files.

20. Online string encoder/decoder – Base64, URL, XML
Encode and decode strings easily.

21. Unix Time Decoding
Convert Unix timestamps to local or UTC readable version.

Testing

22. Browser Sandbox – Run any browser from the web
Test your Web sites using different versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari or Opera.

23. MFC MAPI
GUI which allows access to Microsoft Outlook MAPI based stores.

24. Notes Peek
GUI which allows access to Lotus Notes databases.

25. Adobe BrowserLab
Cross-browser testing: Preview and test your web pages on leading browsers and operating systems.

26. Browsershots
An open-source, online service that takes screenshots of your site and presents them as viewed by different browsers

27. Blind Text Generator
Dummy text: To occupy the space which will later be filled with ‘real’ content.

28. Lipsum Generator
Generate various length texts using the standard ‘Lorem Ipsum’ text.

29. HTML Ipsum
Lorem ipsum text in a variety of HTML formats (paragraphs, forms, lists, etc.)

30. Load Impact
A load testing service that lets you load- and stress test your website over the Internet.

31. Pingdom Full Page Test
Loads a complete HTML page including all objects (images, CSS, JavaScripts, RSS, Flash and frames/iframes), and provides general statistics about the loaded page such as the total number of objects, total load time, and size including all objects.

Data Sets

32. Internet World Stats
World population and Internet usage statistics.

33. GeoLite Country
Free version of MaxMind’s GeoIP Country database – Updated monthly and 99.5% accurate

34. GeoLite City
Free version of MaxMind’s GeoIP City database – Updated monthly and 79% accurate

Firefox Extensions

35. Firebug
Firebug integrates with Firefox to put a wealth of web development tools at your fingertips while you browse. You can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page.

36. Yahoo! YSlow
YSlow analyzes web pages and suggests ways to improve their performance based on a set of rules.

37. Greasemonkey
Greasemonkey is a Firefox extension that allows you to customize the way Web pages look and function. Hundreds of scripts are already available for free.

38. Update Scanner
A Firefox extension to monitor web pages for updates. Useful for websites that don’t provide Atom or RSS feeds.

39. FireFTP
FireFTP is a free, secure, cross-platform FTP client for Mozilla Firefox which provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers.

Tools for Images

40. Photoshop Online
Part of the Photoshop family, Photoshop Online lets you upload, organize, edit and share images

41. Gimp
GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.

42. Inkscape
An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

43. PicNik
Online editing tool Picnik makes it easy to tweak your images and add effects, fonts, shapes, and frames.

44. SplashUp
Real Time editing tool and photo manager

45. Pic Markr
PicMarkr lets you to add custom watermarks to your images. Useful when you need to protect your copyright.

46. Closr.it
An online tool to let you share and zoom into images

47. Color Scheme Designer
Easily create color schemes and preview via mockup sites.

48. Colour Lovers
COLOURlovers is an international community of designers and artists of all kinds who visit the site to get color inspiration, ideas and feedback for both their professional and personal projects.

49. Icon Finder
Search engine for Icons: Search through 126,063 icons or browse 340 icon sets

50. Shrink O’Matic
Easily resize and convert images.

51. Ajax Loading GIF Generator
Create your own “loading” GIF image.

52. Super Screenshot
Create an image of a full Web page.

53. ASCII Art
ASCII art generator.

Security Tools

54. Cain & Abel v4.9.35
Password recovery tool for Microsoft Operating Systems

55. The Password Meter
Accesses the strength of your passwords as you type. Offline version can be downloaded.

56. Microsoft’s Password Checker
Test the strength of your passwords as you type.

57. Javascript Password Strength Meter
Tests the strength of your passwords as you type and also breaks down its scoring system so you can see what makes a password stronger.

Converters

58. PX to EM
Pixels to EM Conversion

59. Binary to Base 64
Create data streams for embedding images (or any type of file) in (X)HTML, CSS and XML

60. Text to Voice
Create an MP3 of a voice reading your text

61. Free PDF online conversion
Converts various files (DOC, PUB, RTF, XLS, PPT, HTML, JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, WMF, EMF, GIF etc.), to PDF online, then e-mails you the PDF

62. Web 2 PDF
Allow your visitors to create PDFs of any Web page

63. Text to Hex converter
Write your name in hex

W3C Validators

64. W3C Link Checker
Checks links and anchors in Web pages or full Web sites.

65. W3C Feed Validation Service
Checks the syntax of Atom or RSS feeds.

66. W3C mobileOK checker
Determines the friendliness of Web sites for mobile appliances.

67. W3C Markup Validation Service
Checks the markup of Web documents (HTML, XHTML etc)

68. W3C CSS Validation Service
Checks CSS and (X)HTML documents with style sheets.

Resources for Site Owners

69. FTC Guidelines for Bloggers Note: PDF
FTC guidelines concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising.

70. Embedit.in
Allows you to embed any file into your website or blog easily

71. Domainr
Queries 280 top-level domains and another 2,014 second-level domains and helps you find unique Web addresses using real English words.

72. Tynt
Tracks copy and paste activity on your site, and automatically adds a link back to your content when it is pasted somewhere else.

73. Montastic
Know when your site is down before your customer (or your boss) tells you.

Collaboration/Brainstorming Tools

74. Dabbleboard
An online whiteboard that lets you think and collaborate visually

75. iPlotz
Helps you quickly create clickable, navigable mockups and wireframes for prototyping websites and software applications.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this list. If you know of any tools we should have included, do let us know in the comments; we’ll check them out and add them if they’re great!

Follow us on Twitter @shegeeky, and don’t forget to take a look at our upcoming unconference in the Bay Area.

REGISTER HERE

Who is invited?
Are you a woman? Are you a Geek?  This event is for you!  We invite women from a diverse array of technological fields and those doing technology within non-technical fields.  This includes:

• Entrepreneurs
• Coders / Programmers
• Open Source & Standards Advocates
• Nonprofit Technology
• BioTech
• Users of Tech tools
• Gadget Enthusiasts
• Hardware Hackers
• Programmers
• Engineers
• Video Geeks
• Gamers
• …..what ever you think is geeky

You can bring your daughters! We even created a special ticket price for them.  Girls as young as 9 years old have attended She’s Geeky with thier mothers / aunts / mentors.

Sponsors: We are actively seeking sponsors please see this page to learn more about levels.

About She’s Geeky:

She’s Geeky convenes to inspire women technologists for the future and advance systemic change in tech culture, providing a space to create enduring communities that foster collaboration and innovation among women professionals working in Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

In early 2007 a group of women working in the high-tech sector in the San Francisco Bay Area recognized a need for a gathering space where women who self-identify as geeky could meet in person to support, educate, and share experiences with each other. Although many organizations already existed for women in different areas of technology and as well to encourage girls to pursue careers in such fields, there was no commons area that:

• brought all  interested individuals and organizations together;
• supported peer-to-peer learning exchange;
• built connections and established relationships across diverse communities and disciplines to support women technologists; and
• specifically attended to retaining women in technology fields through community.

Rather than creating another niche women-in-tech organization, we decided to work with and promote existing activists and organizations, inviting them all to meet at an interactive event called an unConference.

What is an Unconference?

Beginning at 9 AM each day, we start with a blank wall and, in less than an hour, with a facilitator guiding the process attendees create a full day, multi-track conference agenda that is relevant and inspiring to everyone there.  All are welcome to put forward presentations or propose conversations.As women register we will be posting proposed topics on our wiki.
If this is an unconference – why does it cost money?

We operate She’s Geeky as a not for profit event and raise enough funds to cover the expenses of producing a quality event.  About half (1/2) the cost of putting it on  is covered by ticket sales and half (1/2) from sponsors. Our no-show rate is only 10% vis up to 60% for free camps. We can’t provide food economically and unwastefully if we don’t create a contract with attendess to attend. Your payment covers food and a portion of the related venue and event expenses and in exchange we provide a well organized, adequately staffed, engaging event at a reasonable price that is considerably less than regular conferences.  To understand more about this please see our post about money and unconferences.

Contact and Follow us:

• Our main website is www.shesgeeky.org
• If you have any questions you can contact us at info@shesgeeky.org
• You can subscribe to our BLOG here: www.shesgeeky.org/sg/blog
• You can follow us on twitter @shesgeeky

Being associated with this creative and inspirational event is a key benefit of sponsorship:

• The companies that support She’s Geeky are actively recognized in the community and make a positive brand impression for their products, services, and as prospective employers.
• Visible recognition of your commitment to leadership development and diversity for the women in your company and women in STEM fields in general.
• Demonstration of your company’s commitment to diversity and accessibility through affordable ticket prices for everyone and further reduced registration prices for girls in high school, low-income women in technology, elders on fixed incomes, and those who find themselves unemployed during these tough economic times.
• The opportunity to send women in your company to network with others in their field, and raising your company’s profile through participation in the event.

…and now, a word from our sponsors:

Sponsor of the Twin Cities Event

IpHouse: She’s Geeky unConference

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend She’s Geeky, an unConference targeting women in the fields of Science, Math and Technology. ipHouse was one of the corporate sponsors for She’s Geeky and I was very curious about what these tech women would have to say….

A lot of women in the session were freelancers, start ups or had an amazing idea and did not know where to start. Through out this session, I heard a lot of wisdom from women who have been trailblazers in fields that overall, are still male dominated. These women have hard shells and are ready to take on the world. (I did not realize coming in, just how many lawyers are involved in taking on the job of owning an idea, system or product, as well as funding it!) I felt extremely inspired and the recommendations that the different women gave will always be immensely appreciated. I think that those that shared their stories helped others seek an inner strength to do something they believe in.

The unConference was a true success and I met so many amazingly smart and talented women.I was pleased that ipHouse sponsored this event and that I was able to attend!

Sponsor of Several Bay Area She’s Geeky unconferences

Civic Actions: Proud Sponsor of She’s Geeky

CivicActions is proud to once again sponsor the She’s Geeky unconference in San Francisco in January 2011.

Sponsoring She’s Geeky isn’t *just* about supporting women in important vocations where they are statistically underrepresented or recruiting a diverse workforce.  It’s also very much about supporting this cultural shift away from centralized control to distributed collaboration. It’s also about supporting women being anything they want to be.  There’s an enormous (actual) opportunity and need for more women to participate in the development of the technology that facilitates the transition to a new paradigm.  Indeed, We have opportunities right now!

Contributing to forums where women can connect and cultivate networks of support and cooperation, in our opinion, advances this shift.  Given our commitment to changing the world through technology, sponsoring She’s Geeky is a natural fit.

If you are going to She’s Geeky, and would like to talk to us about what we do drop us a line, and one of our team members can meet you there.

“Words can not explain how amazing it feels to bring 100 women the same life changing experience you had 8 months earlier.”  - Liz and Jaque the local organizers of She’s Geeky Twin Cities who eight months before had attended She’s Geeky Washington, DC and worked to bring it to their city.

Event Sponsorship Levels

Branding and Site Sponsor: $14,500 

The Branding and Site Sponsorship is our premier sponsorship and allows for prominent placement in emails, website links and even a space on the main ShesGeeky.org website. This sponsorship provides full exposure to all attendees as well as all past attendees from all over the country, giving your company plenty of opportunities to engage with smart, savvy women.  Your company can be our Sponsorship Rockstar! With this sponsorship, your company really makes this unconference possible. Our Branding and Site Sponsor ensures that She’s Geeky Bay Area can continue to provide much-needed support to Bay Area women. The best part – the knowledge that we couldn’t have produced this event without you!

•  Your company featured in She’s Geeky blog: 1 post before and one post a2er the event
•  Blog posts direct to a<endees: posts featuring your company in emails to registered attendees
•  4 full registrations to She’s Geeky Bay Area 2012
• 20% discount on additonal pre-­‐registrations: excluding late registra?on
• 6’ draped exhibit table
• 6’ x 2.5’ display banner designed by you: displayed prominently for all attendees
• Your company’s Logo and company name inclusion in onsite signage
• 150-­‐word company descrip>on on website, giving you maximum exposure to a=endees • Premier sponsorship placement on all signage and emails
•  150-­‐word message in email to registered attendees
• Recognion during announcements: several announcements throughout the program,including during agenda crea?on
• Discounts on additional sponsorship opportunities (please inquire)

Technology Sponsor: $9,500

At an unconference, the main hub of activity is the Documentation Center. People come to the center to type up notes, ask questions, do late registration, get maps and directions. It’s a great place to feature technology that your company wants to engage savvy technologists in. Your technology will be at the center of the action in the Documentation Center!  Your company will be able to engage with attendees all throughout the proceedings as well as before and after the event.

Chill Space Sponsor $5,000/$6,500

Unconferences are full of energizing conversation. The Chill Space Sponsor helps to create a relaxing space to facilitate connection and conversation, which meets the needs of attendees who want to recharge their batteries.

Option 1: We rent furniture for the space ($6,500)
Option 2: You provide the furniture for the Chill space ($5,000)

• 6’ x 2.5’ display banner in Chill Space
• 3 full registrations to event
• Your company’s featured post on She’s Geeky blog
• Your company’s Logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• Logo and link in the sidebar of the She’s Geeky website
• 60-word company description in program and website
• 20% discount on additional pre-registrations (excluding late registration)
• 75-word message in email to registered attendees

Lunch Sponsor: $5,000 

A girl’s gotta eat! This sponsorship pays for one day’s lunch for all the attendees and staff.  These lunches are buffet-style so that women can take the food they want and keep having the collaborative conversations that make She’s Geeky such a unique experience!  There are 3 Lunch Sponsorships available – one for each day.  Your company could also choose to purchase all 3 for a discounted rate.

• Your company’s branded cards placed on the serving tables and dining tables
• Customized menu items
• Announcement of your company’s sponsorship during lunch
• 2 full registrations to She’s Geeky
• Your company’s logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• Logo and link in the sidebar of the She’s Geeky website
• 60-word company description in program and She’s Geeky website
• 20% discount on additional pre-registrations (excluding late registration)

Barista Sponsor $3,500

Geeks need coffee! This sponsorship generates great appreciation for your company. The Barista Sponsor provides the much-loved coffee cart and the amazing staff that serves that black gold. The Coffee Cart is a place where attendees often congregate and the gratitude among geeks is notable!  This sponsorship generates constant exposure for your company throughout our unconference.

• Your company’s logo on Coffee Cart signage
• Customized company branding on Coffee Cart Items
• Announcement of your company’s sponsorship throughout the program
• 2 full registrations to She’s Geeky
• Your company’s logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• Logo and link in the sidebar of the She’s Geeky website
• 20% discount on additional pre-registrations (excluding late registration)

Chair Massage Sponsor: $3000

Imagine having space at a conference to really relax, refresh and recharge. With the high intensity of technology industries, a recurring theme at She’s Geeky is self-care and burnout reduction. Massage helps manage stress and tension, boosts morale and makes our participants feel great! Your sponsorship provides two massage therapists all day for 10-15 minute back massages. This sponsorship was born out of feedback from previous attendees: the women wanted it and now they got it – and your company can be the attendees’ Massage Hero!  There are 3 Massage Sponsorships available – your company can purchase one or all three for a discount!

• 6’ x 2.5’ display banner in Massage Station
• Your company’s logo and 60-word profile on website and conference program OR ¼ page ad space
• 2 full registrations to She’s Geeky
• 20% discount on additional pre-registrations (excluding late registration)
• Logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• Logo and link in the sidebar of She’s Geeky website

Breakfast Sponsor: $2,500 

Help get the day started off right! Every morning before agenda creation, women fuel up with breakfast – your name and logo could be the first thing they see in the morning. Breakfast is available from the time the space opens at 8:30am until 10:30 am. Breakfast is typically a continental set-up including organic fruit and yogurt, juices, bagels, cream cheese and pastries.  Your company can sponsor one breakfast or all three for a discount!

• Your Company’s cards on the serving tables
• Customized menu items (price varies)
• Recognition for your company during morning agenda creation
• 2 full registrations to She’s Geeky
• Your company’s logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• Logo and link in the sidebar of the She’s Geeky website
• 20% discount on additional pre-registrations (excluding late registration)

Afternoon Break Sponsor: 3 available $2,500 

Reenergize the afternoon! We pride ourselves on serving healthy food all day long to support our attendees in getting the energy they need to have really engaging conversations. Our afternoon break is organic fruit, juices, granola bars, nuts, vegetables, cheese and crackers.  Your company can purchase one sponsorship or all three days for a discount.

• Your company’s cards placed on the serving tables
• Customized menu items (price varies)
• Thank you at the end of the day in the event closing
• 2 full registrations to She’s Geeky
• Your company’s logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• Logo and link in the sidebar of the She’s Geeky website
• 20% discount on additional pre-registrations (excluding late registration)

Exhibit Table – sponsorship add on

Exhibit tables are in the main unconference space positioned for premier exposure for your company.  They come with the top two sponsorship packages and can be purchased for an additional fee with any of the following sponsorship packages: Chill Space Sponsor, Lunch Sponsor, Barista Sponsor, Chair Massage Sponsor, Breakfast Sponsor, Afternoon Break Sponsor, and the Mug and Water Bottle Sponsor.

• 6’ table in exhibit area where company representatives can engage with women attending the conference all day. 
• Your company’s logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• Logo and link in the sidebar of the She’s Geeky website
• Logo and 60-word company profile on website
• 20% discount on additional pre-registrations (excluding late registration)

Green & Geeky Sponsorships!

She’s Geeky Mugs and Water Bottles: $8,000

Help us make She’s Geeky more sustainable! We are striving to make our events as low-impact as possible with a focus on carpooling, sourcing locally, encouraging recycling and activities that lighten our ”geekprint”. This year we are adding water stations with water bottles as well as reusable coffee mugs so that we cut down on bottled water – with a goal of no bottled water in 2014!  This sponsorship provides one mug and one water bottle to each of the She’s Geeky Attendees (we are expecting about 600 women).  Women will use them throughout the conference and will take them home to serve as a lasting memento of the unconference and your sponsorship.  There are two Mug and Water Bottle sponsorships available.

• Co-branding for your company on She’s Geeky mug & water bottle
• 2 full registrations to She’s Geeky
• Thank you during agenda creation 
• Your company’s logo and link in the sidebar of the She’s Geeky website
• Logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• 20% discount on additional pre-registrations (excluding late registration)

Water Station Sponsor: $1,000 

This year, your company can gain exposure by being a Water Station Sponsor!  There are three Water Station Sponsorships available, or your company can purchase all three for a discount.

• Your company’s signage on the Water Stations
• 1 full registration to She’s Geeky
• Logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• Logo and link in the sidebar of the She’s Geeky website

Low-Waste Gift Room: $1,550 

She’s Geeky focuses on targeted gifting that woman can re-use.  A great way to interact with our attendees is to hand out your company’s branded cool and useful schwag.  We have a limited number of spaces for take-home goodies that might be perfect for you! The gift room space is on the edge of the primary space so that it has ongoing visibility throughout the event.

• Your company’s product placement in She’s Geeky Gift Room 
• 1-page promotion of product details and benefits displayed in Gift Room
• Logo in She’s Geeky program and onsite site signage
• Logo and link in the sidebar of the She’s Geeky website

National Sponsorship Opportunities

National sponsorships will make it possible to bring She’s Geeky to more cities in the US and Canada. They as well help us to include women of all ages who self-identify as geeks and to make our event affordable through helping to cover venue and the administrative costs of supporting multiple events. It makes possible an affordable ticket price for everyone and further reduced registration for girls in high school, low-income women in technology, elders on fixed income and those who find themselves unemployed in these tough economic times – keeping attendance accessible and diverse.

National Sponsorship is an opportunity for your company to have…

• Visible recognition of your commitment to leadership development and diversity for your company’s women and women in STEM fields;
• Visible presence of your company, and promotion of your products and services at multiple different events across North America in 2012 involving 1200 – 1500 women and presence on our website where you will have exposure to 1000’s more;
• Demonstration of your company’s commitment to diversity and accessibility through affordable ticket price for everyone and further reduced registration for girls in high school, low-income women in technology, elders on fixed income and those who find themselves unemployed during these tough economic times;
• The opportunity to send a strong recruitment message on your current and future needs.

For additional information about sponsorship please contact us at  info (at) shesgeeky (dot) org

I wrote this post after someone was tweeting following the conference about wanting to hold a ‘She’s Geeky’ lunch, and realized that I need to share something important about the motivation behind creating She’s Geeky. Our goal was to create a gathering space for existing organizations, and not to create another women-in-technology “organization”. That is, we do not plan to build a She’s Geeky “membership”, or local “chapters”.

The primary reason as an organization, we do not have the capacity to support organizing monthly meetings and this is not why She’s Geeky was created.  That being said, we still want to be able to support all the energy that was created this weekend and move it forward. I believe we can move it forward by moving beyond  traditional organization models to newer models that are more lifelike and network based.

This post articulates the original vision I had for She’s Geeky, what I think She’s Geeky has become, and where I think we could go as a community by empowering and connecting women in technology.

The Original Vision

After participating in several different women conferences –BlogHer and WITI, in particular — and hearing that Grace Hopper was very “computing”, (computer science) focused, I realized that there were already a lot of different groups for women in technology. Groups such as  Systers, SFWOW, LinuxChix, DevChix, and Women2.0, that already had their own mailing lists and conferences and monthly gatherings.  I had the following idea: to bring together all the different women-in-technology groups in a multi-day unconference format.

To build trust and to make sure that it could work, I decided to operate She’s Geeky under the umbrella of a nonprofit with a mandate that would be inclusive of supporting an event like She’s Geeky, even if it is not part of the primary mandate of the organization. Planetwork is an organization at the intersection of IT and social/environmental good. By encouraging more women to participate and increase their skills in a peer-to-peer setting, we hope to help make IT better, and, in turn, hopefully make the planet better.

Where we are now

So how do we balance this trust we have now and also grow and fulfill the need and energy we have tapped into?

This week we will be sending a list of women-in-tech groups to all the women who attended She’s Geeky. The list will describe what they do and how you can get involved. We will also want to support people with new ideas for groups/meetups by helping them share their ideas with the community that gathered at She’s Geeky.

I think it would be cool to have a bunch of groups spring out of She’s Geeky and have a long term affiliation with them. Maybe they could use the tag line “conceived at She’s Geeky” while still having their own “brand” that describes them. I think Girl Geek Dinners is a great local chapter with an established international presence. I’d like to propose using that form for “dinners”. I don’t think their should be any “group” that has She’s Geeky as a primary brand; they need to develop their own identities.

The She’s Geeky brand will be for the name of the conference & some thing that can signify the connections and links between existing (and new groups). We live in the networked age now. We do not need to think of organizations as we used to. We don’t have to do everything. Rather, we can be a piece of an ecology of many groups that each play different roles. I think She’s Geeky needs to stand as a neutral forum and move energy that arises into existing groups and perhaps be a gestation space for new groups.

Moving Forward

Here are some of my thoughts about moving foward as a community:

1) We could build a chaordic alliance of women’s groups. This model provides an innovative form of organization that supports loose affiliation and values alignment while projects, groups and communities maintain autonomy. I am very familiar with this form, having spent 5 years with Identity Commons the “industry/community association” that I have helped form and grow in the identity space (in my technical persona – Identity Woman). The purpose, principles and practices of the Identity Commons are simple. And, I think it would be useful to work with the leaders of women-in-tech groups and with the community to craft a purpose, and principles and practices for She’s Geeky. Until these are clearly defined, I am uneasy about the ‘brand’ being used for anything but the (un)conference.

2) United Religions Initiative (URI) is another example of a successful network/community that uses the chaordic model. I think that, like the URI, we need to consider requiring participation/sponsorship from multiple womens groups for it to be possible to convene an event in a city. They have local chapters around the world and require that each chapter have 7 members from at least 3 religions. I want the brand of She’s Geeky to be for the space of coming together – between women in math, science, engineering and sciences.

3) There were conversations at the conference regarding greater clarity and cooperation amongst women’s groups. Desi from DevChix, BJ from Anita Borg and I had a good hour-long talk talking about various things. It made me so happy to see this kind of conversation about cooperation arise naturally out of the environmen. I had dreamed that this could happen out of the energy/space at the conference when we were first talking about the idea of this event in early 2007.

4) As a community, I want us to find a way to work together to foster a strong culture of collaboration between groups and feed more energy into existing groups.

I know there are “community marks.” I think it is very important to go through the process of talking about the purpose and principles and getting clear agreements about what “She’s Geeky” stands for. For example, unlike BarCamp, I’d like to avoid releasing She’s Geeky into the wild. It is not “enough” to read about the conference and “just do one”. I think there is something profound about the actual experience. By bringing Renee from Boston here after she was at the NYC event and having two of the key organizers in DC attend the NYC event, we can help spread a culture via experience instead of just having organizers read about it. A couple Women flew to this She’s Geeky from Florida and Tennessee, and they both would love to see the conference come to their home towns.

5) We are going to work hard on developing a template along with business process models (at 6 months this happens by 5 months…2 weeks out, 1 week out) and build the online stuff that a local organizer and network of women’s groups need to make it happen. I think there are a few (very few) core staff that form backbone that helps She’s Geeky events go smoothly and help a network of very busy volunteers actually function with a clear system of tracking and accountability. Trust me. At the scale we are operating — multi-day, multi-organization collaboration, multi-sponsorship, multi-hundreds of women, multi-city, professional enough bosses give you the day off to go — a 100% volunteer-based model won’t work when all the volunteers are very busy professionals in a fast-paced industry.

6) I am committed to developing facilitation talent so we can have more and more unconferences. I have been involved in designing and facilitating and producing over sixty unconferences in the last 3.5 years, mostly with professional technical communities. In some ways it all seems easy, but without a deep well of process knowledge and energy flow awareness of large groups, I would not have been able to make she’s geeky “sing” as beautifully as it did. I want to work to train and support other women in the community to be able hold open space and bring a very high quality unconference experience to attendees wherever this conference is held.

7) Lets move energy forward this week. I don’t want to “quash” any energy people have coming out of the conference. I totally want to proactively support it. If you have an idea for something — a meeting, a list, something you want to start — please let me know and I will send it out in e-mail to attendees(one will be this week and one next week). Please, just don’t call it “the she’s geeky _______”, because this name is just for the actual unconference.

All the women I met this weekend were amazing – I can’t wait to continue to build the momentum and bring inspiration, and knowledge to more women who are or could be working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with cross pollinating unconferences.

I invite your thoughts, ideas and feedback. You can e-mail info@shesgeeky.org or comment here.