Interesting thread on Joi Ito’s blog regarding the proportion and visibility of women vs men in Wikipedia and, by extension, in blogging. I was gonna write something more but this comment does it for me.
Studies have been made of blogging and have found that 50% or more of all webloggers, journalists or ‘bloggers’ implied categorization aside, are women; however, men are given disproportionate attention. Why? Good question, someone let me know when there’s a good answer.
In blogging, there are many different factors that generate attention, including a person’s name (how well they’re known), wealth, status, etc—above and beyond the quality or amount of participation in the weblogs. In the wikipedia, attention is based on involvement and quality, no other factor.
4 Comments
I have noticed that when girls post things to mailing lists they get fewer responses than boys who post things. Girls also tend to lurk, ie post less on public forums, I don’t think bloggers get attention for writing fabulous blog-posts, they get attention for becoming known in public forums, and then people follow their name-link back to a blog.
I personally only comment on friends/acquaintances blogs, as far as forums, only when i have trouble with something I am working on, and never to offer a solution to someone else (I am not that confident in myself) so that might be partly why I am a noneity.
Not to mention that I am still a little sprout ( I guess – though that doesn’t make me very happy)
” I don’t think bloggers get attention for writing fabulous blog-posts, they get attention for becoming known in public forums, and then people follow their name-link back to a blog.”
I think that varies but I believe most well known bloggers I follow got there thanks to their blog, not forums.
They get a lot of readership, then get invited to speak in conferences and get to another with that.
two things came up on misbehaving today that seem to underline my point…
http://www.misbehaving.net/2004/10/where_are_the_w.html
http://www.misbehaving.net/2004/10/dont_wanna_figh.html
although you are right that good writing is what helps a blogger (or blogette?) develop a following. I just think probably guys are more visible because they are louder..in the various social communities on the net.
“I just think probably guys are more visible because they are louder”
I certainly agree with that, and with the articles you linked.