The types of things which originally attract most members to these boards are typically not of great interest to most women I know. Not enough to lurk or become active at least.
meltdown75
Lifer
- Nov 17, 2004
- 37,548
- 7
- 81
You say in the article that you don't have any females on your team.
Perhaps you need to recruit some female uber geeks.
They know how to communicate with the other female geeks. It could have a magnetizing effect and see your female readership increase.
I think we can safely assume that the average male geek's track record in communication with the opposite gender is somewhat lacking. Get some chicks on your team to help you out!
Perhaps you need to recruit some female uber geeks.
They know how to communicate with the other female geeks. It could have a magnetizing effect and see your female readership increase.
I think we can safely assume that the average male geek's track record in communication with the opposite gender is somewhat lacking. Get some chicks on your team to help you out!
Anubis
No Lifer
Originally posted by: DerekWilson
well, the bashing usually happens in P&N and the drooling in L&R ... yeah, you OT people are a lil wacky too -- maybe that's the creepy part
but i'm still talking about the main AnandTech site as opposed to the forums ... sure, i'd love to get more women to come here too -- but that's a whole other issue ... I'm interested in make the articles posted here: http://www.anandtech.com more interesting, resonant, and accessible to women.
Derek there really isn?t anything you can do short of becoming Apple. Women in general do not care that much about technology and how it works. In general they wont care about the latest video card that get 10 more FPS in Crysis or the new CPUs and all the other great stuff reported on AT. All the women I have known even those that are physicists and engineers just want their computer/tech device to work when they press buttons and that?s about as much thought as they give it. Unless its made by apple, then they try and argue about it while knowing nothing of how it works, but its made by apple and must be good.
Originally posted by: DerekWilson
well, the bashing usually happens in P&N and the drooling in L&R ... yeah, you OT people are a lil wacky too -- maybe that's the creepy part
but i'm still talking about the main AnandTech site as opposed to the forums ... sure, i'd love to get more women to come here too -- but that's a whole other issue ... I'm interested in make the articles posted here: http://www.anandtech.com more interesting, resonant, and accessible to women.
I edited my post above to answer your original question. I really think that the main site is accessible enough. The best you can do is do nothing to alienate women, and do nothing to try to attract women, either. I know it seems counterintuitive, but attempting to appeal to a racial group or to a gender usually ends in failure. As it is, most tech items are either gender neutral, or appeal more to males by way of virtue, and not because of anything you guys have done. For instance,video games and gaming laptops obviously will appeal more to guys, but that is because the culture, and not the site, promotes (or at least tolerates) gaming more among men than it does women. Unless you want to do articles centered on people, or publish reviews of pink laptops and cell phones (not that the color pink is any more feminine by nature, just making a point), you should be content to accurately portray tech news and reviews, without regard to gender, race, or social class.
AnandTech needs to stay true to itself, and to its readers, and it is doing a fine job just as it is. Just fix the damn RealTime Pricing tool, and we're good to go
Anandtech doesn't cater to women. It's a tech site which means predominately male readership and unless you start posting articles like "How To Color Coordinate Your PC" and "10 Tips On How To Get Your Man To Love A Mac" it's just not going to happen.
Seriously though, you should get a focus group together and get some feedback on how the site might better appeal to women; although I will say that by making such changes you may very well alienate your base readership.
Seriously though, you should get a focus group together and get some feedback on how the site might better appeal to women; although I will say that by making such changes you may very well alienate your base readership.
meltdown75
Lifer
- Nov 17, 2004
- 37,548
- 7
- 81
Gooberlx2
Lifer
- May 4, 2001
- 15,381
- 6
- 91
Difference of interests. Same reason that if I visit a forum (or informational website) about dogs, it's an equal or better ratio of women to men. Not so much that women don't care about technology or using it...but they don't care enough to research it or keep updated about it (from a societal averages point-of-view).
I should say that I haven't read the main page in several years, so things may be different these days.
Though I am male, one reason I stopped reading Anandtech's main page was the poor writing quality. The stories were full of grammar mistakes, garbled "sayings," confused similes, and misplaced hyperbole. It's like they were written by people with Semantic Pragmatic Disorder; people who use phrases and chunks of language without actually understanding what they mean. I appreciated the tech detail and extensive coverage, but after I started buying laptops and didn't need to know all that arcane shit, I could no longer stomach the reviews due to the poor editing and writing.
Since females in our culture are encouraged to be more right-brained, I imagine them being turned off for similar reasons. The reviews were pretty dry explanations of the raw facts. If the ascetics of the writing were neither interesting nor professional, why would they read it? Girls don't generally choose to read stuff to learn data, but for the enjoyment of the stories.
Though I am male, one reason I stopped reading Anandtech's main page was the poor writing quality. The stories were full of grammar mistakes, garbled "sayings," confused similes, and misplaced hyperbole. It's like they were written by people with Semantic Pragmatic Disorder; people who use phrases and chunks of language without actually understanding what they mean. I appreciated the tech detail and extensive coverage, but after I started buying laptops and didn't need to know all that arcane shit, I could no longer stomach the reviews due to the poor editing and writing.
Since females in our culture are encouraged to be more right-brained, I imagine them being turned off for similar reasons. The reviews were pretty dry explanations of the raw facts. If the ascetics of the writing were neither interesting nor professional, why would they read it? Girls don't generally choose to read stuff to learn data, but for the enjoyment of the stories.
The industry is heavily male dominated/oriented. Why would women want to read the content of it when they have no interest in it? You're more likely to find a high female/male reader ratio on a teacher or nurse based forum/website just because it's mainly dominated by females, just like IT/computers are dominated by men. Ever go to a computer conference? What do you mostly see?
Just seems like a big "duh"...but that's just my two cents.
Just seems like a big "duh"...but that's just my two cents.
Anubis
No Lifer
Zenmervolt
Elite member
- Oct 22, 2000
- 24,514
- 44
- 91
Fundamentally, AnandTech, like all tech forums, is a tinkerer's hangout. It's a place for people whose interests place priority on something being "better" rather than on it being "enough". Psychologically and sociologically speaking, women are far better than men at recognizing "enough". Men tend to want to focus on the latest technology, the "best". Women don't. In the long run, I think that's the reason. Women simply feel they have better things to do with their time than arguing technical points on a forum.
For example, when I went with my parents to get them a new computer, my father spent most of the time asking what was the "best". My mother asked, "What will accomplish what I need to do (use MS Word and surf the web)?". Mom actually understands computers far better than dad, she's always been much easier to teach things to and she has actually never caused a system problem. But she couldn't care less about which video card was the fastest or what the merits are of an AMD vs an Intel processor.
We have reached a point where pretty much even the cheapest computer available will run reliably for several years and has sufficient power to do everything that an average user (read: non-gamer) needs to do. Most women understand this and view the computer as nothing more than an appliance. That's a perfectly valid view (and honestly, probably more sane than my own view that a computer is a fascinating machine that is sometimes upgraded just for the sake of upgrading), but people with that view don't care about technical websites. No-one gets really, really, really excited about their toaster after all.
ZV
MagnusTheBrewer
IN MEMORIAM
- Jun 19, 2004
- 24,122
- 1,594
- 126
Zenmervolt makes an excellent point and I would add to that the tech crowd in general tends to lack in social skills which women (and most men outside the tech fields) appreciate.
moshquerade
No Lifer
- Nov 1, 2001
- 61,504
- 12
- 56
Well for starters you hit the nail on the head when you said this: "But ... I'm not a woman, and we don't have any on staff."
Why aren't there any women on staff? Maybe that is a place to start.
Myself, I am not here for the technology, but I have found that those with technological savvy possess more intelligence, and are able to engage in good discussions for the most part than the Joe Schmoes I've come across on other messageboards.
I appreciate the level of maturity that goes along with the techie/geek mentality too. I know some may find that funny, but if you've ever posted or read other message boards similar to this one you would likely see where I am coming from.
I would like more females to post here, but it is a tech board and as it's been said, that is a predominantly male field.
Why aren't there any women on staff? Maybe that is a place to start.
Myself, I am not here for the technology, but I have found that those with technological savvy possess more intelligence, and are able to engage in good discussions for the most part than the Joe Schmoes I've come across on other messageboards.
I appreciate the level of maturity that goes along with the techie/geek mentality too. I know some may find that funny, but if you've ever posted or read other message boards similar to this one you would likely see where I am coming from.
I would like more females to post here, but it is a tech board and as it's been said, that is a predominantly male field.
Derek - I find it interesting that you posted this thread in OT...I rarely see most of the posters in this thread in any of the actual hardware subforums (and vice versa) .
.
These forums might have more mature members on average compared to other tech forums, but I really don't think that tech savvy people are any more mature than anyone else. Even if the members are are more intelligent than others (not necessarily true, either), intelligence =/= maturity. I think if you are being selective, yes, there are some (many) mature members here that are courteous and respectful. It has nothing to do with the techie/geek mentality, though.
*shrug* HardForum is far, far more chauvinistic than ATOT.
(Insofar as the editors actually post articles that reinforce those views.) I still go there from time to time to check the FS/FT and Hot Deals posts, but more than anything, that black/red color theme is really irritating to my eyes.
- Oct 28, 1999
- 62,484
- 8,345
- 126
As others have said, when it boils down to it, women aren't tinkerers or significant researchers into purchases.
They either have a husband/SO that does it, or they go to a store and buy something off the shelf that looks good or is sold to them. Going out and researching which video card gets an extra 3FPS over another isn't their method of operation.
Women by and large, purchase on direct dollar amounts, on what they are told to buy, or by what looks on the box or in their house.***
***Exceptions apply, see dealer for details. Not valid in all 50 states.
They either have a husband/SO that does it, or they go to a store and buy something off the shelf that looks good or is sold to them. Going out and researching which video card gets an extra 3FPS over another isn't their method of operation.
Women by and large, purchase on direct dollar amounts, on what they are told to buy, or by what looks on the box or in their house.***
***Exceptions apply, see dealer for details. Not valid in all 50 states.
I have to say I fit in with what some of the guys here have said: I really don't care how it works, just that it works.
Well, that's not exactly true. I was initially drawn to tech sites and forums because I discovered I could build my own PC from components, and thought that was the coolest thing ever. I did my research, built my computer, and promptly dropped out. Because I had a computer that did what I wanted it to, I saw no reason to keep frequenting the sites. A few years later, when I decided to build another, I came back. I stayed for the craziness that is ATOT. Though I do check in with the front page every so often to see if anything catches my eye.
Personally, I see it as budgeting my brain power, and I have no clue if other women think this way. I decided years ago that I didn't want to learn html because I wanted to save my brain power for learning stuff relevant to the degrees I wanted to earn (which have nothing to do with any sort of tech), and the career I wanted to have. Today, I make the same kind of decisions - I don't want to waste my time/brain learning details about computer tech I don't really need when I could be learning about the newest developments in my field.
I think it's absolutely great that you're exploring this though.
Well, that's not exactly true. I was initially drawn to tech sites and forums because I discovered I could build my own PC from components, and thought that was the coolest thing ever. I did my research, built my computer, and promptly dropped out. Because I had a computer that did what I wanted it to, I saw no reason to keep frequenting the sites. A few years later, when I decided to build another, I came back. I stayed for the craziness that is ATOT.
Though I do check in with the front page every so often to see if anything catches my eye.Personally, I see it as budgeting my brain power, and I have no clue if other women think this way. I decided years ago that I didn't want to learn html because I wanted to save my brain power for learning stuff relevant to the degrees I wanted to earn (which have nothing to do with any sort of tech), and the career I wanted to have. Today, I make the same kind of decisions - I don't want to waste my time/brain learning details about computer tech I don't really need when I could be learning about the newest developments in my field.
I think it's absolutely great that you're exploring this though.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 23K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter