Thank you for visiting "The Navigator – Live." Today's chat ended at 3 p.m. EST.

My guest was Alycia Eck of DC Webgrrls, a forum for women involved or seeking to be involved in the new media. There are some 1,400 Webgrrls in the Washington area. We talked about building a community, providing career counseling and the problems and promises of career women on the Web.

"The Navigator – Live" appears each Thursday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern time. It's a live, moderated discussion offering washingtonpost.com users the chance to talk directly to intriguing and sometimes unusual guests who are shaping the digital world. "The Navigator" appears in The Washington Post print edition every Thursday. You can read past columns by following this link.

Linton Weeks: Hello, everyone, and welcome to another cliffhanger episode of Navigator--Live. As stated above, our guest today is Alycia Eck of DC Webgrrls. Let's go straight to the questions.

Linton Weeks: Alycia, what exactly is DC Webgrrls?

Alycia Eck: DC Webgrrls was founded in 1995 as an offshoot of Webgrrls International in New York City. Our offical mission is to provide a forum for women in or interested in new media to network, give job and business leads, mentor, intern, teach and learn, and create role models for girls in our community through activities and the media.

Most of our organization is based around a mailing list, where we ask and answer questions, post jobs, and discuss issues -- usually about new technologies (will ImageReady solve all your problems?) business (starting a small business, freelancing, hi tech firms in DC, negotiating a raise), women and technology (prominent women in industry, images in advertising, Grace Hopper, computer barbies), internet legislation (the endless Microsoft trial, privacy, decency in communications) and, of course, web sites.

We have events--low-cost workshops, speakers, and volunteer events, where we teach girls and young women how to use the internet and make their own web pages.

It's a robust net-based community, with some face to face time. It's a supportive atmosphere, where women can get help with technology. It's also the envy of lots of webboyz, which we're pretty pleased about.

Linton Weeks: I can understand why the group was founded at that Starbucks meeting in the summer of 1995. In the olden days, the computer was pretty much a guy thing and women might have felt excluded from the gold rush. But is that really the case today?

Alycia Eck: It's funny that "the olden days" are only four years ago...
The founders' initial intention to connect with other women working locally in new media grew into a large, supportive community. That community is an affinity group, one that happens to be based upon gender. That we've been around for 3 years tells me that the community has staying power --
staying power that's not based upon a sense of being excluded from anything, but from being part of something.

That said, some of our members still report being the only woman in their department or office handling web development or administering network servers. Also, a lot of women want to move into new media from non-technical careers. They find our group a helpful and supportive resource.

Washington, DC: When you talk about opportunities in new media, what do you mean?

Alycia Eck: Pursuing careers perhaps in web design, or multimedia projects, something creative and computer related from graphics to programming...

Arlington: What sort of outreach do you provide for girls? You mentioned something about being a role model for young girls in the community, how so?

Alycia Eck: We offer a biannual event called Take Our Daughters to the Net which coincides with Take Our Daughters to Work where we host workshops at (hopefully) three locations in the DC metro area. Parents can bring their daughters in and we teach them about safe surfing, HTML coding, and getting around a computer.

Linton Weeks: Why not open up DC Webgrrls to folks of all genders?

Alycia Eck: We frequently do open up Webgrrls meetings to our members' guests, men and women. Those events are promoted widely. It's often a function of space requirements -- since our events are free, we need to be sure the space we've found will accomodate the audience.

And actually, we never prohibit men from our meetings. When Aliza Sherman founded Webgrrls and women began having meetings around the world, she indicated that Webgrrls meetings are networking meetings for women. We promote our meetings to women, for women. If men show up, we don't tell them to leave but we do explain the goals of Webgrrls -to provide a supportive, non-competitive networking and learning environment for women - and 9 times out of 10, the men appreciate that and either leave or decide after one meeting that we're not really for them.

Baltimore: What inspired you to be in the technical field? Is there a tech woman that is your heroine? Who do you think is the greatest woman in the brief history of the internet?

Alycia Eck: You know, I wish I had gotten into it much sooner only because I find it challenging. I seem to get along well with computers (software-wise), and find it thrilling when a script that I've been tinkering with works.

Linton Weeks: Today the organization has more than 900 members. Has the group gotten too large? Is there talk of making DC Webgrrls into two groups?

Alycia Eck: Actually, our latest list count shows we have around 1,400 subscribers right now! That number may seem daunting at first, but much of our community is virtual. As a result, women don't have to be metro-area grrls to join our group. Because our list has a reputation nationally (even internationally) as a really great technical resource both for seasoned veterans and newcomers to the Internet, we suspect that many of our subscribers hail from around the world. Also, the list is an
excellent source for job leads in the DC area, so those seeking to relocate here might check with us first.

Our face-to-face group is a much more manageble bunch. To handle the load, we try to offer a variety of programs spread throughout each month. That way our members can pick and choose from events they'd like to attend. Our biggest challenge is offering programs to our members who live and work further out in the suburbs. To try to accomodate them, we have volunteers who organize Lunch Bunches in various locations throughout the metro area, and more recently we started offering Northern Virginia and Maryland-based workshops.

It has never occured to us to split the whole group, but we reguarly revisit the high mail volume issue quite frequently. We do offer a digest version, but those file sizes tend to get large. Of course, it seems that, as with most of our "solutions," we'll need to rustle up some volunteer support to help! The steering committee does spend a lot of time monitoring the list for members concerns. The women who not only recognize an obstacle, but offer a workable solution are our saviors.

Fairfax, VA: Alycia, besides "Take Our Daughters to the Net, how else can we reach out to younger girls who are looking towards a future career in technology but may be put off by the supposed gender issues women are currently facing?

Alycia Eck: I think *meeting* some of the women working in technology would be a good idea. Have a career fest of sorts at school where women come in and talk about their fields. Also, having a computer at home couldn't hurt, but that should be a parent and child responsibility. To use it together, and talk about purchasers for it...etc.

Washington, DC: Does DC-Webgrrls have any ongoing affiliations with other women's groups in the area?

Alycia Eck: Yes, we've worked with American Women in Computing, the Women's Center in Vienna, and we have an Outreach program that's actively looking for other beneficial relationships.

Washington DC: How web-savvy do you have to be to join DC Webgrrls? Have the "entry requirements" expanded -- become less technologically rigorous -- as the group has grown?

Alycia Eck: No technical saavy-ness needed, but a definite interest in new media helps.

Linton Weeks: What is your story and how did you get involved in DC Webgrrls?

Alycia Eck: I think it all started when I graduated from college with a degree in english and everyone started asking, "So, what are you going to do with that?" Since walking around and correcting people's grammar didn't seem to be an option, I started to look into graduate school and, in the meantime, landed a job at McGraw-Hill publishing. I wrangled my way UP to an editorial/publications position where I really began to use computers to do desktop publishing (manuals, newsletters, etc.). When I moved to my current position, they were just looking for someone interested in learning some HTML. My training consisted of someone telling me to download an HTML editor. So I picked HotDog (longest evaluation period ) and I was thrilled when I figured out how to post a very ugly page to the Website. It was obvious to me that I needed to find help so I stumbled around and found a link to DC Webgrrls' listserv from the Association of Women in Computing's site. After I joined the list, I noticed a lot of postings from women working in the Alexandria area. I thought it'd be nice to meet and chat with these women in person so I organized a lunch bunch. That's when the steering committee at that time approached me to take on a more visible role; they're always on the look-out for "self-starters." I began by helping out with our monthly workshops which, thankfully, we had two other self-starters and lots of volunteer trainers involved as well. Now I'm trying to feel my way through public relations, but I'm just waiting for them to create a "list jester" position.

Alexandria, VA: Are Webgrrls finding a ready-made talented pool of applicants when positions in their companies open up? In other words, how much placement is going on, as opposed to how much networking?

Alycia Eck: Job postings are a significant part of the volume on our list. I don't really have "stats" on the placement, but many times women will post their success stories. Makes us all feel good!

Linton Weeks: Have you experienced any sort of discrimination in the digital world?

Alycia Eck: Discrimination is such a heavy-handed word which I really can't apply to myself. The topic of discrimination certainly has come up on the DC Webgrrls discussion list numerous times and it has made me think about my own experiences in retrospect; particularly, how I came to be so involved with
computers and the Internet. When the DC Webgrrls monthly meetings were a little smaller, we used to take time to go around the table and introduce ourselves--name, job, title, etc. Many times, women would incorporate jokes
about their educational background into their introductions, "I've got a degree in English Lit., and now I'm working as a Systems Administrator/Webmaster...how'd that happen?" That's what I ask myself. Why didn't I discover my affinity for working with computers sooner, in college perhaps? Why didn't I ever consider computer science an option? So, in retrospect, I would have preferred an earlier introducation to the digital world and I am left wondering how my options could have been presented to me differently.

Alexandria, VA: Apart from "join Webgrrls," what advice would you offer to women interested in new media?

Alycia Eck: There are a lot of online resources available and tons of sites offering free space for you to develop your skills. ZDNet and Hotwired.com offer tutorials where you can pick up anything from Basic HTML to CSS to Information Architecture.

Linton Weeks: What other Web sites make the online world a better place for women?

Alycia Eck: I anticipated this question! Naturally, I had to run it by the grrls and the URLs are in. There's iVillage.com, Women.net, and WomenConnect.com which are all-encompassing sites covering everything from personal finance to health to careers, etc. Chickclick.com, Riotgrrl.com, and Hissyfit.com have a hip, twenty-something magazine feel to them, but they are definately fun and the design's sharp. Momsonline.com and Parentsoup.com come highly recommended and both offer chats and other means for networking. There's also quite a few personal finance/investing sites that are focusing on women investors such as the Motley Fool at www.fool.com or E*trade; both offer community areas with investing clubs, personal portfolios, and online classes.

Washington DC: Hi Alycia,

I am a fairly new WEBgrrls member and have found the listserv to be extremely informative!

As a career changer from many years in non-profit administration to WEB development, I am looking for some advice on job hunting.

I have almost completed a WEB development certificate from GWU and have recently started my job search. Right now, I am finding myself equally interested in technical + design jobs.

Do you have any suggestions on types of positions that may combine both areas.

Interviews that I have gone on, seem to be almost entirely in one or the other area.

Thanks!

Marilyn Brown

Alycia Eck: Look for small organizations where you wear many hats. In my position for a small non-profit, I do everything from coding HTML, to working with designers, to trying to figure out why a system's not recognizing the LAN.

Linton Weeks: Oh, yeah. We're about half-way through the hour and I feel like we're just getting started. I'll take a swig of grapefruit juice and you all keep those questions coming.

Linton Weeks: Oh, yeah. We're about half-way through the hour and I feel like we're just getting started. I'll take a swig of grapefruit juice and you all keep those questions coming.

Bethesda: Webgrrls seems like a demeaning name to me. Isn't there a better name?

Alycia Eck: Well, you either like it or you don't. There is a definite divide and I happen to be on the "like it" side. Some like the "grrl" because it sound hip and assertive.

Linton Weeks: I seem to be repeating myself. Repeating myself. Sorry, Alycia. Carry on.

Washington DC: Are DCWebgrrls mostly young women just getting started in their careers or at least in the early years of their professional life?

Alycia Eck: No, not necessarily...we had a request onlist from a woman in her late 80s having problems with her system. And age, in the new media field, does not necessarily denote more experience. We have younger women who've been working in web development since college and older women looking to make a career change.

Linton Weeks: Tell us about your site, Coquette.Net.

Alycia Eck: Its "theme" is eighteenth-century women writers, but I tend to think of it more as my own personal testing ground where Javascript bombs can explode without wiping out a heavily populated site. I had been tentatively tossing around the idea of registering a domain name maybe about a year ago when all I had then was a Geocities homepage just for fun. More and more, I found myself trying to puzzle out a script that I picked up from some CGI resource site. I'd ask the list again and again: Should I take a class?
What book should I buy? Why am I getting this error? Finally, someone told me to quit asking and start doing...and another domain was born.

I wanted the site to offer something more substantial content-wise other than personal rants/raves on movies and pictures of my car so I settled in the eighteenth-century. There's a fabulous series of books (now out of print) put out by Pandora Press entitled "Mothers of the Novel" and it concentrated on the female authors whose writing helped established the novel, and yet hardly any of their works are known (or taught) today. I liked the idea of bringing these women's works back using the Internet. The "coquette" of Coquette.Net refers back to a popular theme of women's writing in the eighteenth-century -- female sensibility.

washington: This sounds like a real cool thing. What advice can you give to us guys about making the tech field a better place for our fellow webgirrls? or should i say webwomen? (Actually if i called the tech women at my work webgirrls, i would probably get smacked.)

Alycia Eck: Well, you certainly wouldn't get smacked if they *were* webgrrls :) *Mentoring* is such an impressive word, but it encompasses smaller things like explaining a system error, passing on helpful resources, and the like. Bottom line, treat your female coworkers as you would your male colleagues.

Washington DC: What are the most popular workshops offered by DCWebgrrls? What does this popularity indicate?

Alycia Eck: ALL of them are incredibly popular, but we do get a lot of requests for Cold Fusion, Flash, JavaScript, Photoshop, and Active Server Pages. I think the demand does show how interested women are in new technologies.

Washington DC: How do you publicize DC Webgrrls? I first read about it in the Post a couple of years ago but there doesn't seem to be much publicity about it...yet it appears that the membership is growing fast.

Alycia Eck: Word-of-mouth is everything. I don't know how many times I've gone to local conferences only to have someone turn to me at lunch and ask if I've ever heard of DC Webgrrls. A good thing is its own publicity.

Silver Spring, MD: Not a question--a comment. I like the "Grrl" part of the name...it's what attracted me in the first place! And since I was de-employed (made a contractor instead of full-time employee) last March, I have found ALL of my new clients on the WebGrrls list. I've never had to look any further. Fabulous!

Alycia Eck: Thanks for the good vibes!

Washington DC: What's the best thing about being a DC Webgrrl?

Alycia Eck: Only one thing? Um, I personally think that the sense of community and its responsiveness is invaluable.

Manhattan, New York: Welcome Alycia!

I just moved to NY last month from DC, and was a member of the DCWebgrrls for over 2 years. The community that we have created online has been an incredible resource to many of its listmembers. This is not meant to sound snobbish - our DC Webgrrls listserv is moderated in just the right way, moreso than any other listserv I've been on. And Alycia Eck has been an amazing contributer and leader.

To keep the list on topic - if you want to post an offtopic comment, you have to offer a "grrltip" at the end. These I find very useful. What are you thinking Alycia?
-Jennifer Randall

Alycia Eck: Thanks for signing on, Jen...was wondering where you went off to. The "grrltips" are an amazing resource and were just being discussed this morning. It seems that the grrls would prefer to see the Tips mentioned right in the Subject line of Offtopic posts. The members have a great way of policing themselves.

Washington: this may seem like a lame question, but i am interested, so here it is: what is the stance your community takes on cyber porn? If a women is in charge, or works at a website that is adult oriented, not as a model, but a technician, do you frown upon it? or do you even take issue with this topic?

Alycia Eck: We categorize this issue as generating "more heat than light." What a woman chooses as her career is her choice.

McLean, Va.: Hi, Alycia -- does Webgrrls have a web site so I can get more info?

Alycia Eck: Well, that'd be ironic if we didn't...
http://www.dcwebgrrls.org

Washington DC: Obviously you are an active volunteer. What is there about DCWebgrrls that inspires your commitment?

Alycia Eck: I have a great time just meeting these women face-to-face. Throughout college, I've always been told to "network" and now I've found a forum to do just that. And it's fun!

Washington,DC: Will ImageReady solve all my problems? Just kidding. What do you think is the #1 misconception about women in the online industry?

Alycia Eck: The #1 misperception is that there aren't a lot of us online. 1,400 women can't be wrong.

Linton Weeks: What are some of your favorite bookmarks?

Alycia Eck: My favorite bookmarks are the ones that get me results. At work, I tend to visit Hotwired.com's Webmonkey site because they offer tutorials broken down by days (ie: five days to mastering stylesheets). Also, I've been using Allaire's Developer section now that I'm trying my hand in Cold Fusion. At home, since my favorite authors aren't usually found in print today, I spend time tracking down texts on rare book sites like http://www.alibris.com, http://www.abebooks.com/, and http://www.bibliofind.com/. They keep track of your "wants" on those sites and bookstores sign on to check their inventory against your list. In fact, I've had books mailed to me from Australia. Also, I dabble a bit on http://www.epicurious.com (Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines' site). They have a great searchable recipe archive and the odds are they'll have a quick fix for that wilting pile of veggies in my fridge that has begun to speak in tongues.

Washington DC: Who conducts your workshops? Other DC Webgrrls or are there businesses or organizations around town that contribute? And, if so, do they charge for their training?

Alycia Eck: We have a lot of supportive local businesses that volunteer both their time and space: Westlake Solutions, HandsNet, Women's Business Center, Georgetown University NMC, EEI, and our member volunteers.

Washington DC: Testimonial: When I joined DC Webgrrls there were only 200 very technologically hip members and I had to look up what a text file was in my Dummies Book.

DC Webgrrls have patiently taught me enormous amounts and changed my life!!

Hooray for DC Webgrrls!!!

Barbara Bode, Campaigns Online

Alycia Eck: Barbara, Thank You!

Burlington, NJ: How do I become a WebWoman if I don't live in DC?

Alycia Eck: Just join the list!

Reston, VA.: Do you find is difficult remaining competative in the market when technologies for Web design change so often?

Alycia Eck: Certainly, and in fact, I'm taking a class in Cold Fusion to help myself stay ahead of the curve. Our group offers low cost workshops in many technologies to help our members keep up.

Laurel, MD: What types of workshops do you offer?

Alycia Eck: Visit our site for more information:
http://www.dcwebgrrls.org

Linton Weeks: That's it, folks. Thanks so much to Alycia, to my friends at Washingtonpost.com and to all of you who sent in thoughtful questions. Next week my guest will be Mike Godwin, general counsel, Electronic Frontier Foundation. Until then...

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