If you like irony, you will LOVE this blog post!

Posted by Laura Bergells

April 20, 2007

After several posts about gender bias in tech advertising at my presentation blog earlier this week, I uploaded a presentation at the popular presentation sharing site, Slideshare.net. You can see my presentation here:

http://www.slideshare.net/maniactive/what-happened-to-the-promise-of-1984/

Today, this “Gender Bias” presentation is featured on the front page of Slideshare.net. And I have received a number of positive emails and comments. (Mostly from men, by the way. Guys rock!) Which is all very nice and encouraging…

But here’s the irony part: take a look at the screenshot from Slideshare’s home page today (yellow highlight added):

My featured presentation (highlighted) on Gender Bias is positioned next to an ad for Slideshare’s “The World’s Best Presentation” contest. As you can see, this contest is judged by an all male panel!

Where is the gender diversity in this bit of technology marketing?

In fact, a number of men have encouraged me to enter Slideshare.net’s “Best Presentation Contest”, which runs from now ’til next week. I won’t do it. Naturally, entering a presentation about gender bias to a contest judged by all males would make me an incredible hypocrite — so, I cannot enter. Call me a conscientious objector…

But I do so love irony! And if you like irony and/or gender equality, here’s something fun you can do to help:

Simply look at my presentation at Slideshare.

That’s it. Just look.

It’s only 14 slides with almost no words and limited graphics.

Should take you less than a minute. Click here:

http://www.slideshare.net/maniactive/what-happened-to-the-promise-of-1984

That’s it!

That’s all you have to do!

Why should you? The more people who view the presentation, the more likely it is to stay on the front page for the duration of the male-only contest…which ends next week.

Remember, this presentation IS NOT part of the contest — so you cannot vote for it.

But you CAN look at it — and having a presentation about Gender Bias in Tech Marketing hang out on the front page during a marketing contest judged by men only would be a jolly bit of irony.

And heck, it might even transform some social consciousness.

Thanks for your support! Now get clickin’!

PS - And oh yeah, it wouldn’t hurt to tell some friends or Digg this post, either!