The stereotypical founder of a silicon valley giant is an insanely arrogant, pathologically driven, geekily brilliant 22-year-old guy. For the first time in startup history, girl wonders actually have an edge over the boys. (not that anyone has noticed.) Can the new femme entrepreneurs seize their moment?
by E.B. Boyd in San Francisco Magazine
A native New Yorker, Malikah Kelly has broad experience in the fashion and luxury industry, including marketing, operations, and most recently web development and digital marketing. Starting out with a Bachelor’s in Applied Psychology from Pace University, she smoothly transitioned into the world of fashion, holding positions at Reiss, Giorgio Armani, and several consumer magazines and websites. In 2010 Malikah left NYC for Bologna, Italy, where she completed a Master of Business Administration focused on design, fashion, and luxury goods. She is currently enjoying life in Milan.
Tweet her via @malikahkelly
Hi, my name is Mahelia. I am the founder of DGC. I work as a community manager for leading international ad agencies. I also write for VogueItalia. While working at SuperHeroes Amsterdam last year with two inspiring female art directors, I decided I wanted to create a space where like minds could connect, share ideas and collaborate. Not long after, DGC was born. I enjoy traveling, good (spicy) food, connecting people, wasting time online, vintage fashion and daydreaming. I love napping and cooking shows, too. We’ve got lots of exciting projects planned and we’re always open to collaborate with other women’s organizations. As a working mom, It’d be great to hear from other mommies with a passion for all things digital. Stay tuned for our Social Media Week event in New York on February 17th. See you there!
Get in touch: @thestylebroker or digitalgirlsclub[at]gmail.com
Pinterest is a virtual pinboard, or image bookmarking site, and I know what you’re saying: “But I already have (Polyvore, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, etc.)”
So do I! Well I used to… I toyed with Polyvore for a while but eventually abandoned it. I’m too lazy to put together mediocre collages containing Givenchy dresses I’ll never buy. If I’m going to admire an expensive dress I just want to save the image, not figure out what shoes go with it. If you fancy yourself a stylist Polyvore is still the way to go.
I continue to use StumbleUpon as my social bookmarking site of choice, and it does allow image bookmarking. However you can only catagorize images by tags, and to see the image full size you need to click on the link. Pinterest allows you to create visually stunning mood boards using images you’ve found surfing the web.
Tumblr is still in a league all it’s own, and encompasses more than just pretty pictures. Though I imagine it’s the quick and easy microblogging of interesting photos that make Tumblr so fun to use. In fact most users of Tumblr ask why they should sign up for Pinterest. What’s the difference?
The difference is the ability to save an unlimited amount of images for gift inspiration, ideas for design, pictures of your favorite foods, gadgets, whatever you admire. Categorize these images into themed boards to share with friends and total strangers with similar tastes. Pinterest really allows you to dig in and curate what is specific to your tastes. It’s double the fun when you discover other pinners liking and re-pinning what you add.
With Pinterest you can become a curator and tastemaker of great images that inspire you and other pinners.
I am Lauren, a social media manager for fashion and lifestyle brands from Houston, Texas. Currently I blog on fashion, social media, digital trends, and mobile apps. I’m a huge fan of Twitter chats and tech related Facebook groups. When not wasting hours on Tumblr and Pinterest, I help organize fashion blogger meetups in Houston.
I can be found tweeting @TheModSocial and sharing my thoughts on TheModSocial.com
Hello, my name is Nicole, and I work as the Assistant Photo Editor for AARP The Magazine and as a freelance food and portrait photographer and excitable thrift store seeker living in Washington D.C. I’m also a contributing photographer for two design and local lifestyle organizations: AIGA-DC and ReadySetD.C. Prior to living in D.C, I worked in New York for InStyle and Essence magazines as a photo and editorial intern., and as a promoter/writer for the indie music magazine Filter I’m a bit of a foodie with a borderline obsessive love for bread pudding and mac n’ cheese. (Trying to curtail this; failing miserably). You can most likely find me around town collecting vintage cameras, reading in the corner of a bookstore, or zipping around on my bicycle, affectionately named Andy. And of course, running my little labor of love, a multifaceted blog called The Chestnut Orange where I share everything from new music discoveries to recipes, fashion, and art and design. I love connecting and collaborating with area designers and bloggers to help develop or photograph various projects.
Social Media Week NYC x Digital Girls Club x Hyper Island. More info coming soon.
Hello world wide web!
My name is Andrea K. Castillo and I am a digital girl. By day I work at an accessory company, specializing in handbags and cold weather accessories. In my in-between time, nights, and weekends, I am a writer, blogger, and event planner & promoter. I write for digital culture magazine Stark, specifically in the realms of music and culture, and I blog for for my personal site A Life in The Day of Andrea. I love writing and events because it brings me closer to people; I am a social media hound because it brings me closer to people all around the globe. Without social media, I probably would have never found Digital Girls Club. Thank you Twitter!
Things I <3: family, food, music, beautiful artforms (whether it be objects or fashion pieces), travel, good books, the internet
I tumble as well, In the Mind of Andrea, and am all over Twitter, @andreakcastillo. Say hello :)
By day (and sometimes by night) I’m a motion graphic designer for ITN, a news and content provider for the UK’s main commercial broadcaster. I work as part of a design team in the often hectic world of broadcast news.
I’m also the founder of Thenublack, an online arts and culture platform which I launched in 2008 to profile the work of contemporary creatives of the African Diaspora. You’re most likely to find me behind a computer screen or a camera lens. I enjoy helping people generate ideas and collaborating with like-minded individuals on creative projects.
I’m passionate about learning and discovering new experiences, connecting like minds together and keeping my fingers in as many pies as possible.
Likes: documentaries, travel, Parks & Recreation, A Suite for Ma Dukes, dried mango slices, good conversation, flicking through old copies of VIBE magazine.
Dislikes: writing proposals, Comic Sans, over acting in movies, Autotune, that there hasn’t been a Cosby Show reunion…yet.
H E L L O !
I found out about The Digital Girls Club the same way I find out about most things: Twitter. I’m thrilled to be contributing to a collective that’s as passionate about the digital space as I am.
I’m a digital media planner, blogger and online editor who covers advertising, social media and tech. And even though I specialize in digital media, I’m a sucker for ambient campaigns. When I’m not working, you can probably find me gallivanting around downtown, racing to a tech or social media networking event, and spending unhealthy amounts of time online.
Don’t be a stranger (tweet me at @AndreaVLewis). I promise I don’t byte.
… But, why?
Writing code, or at least understanding enough of it, to make edits, has become a sought-after skill. Codeacademy’s democratization of coding with CodeYear has made over 300,000 people, including New York’s Mayor Bloomberg, realize their inner nerd and jump on the programming bandwagon.
The internet has become an integral part of our everyday lives and I often wonder if this mass interest is simply a natural progression of curiosity based on our own reliance to smart phones, tablets, and laptops and the programs that run on them, or rather a strategic career move fueled by dreams of fame and fortune by building the next Facebook.
My guess is that it’s probably a little bit of both.
As Douglas Rushkoff said,
“If you know how to code, you can get a high-paying job right now, or make valuable stuff right now. You will understand more about how the world works, and become a participating member in the digital society unfolding before us…”
Are you one of the thousands that are hoping to learn to code this year? If so why?
[photo credit]
