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The following is a video produced by social bookmarking site Kirtsy to promote their to-be-released book:
I have a few questions:
- Does knowing that Kirtsy has an all-female executive team make you more likely to try out the site?
- Do you find yourself attracted to other marketing efforts that take a “you’re a girl, I’m a girl, let’s talk girl stuff” approach?
- Do you think social bookmarking sites appeal to motherhood journalists or is the blogroll still queen of the scene?
Enlighten me? Thanks for your time!
I’ve been seeing this ‘Kirtsy’ thing a lot lately, and I still don’t know what it is. But to answer your questions….
1. Does knowing that Kirtsy has an all-female executive team make you more likely to try out the site?
Nope. I’m not feminist enough to not appreciate a guy’s perspective, nor to be all empowered to only join things that don’t have guys involved. I’m not sexist; it doesn’t make a difference as long as the product is great.
2. Do you find yourself attracted to other marketing efforts that take a “you’re a girl, I’m a girl, let’s talk girl stuff” approach?
Nope. I like friendly people, like sales people that are honest, and are willing to send you somewhere else as long as it would be in your best interest. That said- I’m not one for a marketeer. They’re creepy and I feel like it’s just a script to them. Yeah, yeah, I know that makes no sense.
3. Do you think social bookmarking sites appeal to motherhood journalists or is the blogroll still queen of the scene?
Honestly? I think it really depends on the person. I know some people love to have an entire site dedicated to whatever their interest is, and I can certainly aprreciate it. On the other hand, I’m more of a smaller- circle girl. I find one thing I like, and I stick with it. I much prefer the ‘blogroll’ side of things- I feel it’s more personal, and it’s easier to handle.
Especially if I go to your website, and I see that my blog has gotten on the blogroll- I can scale my reaction and go, ‘wow. This person likes me. Cool.’ But a whole website dedicated to similar things? Reaction is more, ‘Oh. No pressure to be different or anything- there’s just 84,000 other blogs, stories, thoughts like mine. Ha, yea. Okay.” I find it pressuring.
Have a great afternoon Seth, hope your day was/ is awesome.
#1 no,the fact that a site has an all female or male for that matter executive team would have no bearing on whether I tried it out or not.
#2 no, I dont like the slant this video takes.It makes overgeneralizations (if men are writing the story well then it must contain strippers)Yes, more men are in charge but I always value their input. I found the video off putting
#3 to be honest,I dont really have an opinion on this
(After viewing the ad and visiting kirtsy.com, I admit.. I was tempted to post an article about strippers just to see if the site would implode
)
As a culture, we vacillate into madness between “we are equal” and “we are diverse”. We want to be politically correct, but we contradict ourselves depending on the audience.
But, women ARE different than men. They bring to the table, at home and in the corporate world, a nurturing human element than many men either do not possess or they stifle because they are afraid to be called “gay” by their chest-bumping peers.
I do believe men and women should celebrate their differences and peacefully co-exist and compliment one another.
For some, it would almost seem Kirtsy’s segregation would be a step _backwards_ — if there was an all-male organization, it would seem that some women would scream “inequality” and “discrimination” and try to force themselves in.
However, if we believe that difference is good, part of this celebration should include being comfortable with all-male or all-female schools, businesses and social networks.
I didn’t always think this way until I was diagnosed with a troublesome, necrotic tumor last year after a bunch of male doctor continually dismissed my symptoms as “this is what you get when you have a bunch of kids”. Their answer was to push pills, have a hysterectomy, and then more pills. (Don’t be afraid of early menopause! We have a pill for that!) It was my female GP, with an all-female staff, who said “it’s not a mental health issue… you need to hire someone to help with housework so you can rest” and who found a surgeon (on her own time! without my making an appointment!) who would remove _just_ my tumor and not one of my organs while they’re in there because I have five children and probably don’t need it any more (huh?). (It was a male surgeon who removed my tumor in the end, and he was _awesome_.)
Since then, combined with teaching natural childbirth classes, I have had a certain appreciation for the wisdom of women. I’ve visited all-women staffed birth centers that combined state-of-the-art care with noticeable home-like coziness and kindness. I felt peaceful, there, like my moms or my aunts were at the helm and I didn’t have to explain myself to them. I could just _be_.
The Kirtsy book ad brings to light some interesting statistics. (Although the journalist in me was craving some citations!)
If an all-women group can bring this nurturing aspect to the medical field, why not to other fields as well? Clothing would fit! There would be more selection than low-cut Mylie Cyrus graphic tees in the little girls section! There would be private rooms for moms to nurse in peace (they have these in Japan!)! Public buildings would be designed with lower potties for children that didn’t automatically flush every time they little wiggled! Restaurants would have more on the kids menus than constipating hot dog-mac and cheese! Advertisements would depict women doing more than making pouty faces for a camera.
At first glance, Kirtsy looks like a feminized version of Reddit (which I read). Ranked stories, many of them interesting, not too many CBY’s
…
Sadly, though, while there are copious stories posted in home, food, fashion, parenting categories, I found the technology (two Editor’s Picks) and politics/world (four Editor’s Picks) to be lacking. Many of the stories posted in those categories were either old news or stretching to fit into the category.
If Kirtsy wants to dig in heels and make a permanent place on the interwebs, (and stand out from BlogHer and similar sites), they need to take these categories seriously.
Furthermore, merely having a ranked-story site + book does not answer the “problem” of a male dominated world. If the goal is to answer this “problem”, Kirtsy needs to expand to form a network of women in all fields… film, politics, medical, technology, advertising, etc.
I believe that equality and diversity can co-exist… if we learn to love and appreciate people for who they are, and that includes gender-related differences.
Women in male-dominated fields ARE helping to shape the heart of their companies. I hope to encourage these women where they are, and to not be afraid to speak up when their intuition is telling them something is missing. When men listen, everyone wins.
I also think that women who are at the top of the corporate ladder should not frown upon women who are stay at home moms, and that women who producers films are just as valuable in women’s circles as women who serve free meals at their local soup kitchen. Women need to be accepting of each other, before men can be expected to follow suit.
Honestly, I don’t think the answer is always for women to quit their jobs in male-dominated firms and work for ones that are exclusively female. But, there is no harm in regrouping and networking every now and then, and Kirtsy is attempting to do exactly that.
1. Does knowing that Kirtsy has an all-female executive team make you more likely to try out the site?
I can’t help, but be a little bias on this subject. I’ll be honest and say that “Yes, I would be more likely to try the site out because it’s run by an all-female exec. team.” My bias stems from the fact that I am the product of an all-girls educational system. I’m jaded by the poor relationship that I “had” with my emotionally devoid father and extremely abusive ex-husband. My best friends (all females) are the reasons why I have made it out of the dark abyss of male domination. I don’t feel that way about men anymore (Partly because I found the man of my dreams), but I still get warm fuzzies inside when I’m told that a company is run by women.
2. Do you find yourself attracted to other marketing efforts that take a “you’re a girl, I’m a girl, let’s talk girl stuff” approach?
In the end, it may be the marketing that goads me into checking it out, but it’s the product that makes me stay. For me, I don’t think Kirtsy has me, yet.
3. Do you think social bookmarking sites appeal to motherhood journalists or is the blogroll still queen of the scene?
As a mother- personally, I’m a fan of the blogroll. Social bookmarking sites are great, but I find that I would be more likely to check out/ read up on those who are on a blogroll of someone that I respect and admire. (Read: You- a man).
1. Does knowing that Kirtsy has an all-female executive team make you more likely to try out the site?
No. If they have all female leaders than act like it. Don’t tell me the “girls” are in charge. Say, “women run this show. We rule and are wicked smart, so come take over the world with us.” — now that’s some leaders I want to follow.
2. Do you find yourself attracted to other marketing efforts that take a “you’re a girl, I’m a girl, let’s talk girl stuff” approach?
No. That’s cause I’m not a girl. I’m nearly forty. I’m a mom. I’m a successful business-owner with nearly two decades of training and skills under my belt. I think I’ve earned the right to be called a woman. And I want to hear arguments that move beyond the “doesn’t this suck, ladies?” talk. This voice over is so “easy breezy” and folksy that it makes me sad. Step it up. Give me solutions. Inspire me. And please, please don’t say “ya” — it makes women sound like we’re 14.
3. Do you think social bookmarking sites appeal to motherhood journalists or is the blogroll still queen of the scene?
I still think blogrolls rule
Nice reply Jen
I think the video was cute, but like many of your viewers I found segregating your gender to build a business voice a little off putting. I can appreciate a woman run company, but becareful of turning “women run” into a negative connotation like “boys only club” because really the work, the creative, and the people should be so great they speak for themselves. Men do great work, women do great work, it’s all dependent on the person or team. Not every story about women is about strippers, what does that say though that you need to highlight it?
You made a beautiful video, I look forward to checking out the site and the work. I think kurtsy is a cute name, remember you can’t please everyone but you can do your best not to offend.