OMGWTFSWE

[homodachi]

I was thinking about joining the Society of Women Engineers to get my nerd-girl networking on, and then I saw the Pacific Northwest regional chapter's website. Holy shhhhhhhhhhhhhhwtfomgomgomg

...I guess I should think of it as an opportunity to contribute to the group but it just seems like a giant warning sign. =/

Also:

Comments

[oboe_sama]

...I guess I should think of it as an opportunity to contribute to the group but it just seems like a giant warning sign. =/

my problem is that when i'm job hunting, and i come across a website that looks godawful, i immediately write off the group as scallywags and can't take anything they say seriously. speaking in general terms, i always think: "this is the public face of your organization, and you can't even make it load properly or look decent?? then why should i join your group??"

and speaking of proper html, allow me to present

, the screenplay…
SWE PN chapter: No, no, I just want you to know... I just want you to know how sorry we are that things got so fucked up with our website. We got into this thing with the best intentions and I never...

homodachi: [homodachi shoots the man on the couch] I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh, you were finished! Well, allow me to retort. What does proper HTML look like?

SWE PN

[homodachi]

Glenn, where did you COME FROM!? :D

totally with you on the reaction to crappy websites. butbutbut they purport to represent female engineers! >O

[oboe_sama]

XD

---

...

homodachi: Describe what proper HTML looks like!

SWE PN chapter: What?

homodachi: Say 'what' again. Say 'what' again, I dare you, I double dare you motherfucker, say what one more goddamn time!

SWE PN chapter: It v-v-validates...

homodachi: Go on.

SWE PN chapter: It's markup...

homodachi: Should your site look godawful?

SWE PN chapter: What?

homodachi: [homodachi shoots SWE PN chapter in shoulder] SHOULD YOUR SITE LOOK GODAWFUL?

SWE PN chapter: No!

homodachi: Then why you try to make it look godawful, SWE PN chapter?

SWE PN chapter: I didn't.

homodachi: Yes you did. Yes you did, SWE PN chapter. You tried to make it look godawful. And web visitors don't like to see godawful sites, except for MySpace.

"It v-v-validates..."

[homodachi]

XD

[mireille]

Bonus: If you click the clip art, you can access the newsletter from 2007!

Maybe it's part of an elaborate initiation process: prospective members who tactfully offer to redesign the website are invited to join the Society for Women Engineers with Exceptional Taste, an elite crack team that gets invited to all the good parties.

[homodachi]

That would be awesome if it were true, but my gut tells me it's a sign that the org either doesn't care or (worse) is so politicized that nobody wants to step on the webmaster's toes by suggesting a better design or that someone else does the job.

Oh well, I'm sure I can find other tech girls at regular industry gatherings. =)

What do you think, fellow woman of tech? Who do you usually talk shop with?

[mireille]

For now I chat up my husband, and sometimes one of our mutual friends who's a brilliant coder. I'm a little late arriving on the scene, so I don't have many tech people in my social circle! It'll be good when I finally have coworkers I can geek out with, though.

How do you get involved with these industry gatherings? Is there an expected minimum experience level?

[homodachi]

I'm sure the only qualification is having an interest in the topic. =)

I guess I kind of stumble across events based on what I'm interested in... I like advertising & graphic design, so I keep an eye on the events calendar at the design firm down the street. I love UI design so I'm planning to start going to CHIFOO events.