Race, Gender, Tech

Image via WikipediaGroup dynamics is the number one thing I bring to the table for work. And there gender as a topic stands out. And I don't even mean in a political way. It is fascinating as a topic like stars might fascinate astrophysicists.

The zen of tech makes it even more possible to see the threads of race and gender. In a city where the subway ride is cheap, even at free events why do you end up seeing a room that is almost all people of one kind? Culture is a powerful force. Like Facebook did not create the social graph, it merely mapped it, tech in general helps you see social threads.

The other day I saw a group photo of the Tumblr team somewhere and it was an all white team, and I noticed. My teams in India are all Indian. (Doubling Down On Tech Consulting) I was at an event in Jackson Heights on Friday and it was a room full of people from Nepal.

And you come across women who would like you to believe they are on the cutting edge of things like the glass ceiling, only it simply does not involve a single white male they might personally know. Or when a white woman does her racist bonding thing with a white male to portray you as The Other. The same platform also is open to acts of sexist bonding, but do you really want to go for that? But then corporate warfare has its twists and turns. And the Internet is globalization on steroids. A billion Indians would not be my idea of a minority.

Permanent War

Google Plus: Symmetry, Asymmetry: Both

Image by jdlasica via FlickrOn Facebook there is symmetry, we have to friend each other. On Twitter there is asymmetry. You could argue there is asymmetry also on Google Plus. So far I have not had to ask for anyone's permission before adding them to a circle.

But where Google Plus is different from Twitter is I can only add a total of 5,000 people to circles. On Twitter I follow and am followed by 45,000 people.

A million people might still add Ashton Kutcher to their circles, but Kutcher can not reciprocate. He can only add 5,000 people to his circles. And so the experience stays intimate for both Ashton Kutcher and his fans. His fans also have that 5,000 limitation. And so there is quality to that circling. Those fans can not add 50,000 people to their circles. That adds value to every time you get added to some circle.

The Help

(Via Marissa Mayer)
Marissa Mayer: Location, Local