Post-newscast Geek Girl

I’ve always loved technology.  Good thing – it’s ever-changing in the TV news biz which combines my love for technology with my love for words.

My appreciation for computers and gizmos stems from my parents.  They seem to be spending their retirement attached to their laptops.  Just recently, my father was among the first to get an iPhone 3Gs.

Both of my brothers are engineers in the computer industry.  My older brother is a systems engineer for a software company and my younger brother works for a company that programs video poker machines.  (Don’t ask. He’s not allowed to talk about the programs.)  I’m the black sheep who went into journalism.

Over the past few years, I’ve helped a lot of my colleagues at Fox Chicago to dive into social media.  There is immeasurable value in using sites like facebook and twitter to interact with viewers.

ad : tech chicago

So maybe it won’t surprise you that I spent my afternoon at a tech conference today.  Some of the country’s savviest internet marketers are here for ad:tech chicago.  At a session called “The Twitter Effect”, we heard from companies leveraging Twitter to drive brand engagement and sales.   It’s enlightening but I’m surprised by how much I already know.

A Geek + A Nerd = 2 Nerds : Cam Balzer of Threadless.com (A super cool company!)

I remark to my pals, “Hey, terms like SEO, ROI and bit.ly don’t phase me anymore!”   Without missing a beat, social media strategist Beth Rosen replies, “You are a geek!  Why are we hanging with you?  Where are the cool people?”

Hanging with some of Chicago’s top bloggers ahead of BlogHer ’09. (These are amazing women!)

As if my family and Anchor/Reporter job at Fox Chicago didn’t keep me busy enough, here I am spending my day off blogging!  Well, I just can’t help myself after meeting and getting to know many of the women pictured above.  They are moms, entrepreneurs and businesswomen – part of a far more influential tech community in Chicago than you may think.  For me, they’ve been pure inspiration and, perhaps, the sisters I never had.

My tech mentors have taught me to use social media far more effectively.  I now approach my news assignments differently and I’ve surprised myself with my ability to multi-task while reporting from the field and anchoring in the studio.

There are others on the internet who’ve guided and encouraged me but here’s to some of the amazing women who’ve pushed me to make this blog a reality and to grow in new ways.   Get to know them, too.  Who knows what they may inspire you to do!

(In no particular order)

Beth Rosen, Sarah Evans, Liz Strauss, MJ Tam, Barbara Rozgonyi, Hope Bertram, Wendy Piersall, Jackie Cuyvers, Carrie Kirby, Duong Sheahan, Kim Moldofsky, Amy Ravit Korin, Lisa Martin, Allison Worthington.