Press/Media
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Will women buy the iPad?
Most female technophiles agree that when it comes to gadgets, women look for tools that will improve their lives by increasing their productivity or saving them time. “I don’t think the iPad does that,” writes Nelly Yusupova, of DigitalWoman via Twitter. “iPad is a beautiful piece of engineering but really it is just a bright, shiny, new gadget to look at and say ohhhh!” |
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How local companies are doing business in Second Life
Nelly Yusupova, founder and president of Manhattan-based Digital Woman, a Web strategy and design firm, and chief technology officer of the networking group Webgrrls International, has reservations for other reasons: information overload and the amount of time that can be spent in Second Life. Though she says she does see the promise, she also says, “I don’t even have enough time for my first life.” |
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Nelly Yusupova, helping pave the way for women in IT
Since the dust has settled from BlogHer 2007, I finally caught up with Nelly for a podcast opportunity so that the TechRepublic community could learn a little bit about Webgrrls, DigitalWoman.com, and Nelly’s take on a few questions related to programming and IT. |
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Be a Part of Influencing the Future
We need to change the geek stereotype and start showcasing that geek girls are the hip and cool people in society. We are driving society, creating the tools for the musicians, artists, actors, humanitarians, scientists, and doctors. If more girls knew the broader picture of the technology applications, I believe they would be intrigued to be a part of it. I became an expert at computers and technology by not being intimidated by new information and not giving up just because I did not know something. |
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Web Space As Women’s Space – An interview with Nelly Yusupova
Nelly Yusupova is anything but lazy. A leader in the technology industry, Nelly runs a number of websites that create the Cybergrrl network, websites all geared toward linking women with one another. The Webgrrls International and Cybergrrl mission is “to empower women through promoting the use of technology in both their personal and professional lives.” Webgrrls International networks women interested in tech and business, while Cybergrrl connects teen girls. The two other websites that complete the network are Femina, a general interest search directory for women’s websites, similar to WWWomen, and DigitalWoman, Nelly’s own firm that develops internet strategies for businesses expanding to utilize the internet. Nelly herself has an interesting background, starting when her family moved to the US from Tajikistan to escape the rising Taliban, learning English and computers, all the way to creating women’s resources and being awarded a spot in the Real Hot 100 among many other honors. |
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Meeting your greet expectations
Online introductions. More and more people are facilitating connections through online social-networking sites. In those cases where there are no “visual cues, body language, nonverbal communication,” you are wise to provide even more information, says Nelly Yusupova. She’s chapter leader of Webgrrls of New York City, a networking group, and is founder of DigitalWoman.com, a Web design and marketing company. Yes, you can provide a link to the person’s bio page, but also include details of how you know the person and why you’re making the introduction. That added detail, she says, serves to “warm” the introduction. |
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Getting Technical
How exactly do you pick the best people to help you set up your technology and come in for those occasional checkups? Nelly Yusupova, who heads the New York City chapter of Webgrrls, a women’s IT network resource group, says you do it the same way you’d hire any new employee: networking and leads. “I happen to have a background in programming so it’s harder for an IT person to get away with something behind my back. But if you can find someone close to you who’s had a positive experience with someone in IT, you should really consider hiring that referral,” she says. “But becoming a part of a technology resource group is also critical, so you can ask members questions that get immediate answers. That way you’re not completely dependent on your IT person’s schedule,” Yusupova adds. These groups offer technology professionals and small businesses the opportunity to network with others who leverage technology to help propel their businesses forward. |
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Getting Technical
Yusupova also believes you should start with simple technology goals. “Instead of just wanting the high end of everything, try a basic Web site,” she says. “See how it’s maintained for a bit and only then start to think about adding complex technology. You may find the Web site to be a handful in itself and at least this way you haven’t overextended your business.” |
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Nelly Yusupova appeared as a guest expert on the NBC Today Show. Please choose the Video Format in which you would like to watch this segment.
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Women Share Secrets To High-Tech Success
Nelly Yusupova is a young woman on the IT fast track. A Russian immigrant, Ms. Yusupova earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Queens College of the City University of New York and is working towards a master’s degree in management information systems. “However, having a technical education isn’t enough to really make it in the IT field,” says Ms. Yusupova. “The real knowledge comes from hands-on experience by actually working.” As an undergraduate, Ms. Yusupova landed a tech internship at Cybergrrl Inc., a New York City-based media and entertainment company for women and girls. After a few months, she was asked to join the staff and became responsible for some of the programming and system support. She left to take a position with New York financial-services firm Paine Webber, where she helped upgrade brokerage applications and provided technical support. Then a technical-lead position at Cybergrrl became available. “I jumped at the opportunity,” she says. Ms. Yusupova oversees and implements the technical strategy for Webgrrls International Inc., a networking organization for women. She organizes and manages team projects and makes sure they run smoothly. It’s challenging, she says. “Webgrrls International is a group of very technically savvy women and, with Webgrrls around the world as our users, there’s a lot of pressure to execute incredibly well,” she says. Ms. Yusupova says she’s encountered a few challenges as a woman in what’s still perceived as a man’s field. “I’ve worked with many men who thought I knew a lot less than what I do and a lot less than my male teammates when, in fact, I knew a lot more. However, after working together for a little while, they quickly learned when to defer the lead to me. Projects always run more smoothly when functional leadership is practiced,” she says. |
