It used to be that to be a geek and a girl was an unusual thing.
At least that's how it felt to me, a teenager in the late 80's/early 90's who wrote her book reports on an Apple IIc, joined the "programming in basic" club in high school so she could create her own Zork-type video game, and enjoyed playing Super Mario Brothers with her brother.
It wasn't cool to be a girl that was into technology - so I tried, largely unsuccessfully, to keep my geeky girl-ness on the down low.
Oh how things have changed.
Today, I fly my geek flag proudly. I'm not afraid to admit I know all of the X-Men or who came first, Gwen Stacy or Mary Jane Watson. I know the difference between gif, jpg and png files and regularly dig into html code to find out why a client's site isn't working the way I want it to. And given the choice, I will almost always pick a shiny new piece of technology over a sparkly piece of jewelry (which is why my biography says my poor daughter is going to end up inheriting a pile of old tech and junk jewelry).
And, I'm not alone. Gals such as Veronica Belmont, iJustine, Corvida Raven, Becky Worley and a host of others have made being a geek girl not only cool – the've made it something others want to be.
Which is why next week I will be joining over 350 women at Geek Girl Boot Camp, a day-long event on Cape Cod which is designed to help empower women through technology. During the event, women like myself will be lending our knowledge on all things technical to women who want to learn more about how they can use technology. There are sessions on blogging and podcasting, video and photography, social media, business, and computer basics. Attendees looking for more specific instruction can stop by the Help Desk for demos on things like how to sign up for Facebook or how to use Flickr.
Despite the fact that I just found out I have to wear a uniform (happily it is pink), I'm really excited for this opportunity to connect with a community of Geek Girls, and helping others be the geeks they want to be.
Are you a Geek Girl? Do you want to be?