Woman-on-woman bullying, as women have officially become 50% of the workforce for the first time according to the Shriver Report issued last week. According to a 2007 Workplace Bullying Institute survey, though the majority of workplace bullies are men (60/40), female bullies target other women 71% of the time. Additionally, female bullies more frequently engaged in under-the-radar behaviors such as sabotage (53.7% of female vs. 39.9% of male bullies) and abuse of authority (50.2% vs. 44.7%), as compared to the more observable form of verbal abuse engaged in by more male (57.5%) than female bullies (47.1%).

It’s been at least a decade since I worked with someone I’d classify as a “mean girl”… This got me to wondering whether I’m lucky, or whether it has something to do with working in tech.  I think it’s probably a combination of both.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with smart, fun, and interesting people over the years- both men and women.  In my experience, the women in tech (particularly in mobile) are generally supportive of each other, not divisive.  I think this is partially because in technology, women are the minority… In major cities all over the world there are all sorts of great organizations supporting women in tech: Women 2.0, Girl Geek Dinners, She’s Geeky, etc… The list goes on.  The most successful women I know in tech, simultaneously take no prisoners and seek out ways to help their colleagues succeed, regardless of their sex.  Don’t get me wrong, I know there are mean girls out there, but I don’t often see them with their claws out in technology companies.

I suspect that the tech community may be at least a bit more accepting of differences and less tolerant of mean girls bullying than other industries.  If you want to build cool products, you need to collaborate with your peers and accept others’ ideas and viewpoints – even when they’re vastly different than your own.  Particularly in Silicon Valley, where so many of the most amazing technical innovations come from (what I jokingly refer to as) the ’socks and sandals’ crowd, you’d be a fool to bully someone that’s different than you are… At the end of the day, we’re all tech geeks.

I’d be curious to hear what other women in tech think…  Am I THAT lucky, or is the “mean girl” really as prevalent across industries as the Harvard Business Review article makes it sound?

Today, Open Mobile Solutions (OMS) announced which mobile apps will be demoed at the four Developer Pitch Sessions at CTIA Wireless next week.  The line-up of developers and mobile applications/ products looks great:

• Soundtrckr
• Mobisante
• TextArrest
• Nearbynow
• Anttenna
• Right Deal Right Now
• Caregive
• Live Colony
• Micello
• Lumosity
• Asurion Mobile Addressbook
• Glympse
• Rhythm New Media
• Yap
• Xtop
• Fring
• Flirtomatic
• Pageonce
• Snapfinger from Kudzu Interactive
• Inrix Traffic.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I’ll be moderating the second Developer Pitch Session on Distribution on Wednesday, March 24 from 3-4pm in the Las Vegas Convention Center − Apps World, North Hall – Innovation Hall.  The experts for this session are:

• Claudia Backus, Senior Director, Ecosystem Programs, Motorola
• Larry Berkin, Head of Global Alliances, Symbian Foundation
• Christopher David, Head of Developer and Partner Engagement, Sony Ericsson
• Ian McDonald, Global Manager, BlackBerry Developer Program (UPDATED 3/19/10 – replacing Tyler Lessard)
  
• Asokan Thiyagarajan, Director – Platforms & Technology Strategy, Samsung Telecommunications America
  
• Patrick Mork, Vice President, Marketing, GetJar, Inc.

During this session, developers will pitch the following mobile products:

• Glympse
• Asurion Mobile Address Book
• Yap
• Rhythm New Media
• Xtop from IMS
  

If you still need a ticket to CTIA, here’s instructions on how to get one for free.

It’s good to see the Finns reaching out to mobile developers outside of Europe.  This is going to be a good opportunity for US mobile developers to look under the hood at how to develop for new technologies like Maemo, QT and Web Runtime as well as existing technologies like Symbian.  It’ll also be a good way to learn about distributing apps on the Ovi store.

I wish the event were free, but it’s $450. The good news is that there’s an early bird registration discount of $150 off the regular price for developers that register here before March 31, 2010.

• RT @jacob: Congrats to @megan and @gaberivera for their launch of @mediagazer – the techmeme of media news!! #
• Due to popular demand, OMS is adding a second Developer Pitch Session on Distribution at #ctia Looks like I’ll be moderating. Details soon! #
• 2nd Developer Pitch Session at #CTIA on “Gaining Distribution” was just announced: http://ow.ly/1gioV I’m moderating: March 24 3-4pm. #in #
• My #Motorola Backflip is arriving soon…I hope. In the meantime, I’ve been reading reviews like this 1 from @kabster728: http://ow.ly/1gjJf #
• @jebbrilliant Definitely come out early for @wipjam. I’ve seen cheap room deals incl 3* Sahara for only $20/night. in reply to jebbrilliant #
• Make sure to sign up for #wipjam at #ctia @mobilejam says they’re giving away a few #Samsung phones. http://ow.ly/1glvJ #mobile #developer #
• Mobile Developers- It’s your last chance to apply for the CTIA Developer Pitch Sessions: http://ow.ly/1gioV. Apply here: http://ow.ly/1gGxZ #
• Good news, @mobileslate published his 2010 #CTIA #LasVegas #Party List: http://www.mobileslate.com/ctia #
• Anyone else going to the OpenFeint GDC party tonight in SF? http://openfeint.eventbrite.com/ #
• RT @Davidivorsmith: 25 Irish companies at CTIA, I will put a list up http://bit.ly/bqvWTK networking reception http://bit.ly/cIrEym #entirl #
• The gwallet party tonight was great – full of smart, interesting people…Keep your eyes on gwallet. Interesting business model. #gdc #
• Thanks to @shaherose for mentioning my coverage of #MWC10 on SocializeMobilize in the Women 2.0 MWC debrief. http://ow.ly/1ijDa #
• SF-based Chomp (www.chomp.com) got $2M in funding for their mobile app recommendation engine: http://ow.ly/1iloo #
• I’m checking out Glimpse at @seat2d’s recommendation. It lets u share ur location w/ someone 4 a specific amt of time: http://bit.ly/12z73d #
• Thank you @unitedairlines, and welcome to wireless! United is now offering mobile check-in and e-boarding cards. http://ow.ly/1is3t #mobile #
• Could your #SmallBiz use a $35K grant? Nominate your business (or one you love) http://LoveALocalBusiness.com (via @intuit) #

So far, there is a great panel of experts confirmed for this session including:

• Larry Berkin, Head of Global Alliances, Symbian Foundation
• Tyler Lessard, Vice President, Global Alliances and Developer Relations, RIM
• Asokan Thiyagarajan, Director – Platforms & Technology Strategy, Samsung Telecommunications America
• Patrick Mork, Vice President, Marketing, GetJar, Inc.
• Jai Jaisimha, CEO, Open Mobile Solutions, Inc.

Rumor has it that additional experts may be added to this esteemed panel in the coming days… I’ll update this post if/when that happens.

I’m pleased that Open Mobile Solutions (OMS) asked me to moderate this panel*. As I type, Mobile developers are applying online for an opportunity to pitch and demo their product to panels of experts at CTIA.  If you’d like to pitch your product to this panel, you can apply here.  The original “Distribution” panel that was organized (Panel A) proved so popular that a second session was added: “Gaining Distribution Panel B.”  In this session, pre-selected developers will pitch and demo their product for 5 minutes in front of a panel of experts on distribution (OEMs, major operators, etc.). The experts will provide feedback to the chosen developers in front of a live audience.

It should be an interesting event. I hope to see you there.

*Last week, I officially became an Advisor to OMS, which is in private beta.  It will soon launch publicly as THE place to find qualified mobile app development resources via a competitive, bidded marketplace.

• Flixter is looking for a #mobile product manager… Looks like a great opportunity for the right person: http://ow.ly/1cR8z #
• If you want to pitch at the #Developer Pitch Sessions at #CTIA there’s a new application link (last 1 didn’t work well): http://ow.ly/1cRbJ #
• Today’s the last day to enter AT&T’s annual mobile app contest: http://ow.ly/1cSDx #mobile #developer #att #
• Heading to the UKTI UK Delegates Mission reception in SF. Anyone else going? #
• Congratulations to @anandc and the other 2010 Young Global Leaders Honourees, which were just announced today http://ow.ly/1dNHE (.pdf list) #
• Intertek/NSTL’s @tederf is looking for a sales person in SF/Seattle/LA to sell testing services to OEMs, Ops & Devs. http://ow.ly/1eeXL #
• Great article from @rich_wong in today’s @techrunch with advice for #developers on how to deal with #mobile fragmentation http://ow.ly/1epEB #
• Just ordered new mini business cards from @Overheardatmoo. Loved the new US order process and ability to upload logos. #
• If you’re friends w/ the blond I saw driving a #Tesla #Roadster in slow lane on 280S, pls tell her that’s unacceptable behavior in that car. #
• Having trouble working from “work”? Tips for staying productive in the office when you can’t WFH (SocializeMobilize): http://ow.ly/1eQV3 #in #
• Just booked my tickets to Las Vegas for #CTIA 22-25th. Are you going? #

Don’t get me wrong, working in a traditional office has it’s perks, but a tranquil and productive working environment usually isn’t one of them.  I say this having worked in plenty of of cube farms, where it seemed people couldn’t pass each others’ cubes without saying a friendly hello or starting a conversation for fear of being impolite.

Another challenge of the conventional work environment is “meeting culture.” At conventional offices, meetings are usually scheduled in hour-long slots – even when a full hour isn’t needed. People spend their days running around from meeting to meeting (often meeting different people to discuss the same topic), unable to get much done in between. Working from home, I only schedule meetings when I’m confident that they’ll be more beneficial than a phone call or an email. I still see and/or talk to plenty of people during the day, but I try to schedule my activities in chunks (i.e. meetings clustered together with time set aside for email, etc.), which makes it more productive.

Jason Fried, CEO of 37 Signals, which makes web-based productivity software for businesses, recently expressed similar sentiment:

One of the things Jason mentions in the above video is the importance of coming to a common understanding with your colleagues about how to interact with each other in the office.  Successful management teams make an effort to minimize workplace distraction while fostering a friendly, comfortable, team-oriented working environment.  Here are a few things that I’ve found can enhance team productivity when working in a shared office:

• Before scheduling a meeting or sending someone a message, ask yourself what the most efficient way is to get things done. Is it a meeting, or will a quick call or email suffice?
• If you need to have a meeting, provide a structured agenda and key decision points to all of the participants in advance.  If key participants can’t attend the meeting, either reschedule it, or find a way to move the conversation forward by getting their input by email before the meeting, to ensure that there are meaningful outputs by the end of the meeting.
• Think twice before interrupting your colleagues at work:
  • Minimize “cube-drive-by” conversations in favor of arranging social time over lunch, ascheduled coffee break, or happy hour.  If you walk past someone’s cube without saying hello or stopping to chat, and they’re working, they won’t think badly of you for it, if you’ve suggested that you meet them later for lunch, coffee, or happy hour.
  • If you’ve got a quick question for a colleague in the middle of the day, and it’s not urgent, park the question until the end of the day. By that point, you may have found the answer or come up with other questions that you need their help with.
  • If you’ve got a quick question that’s urgent, ping your colleague via IM and let them know it’s important. They’ll respond to you as quickly as they can (i.e. when they’re not on a call or in a meeting).  If they’re not on IM, call them on the phone.

And, when all else fails, there’s always headphones.

• Ev Williams, Co-founder and CEO of Twitter
• Marissa Mayer, Vice-President, Search Product and User Experience at Google
• Anand Chandrasekaran, Director, Products at Openwave Systems Inc.
• George Hu, Executive Vice-President, Marketing and Alliances, Salesforce.com

The wider group of YGLs meet several times of year for summits and other events that promote community building, generating insight and undertaking collective action. The summits, which take place all over the world including places like Zermatt, Vancouver, Dalian, Tianjin and the Dead Sea, provide an opportunity for the YGL group to come together to learn from each other.  This year’s summit is in May in Dar es Salaam, Tazania.

Collectively, past YGL honourees band together to do a variety of things for the greater good.  Past achievements include addressing hunger and health concerns in the developing world and working with children in schools on things like spreading principles of dignity and encouraging mass deworming of students affected by parasitic worms.  I’ll be interested to see what emerges from the group this year.

• Heading back to SF from London on Tuesday afternoon. It’s been a great trip! #
• @tomiahonen That’s interesting… Especially since they created MOTOMAGIX (sp?) & it didn’t last. Differentiating is tough on both HW & SW. in reply to tomiahonen #
• Check out these 3 great panels at #CTIA for #mobile #developers: 1) VC funding 2) Gaining Distribution 3) Monetizing http://ow.ly/1aOYF #
• Want a free pass to #CTIA Use the code “OMS4CTIA” & sign up for the Developer Pitch Sessions by Open Mobile Solutions: http://ow.ly/1aPEP #
• Daily traffic on SocializeMobilize.com nearly 1/2ed after #MWC10 My MWC party list was a hit! Trying to come up w/ a good replacement post. #
• Any developers out there looking for speaking opps at #CTIA If so, ping me. I’m looking developers with stories of mobile monetization. #
• If you missed the #mwc10 daily magazines, you can get them free online: http://ow.ly/1bdCo #
• @CPeterC Great! You can apply for the #ctia pitch sessions here: http://ow.ly/1bgSL. I’d also be happy to introduce you to the organizer. in reply to CPeterC #
• Bad news from @palm recapped by Fierce Wireless: http://ow.ly/1bjx7 IMHO: Palm needs to make a HUGE push to developers now more than ever. #
• @tnkgrl That would help too. in reply to tnkgrl #
• Can you recommend a savvy social media agency in London? I’m looking for 1 that’s familiar w/ how to legally market gambling svs in the UK. #
• @vangeest I’d love to, but I’ve got a busy afternoon. Thanks for the invite though. Next time! in reply to vangeest #
• @Atul_S I did a quick recap in a post last week, which you can find here:http://ow.ly/1bmlN. I don’t think the session was filmed though. in reply to Atul_S #
• @Atul_S Happy to help! in reply to Atul_S #
• hey @venmo, can I get an invite? #
• If your admin isn’t particularly good at taking (or prompt to deliver) your phone messages, check out @Phonesheet. Looks like a good app. #