On the one hand, internet usage is considered more acceptable for the average yeshivish woman than for the average yeshivish man. On the other hand: well, why is that so?

Weigh in here or there.

Comscore has released a really great study entitled Women on the Web that underscores the importance of women’s buying power online.

As Comscore so eloquently described us, “Divas drive the dollars” , with U.S. women spending more time on retail shopping and actual transactions than men.

Here’s the facts:  In the U.S., women make up slightly less than half the internet users but make up for it by spending 58% of the commerce dollars.  Some 12.5% of women made an online purchase in February 2010, compared to 9.3% men.

In almost every retail category represented in the study, women overindexed men in their online shopping activity.  (Exceptions where computers, electronics and sports.) Now this may be shocking news to some,  but let’s face it, women are the chief purchasing officer for households.

Health sites also showed some of the largest overall differences in activity between female and male, with a nearly 6-point gap between global women and men.

Also important is the amount of time that women are spending in social media. Women spend significantly more time on social networking sites than men, with women averaging 5.5 hours per month compared to men’s 4 hours.

Marketers who are embracing social media as part of the engagement plans really understand word of mouth and the importance of relationships and communication for women.

Thanks Comscore.

Last Friday was like Christmas morning for me. Except that on this Christmas morning I had to wait until noon to get to to unwrap my presents and there was really no guarantee that there was even going to be a present under the tree at all. It was hard to focus – I was too busy being excited and nervous all at the same time.

The day had finally arrived – Early bird tickets for BlissDom Canada were going on sale at noon and it was all I could think about. After an long morning spent distracted and tweeting with other early bird hopefuls on Twitter, the clock finally struck 12 and the race was on. After an intense few minutes spent navigating minor hiccups in an otherwise flawless plan via text message, my dear friend Candice, who was ordering the tickets for both of us seeing as I didn’t have the ability to at work, sent me the news…

Success! We’re going to BLISSDOM CANADA!

In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, BlissDom is a conference for women that focuses on blogging, social media and networking. Started 3 years ago by Allison Worthington of Blissful Media Group who eventually joined forces with Barbara Jones of One2One Network (they met on Twitter!), BlissDom conferences brought thought-provoking and inspiring speakers and topics to women that engage online in a fun and comfortable real life setting. BlissDom Canada will be taking place from October 27-29 in Toronto and marks the first time that the conference has come to the Great White North.

I’ve been aware of all this Bliss for just over a year now. I started noticing more and more blogging women buzzing about their experiences and I couldn’t help but get caught up in it. Everything about th experience sounded amazing – the learning and the sharing, the connections that were made and the friendships that came from those three days of getting to know other like-minded women. I was dreaming of the day when I’d be able to get myself down to one of these conferences. I wasn’t sure how or when, but I knew that I was going to get into on it eventually.

I caught wind of BlissDom Canada a few months ago and I knew that this was my chance. I’m beyond excited to be getting to attend and to be going with such a good friend. I’ve already started connecting with amazing new people because of the conference and it’s thrilling to see my network growing not only larger, but also stronger. I can’t wait to meet these women in October!

BlissDom Canada is still about 3 1/2 months away and while it seems like such a long time to have to wait for something so awesome, I think I’m going to need that time to prepare. This will be my first time going to something like this and I want to make sure I make the most of it. I have so many questions (Is it better t stay at the hotel? How does one go about getting sponsorship?) and am looking for tips and advice and ultimately, to connect with other BlissDom goers. What has always stuck out for me as the biggest take-away from BlissDom according to other bloggers are the people you meet. Personally, I am so thrilled to start connecting!

This experience is really important to me so expect more than a few posts about it along the way!

If you’re going to BlissDom Canada, I’d love to hear from you! Been to a BlissDom conference before? I’d love to pick your brain!

Let the Road to BlissDom begin!

I have been pondering Jason Falls’ presentation at the Dallas Social Media Club meeting last Tuesday. (Sorry, been a busy week.) He was jolly, open, and authentic. I liked what he said about the business of blogs. He asserted that his most recent research indicates that the largest segment of blog traffic comes from first-time visitors—debunking the common myth that blogs appeal primarily to a devoted cadre of repeat visitors. Instead, based on Jason contends we actually should approach the blog as we would a standard marketing piece—core marketing messages.

Jason advises that the blog’s primary business purpose should be to “win search results,” so SEO/keyword strategies are mission critical. Most visitors find your blog when they are looking for information. Doesn’t that really help clarify the whole blogging conundrum, that question I hear all the time—What should I write about? Fuel your blogging journey with topics that resonate with your target audience. Develop messaging in an informative style that will trigger comments and engagement. The bottom line—deliver information-rich, intriguing content that promotes what you sell.

On Jason’s own blog, 69% of traffic comes from first time visitors—perhaps from the search term, “social media.” Falls surveyed 300 blogging companies, and for B2B respondents, 65-68% of visitors had landed for the first time. For business-to-consumer blogs, up to 80% were virgin clickers.

As in the traditional marketing world, knowing your audience is what it’s all about. So, the essential question is, “Who is reading your blog?” It may not be your enthusiast community or virtual cult of personality you imagine, but it merits your attention. Jason’s Social Media Explorer is considered one of the most prominent voices of the social media chorus.

He’s a such a teddy-bear sort of guy’s guy—so unpretentious. In fact, after seeing Falls and Brogan in action, I’m noticing a trend. It’s interesting to me that the pioneering minds of social media seem to be these affable-bro types. Chris Brogan, Jason Falls, Giovanni Gallucci, and even Clay Shirky (with some professorial polish) are the kinda guys you expect to see gathered around the big screen at the neighborhood sports bar—just regular guys. I don’t know what I expected, but I wonder how it evolved this way. Maybe it has something to do with the “cool geek factor” of the technology side.

Why does social media leadership seem to be such a boys’ club in general—when women are instinctively wired to find and nurture social relationships. Men, hunter/gatherers. Women, nurturers of home, hearth, and connection. Aren’t women the original social networkers? Could it be that social media is blurring these gender lines of communication? I pursued this a little further to discover that only about 12 of the approximately 63 “featured bloggers” on Social Media Today homepage appear to be women.

I think about my best gal pals from my early career, college, and high school. Many of them have resisted diving into Facebook much longer than the guys I know. They said they just didn’t have time—perhaps because they experience the same social engagement achieved online through their in-person activities, such as work, book clubs, PTA meetings, Saturday afternoon soccer, Sunday school, and Bunko groups. I think about my own entry into this wacky social media world. It was quite by accident. I joked in a recent job interview that I earned an “independent study” Master’s degree when I went to work for YourCause.com, which is now a distant memory for me. Beth Kanter has been forging the cause-focused social media trail much longer than I have, so I suspect the message had more to do with our involvement that the medium.

I wonder if this is because women really do know how do to make connections innately, and this new media frontier gives the “bros” an easier, less intimidating way to bond and relate. Hmmm. Interesting notion.

What do you think?

ElaineGantzWright’s blog is for people interested in using the Web and online marketing to drive social action. Elaine covers social media for education, nonprofits, philanthropy trends, online giving, cause marketing, random life musings, and more. Contact her — elgantz @yahoo.com

Please join Campus Suites on the Rail for our Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony!

We’re thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of Campus Suites On the Rail, one of the newest off-campus student housing developments in Tempe. Campus Suites on the Rail is located right on the light rail, and the community encourages students to use the light rail by providing year passes for residents. Since opening this school year, nearly 90% of Campus Suites residents have been “riding the rail.”

Campus Suites features 959 beds in a variety of floor plans, with gorgeous amenities such as flat screen TVs, wood floors, rooftop 24-hour lounge, fitness center, resort style pools and more.

We hope you’ll join us in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening reception!

When: Friday, October 16 at 2:30 p.m. Ribbon cutting from from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Grand opening festivities to follow with adult beverages, food, and live music from Adam Smith
Where: Campus Suites on the Rail at 1900 E. Apache Blvd, Tempe
Who: Residents, Parents, ASU Students, City Officials and ASU Officials

Campus Suites manages high-quality, comfortable, student rental units in the United States. Its communities (currently there are six communities) offer state-of-the-art living conditions reflecting the growing need for quality student housing, rapid advancements in technology combined with more opulent amenities. Residents can enjoy all of the benefits of comfortable, attractive communities strategically convenient to the university.

Thank you, we look forward to seeing you!

As you will see, the first poll shows that when asking women if social networks influenced their purchase decisions a little more than one-fifth of respondents said they were somewhat influenced, and only a tiny 3.3% reported great influence on their purchase decisions by social networks. However, when marketers were able to further articulate the question of how us women are influenced by social media we said we were affected by coupons and discounts offered through social media (41.6%), products ratings and reviews on social medai (22.2%) and even online advertisements (9.5%). Yet, the myth that all us women are influenced by our “gossip” is not true:) advice from friends (7.6%) or blog posts and online communities (4%).

Lastly, this survey done in April better articulates why us women visit social networks. Interesting that networking professionally is ranked higher than staying up to date with friends….

Be sure to upload a photo and please say that you are seeking someone for a serious relationship leading to marriage. Of course you have to go at your own pace but at least be serious or you will not get as many responses.

Make sure that the photo you upload is nice and happy with a big sexy smile, I know you may not be handsome but pretend you are. Take the time to upload as many photos as you have that show you as a nice cool guy with lots of friends. Don’t look like a loner who surfs for babes online unless you want to attract a long line of overweight only chicks. Over weight is fine if that’s your thing I just prefer someone who I think will live long enough to see me die.

Ok back to the basics, Join for 3 to 6 months to give yourself time to sift through the babes and believe me you will receive several letters and request from Japanese women living in Japan and countries around the world.

Here is a sample letter that I would like you to use and it would work for any website and any type of woman you are seeking….

” Hello my name is “………. ” I was looking through the profiles on Japanese Friend Finder and I came across yours just now. Something made me stop and smile so I read it again and again. I think we may have so many things in common so write me and tell me what you think when you read my profile. Either way I wish you find that special guy no matter what happens with our connection. It’s a lovely day so please enjoy it… Your new friend “…….”

Now copy the letter above and when you log into http://www.japanesefriendfinder.com I want you to find 100 women who are your type by age and beauty. I want you to send the same letter to each of them and expect to receive about 30 or 40 replies.

When you get the replies I want you to STOP and THINK before you reply. Remember that you said in the above letter that something made you stop and smile and read it again and again. GO BACK read her profile a few times until you have something in your head to focus on from her information listed..

Example…  I couldn’t stop wondering how you made that smile touch me as if you were here next to me.. I just cannot wait to see it in person someday. I’m not in a rush though, just thinking of what could be if you are really as nice as I think you may be. It was a pleasure to see your e-mail in my box so I tell you what, let’s keep in touch and when the time is right I promise to send you some cool photos of me and my family.  If you like you can send me some of your photos from Japan, that would be sweet. Talk later..Your cool new friend “……………”

We all know that women love to laugh and swap stories. We always have. Now we’re sharing antidotes and laughs online through social networking and blogs. Advertisers are eager to get in on the action.

A recent New York Times article, Women to Woman Online sited sources revealing:

• Sites aimed primarily at women, from “mommy blogs” to makeup and fashion sites, grew 35 percent last year — faster than every other category on the Web except politics, according to comScore, an Internet traffic measurement company. Women’s sites had 84 million visitors in July, 27 percent more than the same month last year.

• Advertisers are following the crowd, serving up 4.4 billion display ads on women’s Web sites in May, comScore said. That is more than for sites aimed at children, teenagers or families. “Moms are the decision makers of the household as far as purchases are concerned,” said Chris Actis, vice president and digital director at the ad agency MediaVest.

• The rapid growth in advertising and traffic to women’s sites has attracted the attention of major media companies and venture capitalists such as Comcast, NBC Universal, General Electric, Yahoo and Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a major Silicon Valley venture firm.

To read more about how advertisers are making the most of women on the Web, read the full article. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/technology/14women.html

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Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising, Birmingham, Alabama. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email