So if you know me – you know I took an exciting journey to the Canadian Wilderness to attend #bitnorth. Here is the description of #bitnorth:

Bitnorth is an informal, eclectic gathering North of Montréal. The rules are simple: if you attend, you have to present. Subjects range from the technical to the sublime, from art to warfare, from the carbon footprint of beer, to the musical instruments lurking in an iPhone. It’s as if TED, Foocamp, and Ignite had a baby, and that baby lived in the woods.

That’s a pretty good description. 🙂 I presented on the digital divide (slideshare link). I was shaking like a leaf – and it was only a 5 minute presentation and only a small room of people. It was CRAZY. Many of us talked after the presentation, and decided the problem was we were talking about things we are passionate about, not just stuff we do for work.

But here is what I’ve been reflecting on. Techcrunch wrote yet-another-shut-up-women-and-just-be-awesome-already post about why they are so few women in tech. I’m not linking to it – they just don’t get it. And it reminds me too much of the debacle I experienced at last year’s Podcamp Boston. I’m sick of being told to just “be awesome”. Guys that preach this drivel do our industry a huge disfavor by continuing to pretend to that they are really trying understand, when in reality they are discrediting the testimony of the technical women who dare to engage them.

I will link to the FastCompany article: Too Few Women in Tech? Stop playing the Blame Game. All the links are there – decide for yourself.

OK so what the heck does this have to do with #bitnorth? Alistair Croll (One of the organizers) went out of his way to find women who would fit the profile for this event. And I think he did a really great job. Not once, all weekend, did I “feel like a girl”. Not once did I feel the need to put on the posturing cloak – you know proving that I was technical enough to be there.

And that was liberating. It meant I could just sit and listen to conversations. With all the entrepreneurs in the room, being able to eavesdrop on conversations about all sorts of small group management were super-enlightening (especially as I am project managing that sort of group inside a big corporation). I never felt I had to act a certain way during tequilla and scotch tastings – I could just enjoy them and ask questions!

In essence I was at a conference where I didn’t feel like a girl. I felt like a geek. I felt like me. And trust me, because of my gender and the fact that I work in high tech (and have always worked in large organizations) that does not happen all the time. I’m thinking the trick to #bitnorth’s success was that Alistair stayed in contact while I was deciding on if I should go, as well as right before the conference – and I’m sure he did that for everyone. So it was a community before we got there – he didn’t go looking for women after the fact. He included them in this community from the get-go. I’m thinking that’s the secret.

It was totally worth the drive, and even worth the Montreal traffic. Hopefully I’ll get to go back next year!!