Ann,

Really interesting topic here. I have no idea why men might be inclined to comment more than women—or if that's even true, but I'll share some personal experience for what it's worth.

I am intensely curious. I've wanted to blog for a long time—so when I finally got around to it, I dove right in. Actually, I think I've been a closet blogger for a long time. My friends at work always use to give me a hard time about all of the industry related emails I used to send out. Now I realize that I'm sharing my thoughts with the appropriate audience. That's one of the great things about blogging. Connecting with like-minded folk all over the world as oppose to one office.

My wife does give me a hard time about all of this. But I tell her that we simply make different choices. She chooses to spend her down time following certain TV series ala Tivo. Me—I blog and keep up on current events. I have no idea what's happening on LOST even though I feel out of the loop from time to time on modern pop culture. Guess that's my personal choice though.

Great topic. Curious what folks have to say.

.... OK honey—I'll be off the computer in a minute!

I don't get it either Ann, but I am glad that you are doing your part to even out that ratio ;)

Ann, I have the reverse deal. I usually get nothing BUT women commenting on my blog. Maybe it's just my animal magnetism and purely feral sex appeal, but I don't get too many men at all. Well, there's Mack and those guys, but they only comment every once in a while when I'm not babbling on about American Idol.

I think maybe it has to do with the blog's subject matter. This blog is about advertising and business, which is very much a linear world, logical, and therefore appealing to men. Plus it's traditionally been a male-dominated field. Perhaps if you blogged about how your 2 year old spit up on you, or about the next Carrie Underwood CD, women would be emotionally moved to post. My friend Kristin is sort of a mommy-blogger, and she's got estrogen running all through her comments.

In other words, I don't know. :) But hey, what more could a woman ask than to be surrounded by a bunch of super-intelligent men?!

If a business or parenting blog is one-sided and not really about open dialogue, it's pretty easy to tell and probably not worth it to get involved. Women are going to be selective with where they spend their time. If the blog has a history of good conversatons, where people are constructively discussing an issue - you'll see more meat and more participation (of men and women). The difference may be less in the topic (advertising biz vs. parenting, for example) than in how it is presented, and what the history of blog participation shows. (do you see the same 5 people making not-so-helpful comments or do you see a wider variety of people honestly contributing different thoughts throughout the posts...?)

Whatever the topic, women may be more likely to consider the worth (for themselves and for others) of participating before they chime in.

Interesting dialog here; similar to what we did discuss over on the Synergy blog during April...

What timing. I published an article on the same issue today:
http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/543

and

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sunny_hundal/2006/05/men_v_women_in_the_blogosphere.html

Ann,
I'm so glad you did the hard math and it's not just my imagination. A couple of thoughts; blogs feel more like broadcasts than really connecting, women don't have as much invested in broadcasting and to Andrea's point when they do it takes more time because they think about it more deeply. Frankly I think we just have more to do- unless its our baby.

Tim Worstall at Vivre Le Difference picks up the discussion here:

http://eqsq.com/vivreLaDifference/men-and-women-commenting-on-blogs.html

Thanks for the comments, all. I admit that I'm a little dismayed...I was half hoping that I'd get a bunch of comments telling me that I'm hopelessly out of touch...but, alas. Sigh.

Interesting that both Sunny and I wrote about the same topic on the same day, and that his experiences mirror my own. He charged that men comment more online simply because they embrace a good argument. Ultimately: "online arguments are simply old-fashioned penis size comparing exercises," Sunny says.

The truth is I'd been wondering that myself, somewhere in the dark corners of my mind. I used to be on a few discussion lists that regularly got a little heated, and I thought that was definitely the case then. But maybe new platform -- same dynamics...which is too bad, if that's indeed the case.

P.S. Isn't it a little ironic that the m:f ratio holds up even on THIS post? (This far, it's 5 men, 2 women commenting, not including me.)

Ann

On commenting, I try to comment mostly when I have something to add to the conversation. Maybe some guys are using commenting as a way to keep score.
I read blogs by women and men and on a variety of topics.
This topic of blogging and women seems to be the hot topic right now. Robert Scoble has been writing a number of posts on it.
I originally started looking for blogs written by women because it happened that most of my clients are women. I more or less started with Andrea Learned and keep looking for fresh perspectives.

Have a good evening

Serge
Biz:
http://www.njconcierges.com
http://www.montclairconcierges.com
Blog:
http://www.sergetheconcierge.com

I wonder whether men more than women read blogs, and so the 2:1 male-to-female ratio of commenters merely reflects the blog audience--or, more specifically, perhaps the audience of the DailyFix. Also, I wonder whether most people who leave comments might themselves be bloggers--and whether more men than women are bloggers. That seems to be the case for the DailyFix (more men bloggers than women); and if a significant number of commenters here are also DailyFix bloggers, that would also affect the ratio. Anyway, it would be interesting to see some demographic stats about the blogosphere...

Serge - You're right: this topic is hot right now. Here's Scoble's latest:

Contra Costa Times looks at women bloggers
http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2006/05/21/contra-costa-times-looks-at-women-bloggers/

He suggests, like Vahe, that there are simply fewer women bloggers than men bloggers. Might be true -- of the 40-ish writers for this blog, for example, a mere 10 are women.

Well, Ann, you made an interesting idea to research. I'll suggest to my professors at the faculty that some students try to make more "accurate" research. :-)

On the other hand, I think posting on the internet has something to do with men and our "hunting" gens. It is the field we can explore and then bring our female partners to make family. :-) You can also put it into "size" element of course.

On the other hand, if you go to a forum about "healthy living" or "relationships", the percentage might go different way? Perhaps we share the fields, where we go as "hunters" researching.

Well, if you wanted to make the point towards the way we shop online, I think there's also a difference in shopping offline. Yes, I buy the first shoes I like and then go for a beer with my friend. Women go to 20 stores to buy, drink water on the way and chat by mobile.

Men go to pub and watch sports and talk about the game in the pub. Women watch TV series allone (or not) at home and then discuss it later with close circle of friends. They don't even watch it at pub (not in my town:-)).

Hi again. I was just reading another (http://www.marketingprofs.com/6/whitesel3.asp) article about women and started to wonder - what's all this fuzz arround it?

Is the group "basketball" less important or mysterious? Or the group "rock"? Or the group "young-children-parent"?

I just got the feeling we are talking a lot about specific group (ok, that perhaps spends more), but only because group's name is "women". That still does not mean that you are all the same? And that every product can fit your group in general.

I might be wrong. :-)

I am woman, hear me roar!

No clue about why more women are not blogging and frankly, I don't care. And I am NOT having a bad day.

Thanks for raising the issue though Ann. You sure know how to bring out the best (worst?) in all of us!

Warm regards,
Laurel

I checked my blog logs too, and I also have significantly more men than women commenting on my blog and tracking back to it.

You do need to be a little geeky to blog, and I think that intimidates a lot of women. But I lack the technical gene and I write two blogs.

I don't know the answer to your question or even if your assessment is correct. Perhaps women are too busy multi-tasking to blog as often as men do. I just recently started blogging and will encourage my female business owner friends to do the same.

I'm intrigued by JD's belief that women can only get interested in toddler spit up and Carrie Underwood, however. Where has JD been for the last 20 years? Women are not only prominent in the advertising and business world, but are influential thought leaders who get the job done.

Oh, and these are a few influential, female-run powerblogs, off the top of my head.

WonderBranding
Escape from Cubicle Nation
BlogWrite for CEOs
What is Your Brand Mantra

"WE" women are often described as more participatory conversationalists. Not always. It seems to me that men often sit back, listen, then comment. Women appear to dive right into the conversation (perhaps we are uncomfortable with the silence before the answer comes). At least that's the way it goes in university classes; but in high school classes, the guys are the gabby ones, the more animated ones. Women have been known to tell men that they need to focus and listen to us. Really... (pause). Maybe we need to listen to them. Actually, I think it's really a matter of the situation, thus, "it depends". As far as men commenting more online...maybe women weren't aware of the opportunity. As more find out (and I'm telling my friends and colleagues), look out...we have a lot to say. See: blogger.com (Change has changed)

I think it depends where you hang out online. The majority of the blogs I read (and comment on) are written by women. We support each other and our real and blogger friends tend to visit (and commment) on the blogs that we frequent. It feels like a community of sorts. I admit that I read a lot of blogs where I don't comment. But I think that is a lot about whether I'm there to learn or to participate. If I have nothing to add and my comment would just be, "neato, thanks" then I often don't. I have no idea if I'm typical.

Great food for thought - thanks!

Ann - maybe all us women who work in marketing are too busy multi-tasking doing 20 other things to be posting comments on blogs....

I agree with Wendy (May 26th comment) - I read a lot but don't comment, if I don't have anything different or useful to say, I tend to shut up. There are plenty of folks who I work with producing excess words - I don't feel the need to add to the noise.

But here's the thing - reading your blog has made me actually write a comment, not something I do a lot. Reading the comments on your blog there are a number of them talk about community, maybe we just need to be more explicit about inviting folks to join the gang?

Interesting topic. I don't really buy things about women being inherently one way and men another. I wonder, though if a lot of the women in the segment you describe might have kids and intense jobs and difficulty participating in things like blogs given a time shortage.

I think the correct question is "why aren't women posting on marketingprofs blog?". If you look at the exploding number of mommy blogs or celebrity blogs -- women are all over those. Is your readership mostly men? This is what I would ponder. Statically speaking, you may be getting a proportionate number of women and men posting based on your readership.

I find this topic quite interesting, and now I feel on the spot to produce an insightful and original comment to prove that women who comment on blogs can and do provide a lot of value to the online community. :)

My blog is coming up on its second anniversary and I've noticed the same trend with more comments from men than women. I'm always intrigued by the insightful and thoughtful dialogues from men on my blog, which has more of a "soft" topic matter than many men in my worklife might be interested in, so I'm grateful for that feedback. I'm very encouraged by those statistics, whether or not they're skewed in any way, because to me it proves that men are indeed interested in personal awareness and effectiveness as it relates to personal leadership, accountability and growth.

Maybe I'm still reeling from the comments I got from my last (male) boss before I struck out on my own as a "soul" proprietor in my coaching and training business. He's the one who told me that what I did as a leadership trainer for our manufacturing consulting business was "touchy-feely crap that makes me puke."

That certainly is an isolated comment not meant to reflect a gender bias toward leadership issues any more than I think former comments here meant to put a bias on comments about spit-up.

I KNOW people of both genders are ready for non-gender-specific conversation and blogging - regardless of the gender of the blogger - is a GREAT way to connect!

Ann,

It's an interesting question, but one I hadn't given any thought to other than now, so bear with me as I try...

The blog landscape in business is dominated by men. That's not a bad thing, but it's a fact. I'd guess about 70% of the top business blogs are written by men. Would that make me less likely to comment? Perhaps.

Then there is the fact that typically men are more likely to forcefully express an opinion and not be afraid of what anyone else thinks about them than women are. Not all women for sure, but some. So do they just jump into the fray or read and move on?

And of course there's the multi-tasking stuff that Ann and Monica mention. I think this is probably a key part of it.

I as well am starting to invite other female friends and colleagues to participate, so maybe the balance will come in the next few years.

I've often responded to blogs if I have something novel and/or constructive to say.

I've also emailed the blogger directly to develop that 1-2-1 connection.

My personal favorites are mil-blogs, oddly enough. I'd rather get the Iraq/Afghanistan news directly from the men and women on the front, than from the nightly news, papers, or other periodical.

Generally, you'll also find men are more open toward communicating on message boards and blogs, perhaps just because they are still more computer literate than women (although the gap is closing). My experience is that many women tend to stick close to the email, and go no further.

I can only speak for myself, not for the many other women out there. This blog did catch my eye, usually I scan the first paragraph and move on. I have too many other things to do (family, job, charities) then to spend hours reading blogs on the computer, and commenting on them. They are very helpful when I am doing research, otherwise I leave them alone. Have you had a chance to do any research on the age of the bloggers?

46 and counting . . .

I have a couple of thoughts

1. I do read blogs occasionally, but by the time I get there someone has usually already given the same, or a very similar answer to what I've said, so I don't post because my comment would be redundant. Could it be that women read the full string of comments more often than men before sharing an opinion? (And this time I *didn't* read all the posts before I previewed mine, and I see I *am* being redundant with the other responses - but I'll let it go as giving you a head count this time.)

2. I know better than to get started - there's no doubt that blogs are interesting to me, both in the content from business problems to postsecret to raising kids to political rants and watching the human interaction, but I realize I could spend hours reading & commenting. At this point in my career I can't let myself get started even if there's a chance I'll learn something very useful - another project will get behind schedule while I'm in-depth reading. Is it possible that men skim more than women, thus don't get so drawn in to the scene?

And like most people around the blogging phenomenon, I started my own blog - but I don't post to it often either, it's really just a gallery to keep my brother up to date on my quilting projects because he lives to far away to see what I'm working on in person. Why do I even keep that up? Just for the connection to him. So maybe blogs are a guy thing after all...

Maybe women are just too busy to be spending time on blogs after work and, unless it is part of your job, it is probably not a great idea to be doing it during work hours. When I go home after spending all day at my computer, the last thing I want to do is spend time glued to a screen. To relax I like to READ BOOKS and listen to music from a proper sound system. Maybe more women are inclined this way. After all, it is an established fact that most online gamers are male so maybe the same principles apply.

Very simple....as a 40ish women who has a career, kids, house (and husband) to manage, don't have time to hang out and read blogs. Any little "free" time i might have is NOT going to be spent on the computer unless of course it is for shopping!

I wonder what the male/female ratio is on call-in radio. I bet it's similar, maybe because it's not an engaging or intimate enough form of communication. Or maybe because so there's so much posturing involved that it's just not worth it. (Present company excepted, of course.)

But as the previous writer said: here I am responding. Is that because I actually value this venue, ... because the question hit home ... or a happy combination of both?

I tend to be very selective about the blogs I use, and my interests are usually in solving a particular problem. So it's more reaching out at that point. Maybe I'm missing something, huh?

This is my first post to a blog in about 5 years. I suspect I may be the type of woman about whom all you bloggers are speculating.

Several of you hit the nail on the head. As a small business owner and mother of school-age children, I am far too busy either (a) doing actual work or (b) taking care of kids or (c) doing laundry or (d) three or four of 100 other things on my "to do" list to take time to find the blogs, read the blogs and post comments on the blogs. I tend to be more "answers-oriented" when it comes to blogs -- I only get on when I need to read others' opinions on an issue, whether it's marketing, advertising, business, breast cancer, parenting or other. Then I form my own opinion and deal with the situation as appropriate. I have many male friends who have nothing to do except blog while their wives clean up the kitchen and get the kids to bed. I would guess that's why you have more men than women.

My networking with colleagues tends to happen face-to-face, another thing that's particularly important to the women I know.

See you in another five years!

I agree with Monica that perhaps women are just too busy multi-tasking to post. [For example, I'm a mid-30s marketing professional working at a pretty demanding full-time job and enrolled in a pretty demanding MBA program part-time.] A straw poll this morning indicates most of the women I work with are just as busy, and we just don't have time to engage in the on-going debates generated in blogs, however interesting they appear to be.

Still, I do read a variety of blogs written by both women and men on a variety of topics, and will more than likely begin to blog when I have more time. Ann Hosford was right, Ann: your comments intrigued me enough to post. But, it's likely I won't post on another blog until at least the MBA is done.

Ann,

As a woman in a leading marketing roll, I don't have time to respond to blogs. I liken it to playing video games entertaining but really a waste of time.

Granted there are exceptions where a strong comment is worth the effort. Yet, I have never had a client thank me for taking the time to blog.

Why was I motivated to comment on this blog? Simple - I didn't want the squeaky wheels to get the grease without understanding why they were getting it.

Melissa Kunde

Ann --

I hate to say this but I think some men have an innate need to make everyone listen to everything they want to say where women have learned the art of introspection and only sharing those key, important nuggets. This might go contrary to the popular stereo-type of women being chatterboxes -- but then again look at who proliferates that stereotype in real life. That's right...chatty men.

Hi Ann,

I think for the most part women only comment when there's an actual reason to do so. Men in general like the more intense dicussion and often are more likely to go around telling their position. Women comment on thing like what is the best makeup because they can get something back from the comments of others. (Not the perfect example, perhaps comments about the best web analytics software, etc.) When the comments are just standing for my thought is better than yours because of ..., women just don't as much into it.

There's always the possibility that many of the blogger replies are actually coming from females under a male pseudonym. Given the harassment women receive online (see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12727877/ ), many choose to present themselves as male in forums where there are likely to be a lot of men participating. After all, unless it's a dating site, does it really matter what gender a poster is?

I do read blogs (mostly at work), but am not usually compelled to comment. I generally only comment when I feel there is something of true value I have to add to the conversation (meaning I rarely 'second' a previous comment). I am also a meticulous composer when it comes to sharing my thoughts, especially on industry/business blogs where I'm representing myself AND my agency. That said, I don't always have time to compose a well thought out comment, so I weigh the importance of adding to the conversation in each case. Also, it might be worth noting that many times I arrive at a blog via a e-newsletter (or a link from an e-newsletter)...maybe throw some blog comments in the newsletter from time to time. Just a thought - I don't know the legality of such a thing.

This feels really similar to the raising-your-hand-in-the-classroom studies they've conducted in sociology/anthropology. Feminist victories aside, I think that socialization plays a large role in blogs and other types of social networks. This is a really interesting study done published the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/yourvoice/classroom_talk.shtml

While this is a stereotypical conclusion, it's interesting to see what they observed: In a study of children aged 2-5, parents interrupted their daughters more than their sons, and fathers were more likely to talk simultaneously with their children than mothers were. Jennifer Coates says: "It seems that fathers try to control conversation more than mothers... and both parents try to control conversation more with daughters than with sons. The implicit message to girls is that they are more interruptible and that their right to speak is less than that of boys."

I was raised to always voice my opinion, which is probably why I'm a frequent blog-commenter, for better or for worse! ;-)

Ann,
It was just fascinating to see the predominance of men among the early responders to your post.
I wonder if women are more concerned about exposing their opinions in public. Perhaps there's a concern that kooks will find us if we publish our opinions.

I belong to a mostly-women consortium of career consulting professionals (certified coaches, personal branding specialists, resume consultants, industry organization leaders, authors, etc.) who write a career advice blog for 100K+ execs. (http://www.careerhub.typepad.com).

As our group is composed of 12 women and only 1 man, we’re certainly a deviation from the norm you’ve found. A number of our writers have their own blogs as well, and the founder of CareerHub is a woman.

Thought you'd like to know that twelve more women are out there blogging!

Now that you've opened the topic, we'll have to analyze how many women vs. men comment on our CareerHub posts...I'm curious...

Not everything one sees is worth the time it takes to comment. I have a great deal to do and never enough time to do it. I would love to chat, but don't have the time. I comment only if I get wound up about a topic - that's it. Guess I'm wound up!

Karen echoes my thoughts exactly. I am way too busy actually earning a living on the computer to spend much time looking at blogs, never mind responding to postings. Someone mentioned guys 'keeping score' - from Guy Kawasaki's blog (one of the few I read regularly - through an email feed), I would say that comment is right on the money.

I started reading blogs because of my job - marketing software and services. Developers have blogged for a long time. I think women will get into blogging because it's a creative outlet and can help them find or develop a community of people with similar interests. Blogs are fast. They don't require paper, and you can, in many cases, add multimedia (photos, videos, audio recordings, animation) to a blog in one place.

When the newest tech gadgets are released, men buy. Women wait. They wait for kinks to be worked out and for the price to be more affordable, so they get the best value for their time and money. I think in time, women will see value in blogging and will jump on the bandwagon.

Hello Ann,
I cannot speak for all the women out there...but when I received the MarketingProfs newsletter and read your side comment on this topic I had to reply. I normally do not have the time at work to read blogs, let alone reply to blogs. And, unlike my husband, when I get home from being on the computer all day long the last thing I want to do is get back on the computer. In fact, I only check my personal email once or twice a week. Instead, I play with my 3 year old son or watch the news/shows on TV to relax. I am computered-out at work.

Ann,
It was just fascinating to see the predominance of men among the early responders to your post.
I wonder if women are more concerned about exposing their opinions in public. Perhaps there's a concern that kooks will find us if we publish our opinions.

I would rather "talk" it out then "blog" it out. It's faster and more efficient.

This is something I've observed as well. I've got two comments about it:

1. In business, there's a saying that if you want something done, give it to a woman. We're do-ers, and get job satisfaction in a job well done. That said, maybe we're too busy to "waste our time" on blogs. Or, in my case, I spend so much time on the computer to work, I just don't want to sit on my behind and read blogs when I have free time. That takes me to comment #2:

2. I believe women are more interactive than men. Men like to hold court, tell you what they think. But women want to discuss it -- real time. I'd venture that a more proportional percentage of women use Windows Messenger or other online chats for that reason.

My two cents!

Leslie

Blogs are fundamentally linear, not networked as you suggest. Tagging itself is networked, but blogging is not. You create a list or stories that exist in a line on a page. Though you can connect the stories through tagging, the act of blogging and commenting is linear.

Perhaps this makes them unappealing and challenging to women. Or maybe we just don't have anything to say about other people's mental meanderings. If the issue is compelling and the writer is expressly asking for opinion or thoughts (as you can see from the list of women commenters within your blog) then women will likely take the time to comment.

I just read your article on 'Women with nothing to say'. Does it really matter the sex of the bloggers???

First off, I don't know where you 'guys' find the time to blog. I have blogged before but only (like now) if it's a topic that has really appealed to me and where I feel I have something to contribute.

The main reason that I don't blog much is because of the time. I have a very busy job and I have to manage my time wisely.

I was VERY disturbed by the 'man' that commented about the topics being business related and that it is still a man-dominated field and that we would comment more if the topic was about a 2 year old spitting up on you. I was VERY offended to read that. I do read business articles on a regular basis. I have advanced very well in my career as a Marketing Director (even in a MANS world) and am soon to become an entrepreneur. I am continually reading business related articles, books and taking courses to expand my knowledge in this non-male dominated field - as with MANY other women I know.

So I would appreciate it if you did not judge us women for not contributing to your blog as it's probably just because we are too busy within our careers to take the time to blog.

Now I have to get back to my demanding job!!!

Carrie

Hypotheses:

Women, more than men are motivated by conversation and dialogue, and unless they are part of a community of people and know their voices, there isn’t as much motivation to post.

Men, more than women are motivated by sharing their point of view. Satisfaction comes from authority vs. dialogue.

Women like stories, men like stats. Business content is often void of human feelings, motivations and characters that make topics interesting to women.

Do an analysis of posting patterns, content, and triggers looking for similarities and differences of men vs. women. Would be an interesting article.

I can only answer for myself.
I seldom bother posting on blogs. It isn't that I don't read them or that I'm technilogically illiterate, actually I know my way around pretty well. When I need specific information I use them, but I don't live online and if I do post, it's because I have something to say.
Many postings don't say much, but they state that "not much" in very "in your face" language. I suppose the anonymity encourages that, like cuting someone off on the highway ie: the snarky post implying that women are only intrested in spit-up, soaps and entertainment news. That's a good way to win points in a debate, but it adds nothing to the discourse. Personally I think men, generally, want to hear a good argument; and women, generally, are looking for something more concrete.

Or... maybe men find blogs and other similar platforms as an outlet that they don't commonly find otherwise. Freedom to speak freely with opinions that in "real" life are left unsaid and sheltered. While women might be less intrigued by the lack of emotional interaction. We don't get a chance to meander, I agree.

I think it's been said in a bunch of different ways. Even tho blogging is informal, it does have a formality to it. I think males often like to posture or be authoratative or dare I say pontificate more. I think women enjoy an immediate vs posted exchange. I think women are busy and multitasking and men often get lost in technology and its outputs. This is stereotyping and I know that there are many men and women who are the opposite of what I suggest--so no taking offence please. I also think women can be mercurial, changeable or flexible. We many not want to set our opinion in the stone of bits and bytes because it's subject to change. Maybe guys are comfortable with edicts and opining. Blogging for women might be an indulgence (feels like a guilty pleasure to me) vs for men who may see it as justifiable nd rewarding. At any rate, almost everything we do and how we do it is a window into our psychology and reveals who we are. So blogging reveals us too. What a good way to call up, notice and think about abundant differences in male and female psychology. Vive la differance. Penny

"The most telling sign that the Internet is no longer the cool American frontier? Blogs, which sprang up to sass the establishment, have been overrun by the establishment." Maureen Dowd, NY Times

Women have just figured it out that blogs have just become another form of ads, research gathering, and personal promotion. They've become more and more one sided opinion or promotional spews, used by marketers (no offense), politians, and would-be columnists.
So, next time you or a fellow writer write an article or commentary dressed up poorly as a blog, don't be surprised if it isn't received as a pure blog. The American public (or at least the female % of your readers) have become blog savvy and you can't hide it successfully anymore. Just call it what it is.

I think it has a lot to do with motivation. The reasons people blog are diverse but people often blog to prove their intelligence or stamp their authority. This ego-driven blogging seems to be predominately the realm of men.

Women also blog, but for different reasons, to establish friendships, to get help, to air concerns. I guess (as has already been stated)there are more efficient ways to do this - like chatting on the phone. Women perhaps may not like the permanence of a blog - they may wish to air their feelings then forget them, not needing to have them there forever as a testament to their intelligence.

I can't speak for others, but for me there are two issues:
1) Like many of the other postings from women here. I'm too busy! Most women are constantly multi-tasking and prioritizing in their lives. For me, blogging and especially joining a "conversation" that I may not have time to follow-up on just never floats to the top of the "to do" list.
2) (I found myself doing this on the way to writing this post)--I scanned through some of the other posts, saw that some were similar to what I had to say and thought, "why bother, it's already been said, what additional contribution am I making to the discussion?" Whether it comes from the way women and girls are treated growing up or some kind of internal censor, I believe a lot of women feel they need to have something significant to contribute to the conversation before participating where men may be more inclined to believe their posts are "worthy" just because they say it. I wonder if you did an analysis of the uniqueness or added value of posts to a blog if the ratio would remain the same.

It's simple: women have more demands on their time. Women typically don't spend endless time on any electronic device (games, TV, computers, etc.).

I'm in the advertising and marketing field and yet I still don't do blogs. This is #2.

It's not that I'm not "in to" technology...that's not it at all. It boils down to time. And I believe this has taken up more time than I have to offer.

Maybe the ratio represents the number of women in business compared to the number of men?

In other words, women are commenting at the same rate as men, it's just that there are fewer women involved in marketing/business.

I comment on various forums where the women are vastly outnumbered by the men. It seems to be par for the course.

Jane :)

We're too busy getting things done on the job to spend time commenting on blogs! I scan business blogs for useful hints/tips, but it's a real challenge. Most blogs and comments seem to be a way to express the unsolicited opinions of the author and not to engage in any real discussion.

We're women -- who has the time?!!!!

Ann,

I have read through the first 8 blog replies here, and think it's such a waste of my time to even go through the rest. Why should I be interested in whether W:M ratio is high or not, and what does this whole blog achieve?

In the same sense, as a woman, I read the first few lines of anything on the net, and make a quick decision as to whether I want to comment or not.
Whats in it for me?

Controversies/ different view points, a good debate, etc.. are nice, it makes it ineteresting, it works the mind, and those are the kind of blogs I would like to participate in. (Inspite of the comment I read here, that men like debate)

As a woman, I blog only when there is something I can take away with me from the Blog.

Another point which always strikes me, is when I see the same people blogging all the time everytime, and often wonder whether they have a life? I really really do not mean to be rude/discriminiating or any of the sorts, but when I get a few minutes to spare at work, I read the blogs, and when I'm not at work, I spend my time with real people, my family/partner, and friends.

Hope this womans point of view helps -;)

Greetz
Dona

Just a quick comment. Patti, Jenna, Jane, Gwen, Dona and others all have it on the nose.

For me...
At work, I'm the only marketer in the company, and the only sales support person, for an all male sales team. I quickly scan articles and emails for useful information that I can use to support my team. The rest of the time I am too busy supporting my team for commenting.

After work, I am a women! I have a child and a husband to tend...a household to run...after school activities to maintain...church committees to attend...etc. I get approximately 5-6 hours of sleep a night, and my ONLY downtime is my half hour in the morning (before everyone else gets up) at the gym.

Useful information, provided where we can find it easy and fast, is what the majority of the women I talk to prefer. And that is what I need also.

Thank you for this interesting subject, that I actually had time to comment because I came to work early...before anyone else arrived. And by the way, the percentage of women commenting on this blog is MUCH higher than the percentage of men.

Michelle

I may just be a student and not know much about th industry, but I think most women in the business world just might be too busy to post on blogs, but not to read them. The content might have something to do with it also, in the fact that it may not be interesting enough for some women to comment on. I know that I prefer to leave a comment on something if it's thought provoking, kind of like the lecture classes I take at school; if it doesn't interest me, I won't open my mouth.

I am a woman and this is the first time I've ever posted a comment in a blog or read any. I've been interested in the blog process but spending hours reading the opinions of people I don't know has not surfaced to the top of my priority list. I'm a techincally savvy professional trying to balance life.

Women want to stay connected - Yes - To our husbands, children, our girlfriends and extended family. We don't want to connect to a computer screen and faceless people we will never meet.

Go back to the very first guy who commented and ended "I'm coming honey" who indicated that his wife spent her time watching TV... he should dig a littler deeper. Is she folding cothes, writing bills, monitoring what the kids are watching, doing sit ups while the TV is on? Women trying to maintain a balance in their life between careers and family have more important things to do.

Now - if the topic is Women! Women's issues, Women's health, the health of your family then more women will respond because those topics are nearer the top of the priority list for a well-balanced life. That is not researched.. just my opinion.

I scanned a few of these quickly and there is a high percentage of women responding.

The article questioned why women aren't blogging as much as men. Maybe we should take a slightly different slant. Why are men spending so much time reading the opinions of people they don't know rather than talking with their wife and children?

Sistahs (and Ed, who I think was the sole guy to comment on this post in the past 24 hours...): WOW! Thank you ALL for your amazing comments and feedback.

As an FYI -- over 60 of you chimed in on this issue over the past day, on both this post and on email, which is...well, it's not worth doing the math, but a TON more feedback than I got previously.

Seems like a lot of us are busy. I get that. I am like most of you: I am overextended in work and life. I publish this blog, the MarketingProfs newsletter, AND make the school lunches and walk the dogs and yadda yadda yadda.....

But -- I am thrilled to hear your voices here. How do I entice you to keep coming back and lending your valuable perspective? Or is it like Dona suggested -- there's no real point because the payback for busy people is small?

I dunno...but I think the payment is huge. I get a huge boost out of reading smart people talking to each other, offer their own take, meeting each other, and ultimately building a community. Not just here, but on other blogs I read and comment on, too.

In my view, blogs are playing an evolving role in furthering thoughts and education, in connecting us all, in networking and forming communities, and offering space for conversations to happen. I have read every one of your responses and loved the give and take, the clarifications, and sometimes, the disagreements. Unlike Melissa, I think blogs are actually a very interactive platform that give voice to many -- not just a platform for me and my ego and MarketingProfs and its business agenda.

That being said, I hope to see some of you continuing the conversation here or elsewhere on blogs: they are a rich resource of learning and connection.

And again, a huge THANKS for the feedback. And, please, let me know your thoughts here or on email (ann@marketingprofs.com) on how this blog (and others, for that matter) might evolve to entice you to return. Can I send someone to do your laundry? Clean the kitty litter box? Okay, then: cash? : )

I never blog, but couldn't resist adding my "2 cents" to this issue, because I think it really speaks to the core differences in the way that women approach their career and life in general.

My experience with most women in the workforce reveals to me that

a) We don't blog because...We don't have time to! We take on a lot, and probably too much, of the nitty gritty details at work and home.
I noticed that the women I have worked with are usually at their desks past 5:00, while most of the men find a way to leave promptly. There are many reasons for that, but for the most part I believe it is that we feel responsible to see that projects are executed flawlessly. So there just isn't any time for conversation that doesn't directly result in a completed task.

b) We're not as "in to" conversation just for conversation's sake, even though this can be a detriment when dealing with males.
Even though the blogging would be beneficial in information gathering, it is not as appealing to women because we construct our conversation around "active" issues that we are working on at the moment, that produces definite results. The male/female differences are apparent in non-work related areas also. Sports talk with men. Let's face it, the vast majority of men are not participators in major football or baseball leagues, but they spend untold hours discussing the stats. Women do spend time discussing makeup, clothes, children, but we are participators in those functions. These discussions share information that we use in daily life.

c)Finally, men love to give their opinion, whether it leads to an end result or not. For myself, and the women that I work with, we are happy to give an opinion when it matters. It isn't essential to our psyche to be heard on every subject.

Women lose out in the workforce because they handle things differently - but then who would get the work done :>)

Believe it or not, this isn't a derogatory comment on men, just my personal observations. I happen to like guys!

Women don't blog as much for several reasons I think:
(1) They have less time than men because our culture (or their biology--you decide) demands them to be the primary care givers for their children or elderly parent. They have less time for non-essential work stuff because they have to leave work by 5pm or early to care for their families.
(2) Women generally are in less decision making positions than men and are responsible for producing content and not for reflecting on it or assessing it. A woman would be critized in the companies I have worked for contributing to blogs during work hours.
(3) Women who are career-orientated or are primary earners for their family seem (by my own anecdotal observations) more concerned about client and office relationships--keeping secure or competative in their careers--than writing in blogs.

Myself? I'm self-employeed, work PT, am not the primary earner in our family. I have been able to make a family-first career choice until our kids are older. I blog because I can.
:) Angela

My 2 cents to this discussion as another woman business owner, wife and parent of 2: The women I know have more - and more valuable - ways of using their time than commenting on blogs. The comments by others that men may have found yet another excuse to disengage from their relationships makes me sad 'cause I believe there's a lot of truth there...and part of the reason women have little time to blog...

OK, that's all the time I have.

I usually post on the Know-how Exchange, but I haven't had the time lately.

Hi Ann:
Great question, Ann. I’ve often wondered about this myself. My theory is that the gender gap in blogging/commenting is more technology driven than usage driven, in other words, even though blogging is a social medium, it’s a social medium that was created within the technology community – which is male dominant, and mostly white. Technology first adopters skew male as well. Blogging, as we all know, is in its infancy. As adoption spreads, age, gender and ethnic differences will even out just as they have in internet usage which started out male. Now internet usage is fairly evenly distributed across ages, genders and ethnicities according to recently released OPA data.

Ann,
First, if I had posted on your blog, you probably would have counted me as male. I'm not.

Second, I read your post in the MarketingProfs newsletter. Although I do subscribe to many blogs, I rarely have time to go out and read them. I tend to read my pushed email newsletters more often, and may catch up on blogs only monthly.

Third, that means that many coversations have run their course by the time I get to them. And, as others have said, many of the comments I would have made have been said.

Fourth, as much as I would like to take the time to comment on the things I read, it isn't part of my job description. My boss doesn't support it. And I'm rarely likely to spend time outside of work responding. (Tonight and this topic are exceptions.)

Thanks for your comments, Terry & all...! Again, mucho appreciated.

It's interesting that so many women who don't otherwise post on blogs have written on this issue -- which is great. I might compile all of your responses into a newsletter article -- there's lots of passion and interesting stuff here.

p.s. To Terry: I wouldn't have counted you as male...just "gender neutral." (I know; isn't that an awful term?)

I read blogs but don't often feel compelled to comment. I think this is why:

1) someone else already said what I thought.

2) I'm doing research

3) I don't feel I have anything constructive to say.

Generally I don't do things on the spur of the moment without forethought. Commenting on a blog is reacting on the spur of moment!

Maybe it's time for me to change?

Melody wrote: "Generally I don't do things on the spur of the moment without forethought. Commenting on a blog is reacting on the spur of moment! Maybe it's time for me to change?"

Well, I'd vote yes...but then again, I happen to like it here. : )

I don't want to come off as sexist or anything, but blogging is largely for men. It has an essence of debate in a lot of it, a place to engage if not intellectual warfare, at least mental gymnastics, and I think guys are drawn to that type of forum and are comfortable with it. And while I love the written word, these formats are very devoid of emotion, it is about exchanges of information for the most part, and women tend to be far more receptive aware in their communications, and I think it would be a very unfullfilling forum because they expect so much more. For us guys it is perfect for that very reason, that it is devoid of emotion, body language and all those other subtle cues that we do not respond to as well anyway. Men love it, because we are finally on a level playing field.

If this blog is primarily about comments, rather than discussion and/or querying, that might explain the preponderance of male participation. In my experience, men have a greater need to render opinions and make assertions about issues. It's part of the testosterone-based need to compete. I mean no judgment in this comment. Testosterone, which women don't have, is one component of competitiveness.

That being said, I belong to a professional listserv (same interaction as a blog) that is highly participative by several hundred professionals. The comments & participation are quite even between men and women.

As I write this, I see someone's posting that blogging is for men. If this comment is reflective of the blog's tone, why would I want to participate in this blog?

Someone else writes about his Tivoing wife. I most certainly don't find TV or Tivoing to be female-specific' TV is just as addictive for men as for women. In my family, I'm the "news junkie" which is the impolite term for "keeping up on current events."

Finally, I have not participated in this blog until this very moment. My opinion, therefore, is uninformed and, quite simply, reactive to Ann's editorial.

Because women are taking care of kids, cooking food, doing endless other household chores apart from having a "paying" job. While men either watch TV & contribute to blogs in their time off from their jobs!

This stuff is just too good. I had to do a whole blog post on it. But after reading tons of comments, here's what I came up with as an explanation for why more men comment on blogs:

1 – Biological differences – Testosterone in men and Cortisol in women may contribute to men’s desire to engage in conflict and women’s desire to avoid it..

2 – Behavioral differences – society has different roles and expectations for the sexes. Men and women often have different communication styles. This may affect why they post comments and what types of comments they post and are attracted to.

3 - Time – women say the number one reason they use the Internet is to save time. They say they simply do not have as much time to read and or post comments on blogs

4 - Stereotypes - gender stereotypes of both men and women seem to be playing strong parts in the responses readers have come up with to explain the lack of female blog commenters.

5 – Audience mix – your blog subject matter or business industry may simply have a higher ratio of men interested in or working in that subject.

6 – Hidden/mistaken identity – women sometimes hide their gender for fear of everything from not being taken seriously to personal safety.

Thank you for prompting me to comment on your excellent blog! You've given me the topic for my next posting on Women's Lunch Talk (http://womensmedia.com/lunchtalk/) where I discuss gender differences and how they play out in business. Men enjoy taking the floor, expounding their views, and combating any vitriolic comments hurled at them. Women, for the most part, are probably already withering at the idea of setting themselves up for this type of verbal combat. But we’ve got to start doing this more and using our logic to show where the criticisms may be in error. And, for the worst-case scenario, if we see they’re right, let’s admit it and move on. It’s usually not life and death. My advice to women is Speak Up!

Isn't simply a matter of how women use the web...to gather information?

I gather information either by reading others or asking questions....

Some of the posts seem to indicate that blogging is the electronic version of a modern Chautauqua. I'm not so sure it's that as much as it is a bunch of (mostly) guys trying to show other people (mostly guys) just how clever/smart/bright/insightful/witty/etc. they are.

In some cases, it seems they'd rather interact with disembodied Internet buds than interact with their real live companion at home. You LOOK busy but.... you're doing research but....you're helping others but...you're still not developing those interpersonal skills needed to develop real relationships and real intimacy.

Sorry to sound so harsh. I gotta go pay attention to my husband...he never blogs...he has better things to do like pay attention to me.

BTW: I don't blog nor hardly ever read them. Few good insights although occassionally some good links.....

That's my 2 cents...hired hand now, former business owner...

Some research shows women are more enthusiastic communicator in online, since blogs are interactive I think they shall definitely find it a nice place to communicate. I think blogs should be written keeping women in mind.

http://ecommercetimes.com/story/MPfFIVAB8d73dc/Study-Men-and-Women-Use-Internet-Differently.xhtml

Wow, everyone has a different theory, but one seems to recur again and again: men enjoy the competitive nature of friendly (or even unfriendly) debate, whereas women just seem to find the whole thing boring/unnecessary. Many studies have shown that, either by nature or nurture, women tend to be collaborative while men tend to be competitive. In some blogs I've seen that focus on support and assistance, female posters are in the majority. The bottom line for me is, it's not important to prove my point in a given discussion; I would rather share helpful information that can be applied in the "real world."

I believe the reason more women don't respond to blogs is probably the same reason less women respond on talk radio. While I like to listen to people "pontificate" on subjects, I really don't have a desire to share my opinion in an open forum. What's the point? What will it accomplish? I'd rather have a group of coworkers sit around a table and discuss an issue where it could lead to action that may change something. To me, commenting on blogs just takes up my time!

Women don't respond to blogs? That's a bunch of HOOEY! I would point out the great response that many people receive on their myspace blogs as an example... what I was taught at my all women's college, and find to be true in the business world, is that women don't often speak out in mixed forums specifically because men tend to be more debative while women prefer to find connections. I'd be willing to be that if you speak to women bloggers who have a mainly female audience, they would give you a different view of this whole debate.

women tend to have less time to spare for their PC and internet, otherwise, who would want to talk and chat more than women

I'm astounded at the preponderance of sexual stereotypes promoted in these comments! Truly, I had no idea so many people still subscribe to the concept of gender-specific personality traits.

In my particular corner of the blogiverse, women outnumber men 3 to 1 as both blog-authors and commenters. And no, there are no "mommy bloggers" on my blogroll. We are all human-interest bloggers, a bunch of would-be writers who use our blogs as an outlet for our creative juices. All of us also have full-time jobs and most of us have families, but we MAKE TIME to blog because we have a burning need to create with words. Our comments are rarely "debates"; rather, they are encouragement, support, friendly teasing, feedback.

And may I just say how much I DETEST the term "real world" used as an antonym for online communication? Invariably, that phrase is tossed out by people who don't actively participate in the online community themselves. The friends I've made via blogging are every bit as real as those I first encountered physically. Many of us have met each other "in the flesh" and socialized together. We have telephone conversations, IM sessions, send each other gifts and exchange emails. It's no different than keeping in touch with any other long-distance friend, except that we take advantage of modern technology to do so.

That is, I believe, the key to the whole question. People who are comfortable in the modern world embrace all the benefits technology brings (and the ensuing changes). People (of either gender) who "don't have the time" to master it reject it as unnecessary and pointless, and eventually get left behind as the world moves on without them.

Maybe women are just too busy to spend a lot of time reading online. However I'm all for getting women involved in having their say. Can you suggest any really good places for women to get involved in blogs. Although this is huge in the US it's still not that big in the UK.

Anything to get people talking to each other has to be a good idea.

I usually don't comment much on blogs but was intrigued enough by the question of why women don't comment enough on blogs to give my answer...

Women have many duties to attend to: jobs, businesses, meals to cook, children to chauffeur to various activities, homework to help with, social events to manage, households to clean, etc. so that we don't have a lot of spare time to read blogs.

And the younger the children, the more time it takes.

I skim the blogs, rarely look for blogs, mostly relying on referred suggestions of specific business blogs, and only read for specific information that I'm looking for because I only have a few minutes at a time to spare for "leisure", a few minutes here, a few minutes there. To me, sitting down and reading is relaxing, in-between the hectic day where I'm constantly on the move.

No time, not disinterest, is the main reason I don't comment more. I read a lot of blogs, however, as well as books. I also subscribe to numerous ezines.

The questions on the blogs also have to be relevant to what's going on in our lives at the moment as well. I just don't have time for irrelevant and drawn-out material to read. I want it short and to the point.

I'm sure this is true for many women, not that men don't lead busy lives; however, most of the household chores and childcare is still left to women. It's not a criticism, just a fact. Women multi-task more than men; and so we also multi-task with blogs ...read a few here and there, comment once in a while.

Hope this gives you food for thought!

By the way, I don't usually leave long comments, but I have a few extra minutes!

Yvonne

Interesting, I wonder, being that this blog has not been commented on for nearly 9 months, what, if anything has changed?

Great topic though - and like most of anything in life, the general populous simply wants to know..."whats in it for me?"

Although great entertainment and education, both women and men want to see value in exchange for thier contribution.

Blogs really leave you "hangin" of which all people could do without.

Wow great read! Many thanks for sharing.

Hi everybody! If you want to download any film, music, clip or soft I would recommend you to visit http://megaupload.name/
Find al the necessary information there!