Women of the Web, We Are

As the country moves forward with a new president and a new focus - are you wondering, as I am, where the women of the web fit in? Where do those of us who are devoted to the care and welfare of our families, and to our small online businesses, and our Twitter connections, and our blog conversations, fit in the overall scheme of things, in this great country we call the U.S. of A.?

To count us is to count us by the thousands. Nay, hundreds of thousands. We are Moms and Grandmoms. We are young and not so young. We are married and not married. We are Aunts or Retired business professionals. We are part of a tapestry of colors and textures.

We are designers and writers and speakers and bakers and knitters and quilters and make-up artists. We are marketers, authors, web artists, manufacturers, consultants, cooks, pet professionals, and so many other things.

We are the Women of the Web.

We stand with each other and blend our lives together - weaving a vision of a world of many colors, full of stories that travel the world over, from one to another, here to there. Every day, without fail, we pass these rich stories along to our inner circle, some of them written in 140 character sound bytes on Twitter; some of them rolling along the page, image after image - pictures from the cameras of our minds, and those created in the poetry of our words - all strong, powerful stories shared with the world not because we are eager for fame and fortune but because we... are ... WOMEN. And this is what women do.

As we move forward into a new administration in Washington, we know who the leaders are. They are women, like us, demanding to be heard, not for ourselves but for our sons and daughtes, those citizens of tomorrow who are watching us lead them into the future. We are women supporting other women, (and the men who stand with them)- leaders who promise a brilliant tomorrow.

Our tomorrow is overflowing with sunlight, sunlight so hot it burns our eyes, and calls us out. The call is so magnetic, our feet move of their own accord and take us into the town square, where we turn our faces to the heavens - and the light of a better day. This call echoes throughout our lives and will not be silenced. It reaches into our heart of hearts, calling all women, everywhere - the women of the world, the women of the web. And beyond the warmth of this sunlight, there is a message. A message that says...

"Do not forsake the teachings of those who have gone before. Do not shake the dust of yesterday from your shoes. Do not think you stand alone. Take in the wonderment of today. Drink in the moment. Pause a bit before you rush headlong into the excitement of tomorrow. Prepare for the challenges that beckon.

"Know that those challenges may test you, they may tug at your hem and try to bring you down, but they are really no different than the challenges your mothers and grandmothers met head on ... in days gone by. Remember how those stalwart women stood together, shoulder to shoulder, home to home, neighborhood to neighborhood, eyes ever on the day ahead, on the mysteries of tomorrow, full of the hope of today.

"Women of the web, as we travel down this new path, the challenge is to embrace excellence. The challenge is to find your inner bricoleur and discover your inner samurai. Know that your small voice creates a powerful message - when combined with the voices of your sisters. Hear them whispering around you - listen carefully and bring strength to the conversation. Never forget the brilliance shining all around you - and remember that the world is watching to see what you do with that brilliance. Will you harbor it selfishly, or share it? "

As Harriet Beecher Stowe once said, "Women are the real architects of society." Let us build on the brilliance of today, for our sons and daughters.

We are the women of the web.

Comments

[StephanieInCA]

I think a great example of a company that really dropped the ball on marketing to women is VW, with its Brooke Shields “Routan Boom” campaign.

That the campaign takes a mocking and disdainful tone toward women, and especially mothers, isn’t what’s surprising—lots of ads do that. It’s that they’re doing it in an ad for a MINIVAN. You don’t have to be a marketing genius to know who the prime minivan market is.

Seriously, watch the ads and tell me you disagree with me: Routan Bust

[Mary Clare]

Good timing. I'll be using this next week...

[Yvonne DiVita]

@Mary - you made my day. Thanks for stopping by. You are one of the brilliant ones, my friend. Do continue to share. Hugs!

@Nadine, how delightful that you found poetry in this little musing. I learn to have an open heart from others - especially others like you. Much love.

[Nadine M. Rosin]

Thank you, Yvonne, not only for such a poetic and uplifting message, but for living so true to it yourself...for walking the strong talk with such an open heart.

[Mary]

Brilliant. Women are relational by nature, and I agree that we can make great things happen with our new tools and resources! We truly are "the real architects of society". The world needs to know that.