by Guest Blogger, Lena West, Chief Social Media Strategist at xynoMedia Technology

Apparently a lot.

O'Reilly released a series last week about women in/and technology. At first, I thought it would be the  same old complaint fest but, now I must eat crow.

First I'll tell you what the series is not:

• It's not some platititude spitting dude interviewing women on what it's like to be a woman working in technology. The spirited Tatiana Apandi is the series deserving editor and she did a fine job of selecting the writers and choosing the sequence of the essays.
• It's not just for geeks. The content of this series has some serious life threads running through it. You're not just going to find a group of essays about writing code and using Web 2.0 applications (although there might be a little of that). You will find poignant essays about life and the love of a career that doesn't always treat women kindly. Anyone resonate with that sentiment?
• The essays are not written by the same cast and crew. You won't find whitewashed essays written by Meg Whitman or Carly Fiorina. Some of the essays are written by people I've admired all along and those I've come to admire -- and at least one essay is just a plain dud.

Now, I'll tell you what it is:

• A place where you can read essays and interviews by and about real people.
• When you get sick of women who can seemingly only blather on an on about the latest fashion, what Paris Hilton is up to and who's the latest to see Britany's hoohah, read this series for real intellectual stimulation.
• A place to see women working together (albeit virtually) - and not necessarily always agreeing - sans backstabbing and 'tude. It's about damn time.

If you're interested in reading the series, you can do so here: http://www.oreillynet.com/womenintech/

If you like what you read, tell your friends and online pals. Write about it in your own blog. Even if these women don't do what you do, look how you look or have the same interests as you, spread the word of the sisterhood.

For right now, the series is only slated to run for the month of September. And, the only way we can prove to everyone and the powers at be at O'Reilly that we value this kind of real life content, is to spread the word, read the essays (ok, at least one) and COMMENT. Let's put our clicks where our mouths are.

Bottomline: This series transcends technology. Learn to read between the lines and to think horizontally, I guarantee you'll expand your world view.