Yesterday at the Society of Editors conference, Times Online editor Anne Spackman had spoken about how she thinks online news will become more dominated by men because journalists increasingly need technical skills.
"People who get excited about technology are, on the whole, blokes," she told me after the conference.
"Being excited about technology is quite a useful thing because never mind how much training you get, if you are someone that spends time experimenting, making videos and exploring the blogosphere you have a knowledge base that's really valuable.
"If I look at the younger people we employ, that's more something that men do."
I'm very wary of generalisations about gender and technology, not least because I'm very tech-curious myself and instinctively reject being pigeon holed. I don't consider my gender at all relevant to my work. But... there are more men in the tech industry than women. And that's also true of journalism, certainly as far as the turnout of senior executives at the Society of Editors conference goes.
I'll stop short of the debate on glass ceilings, babies and guys liking gadgets. But what are your observations and experiences about women in tech? And do you think the industry will become more "male", as we see more demand for tech-savvy journalists?
Spackman said she's never met a single female tech developer, although she added that our own Emily Bell pointed out Liz Sarginson, head of technical operations for GU. Then there's the Girl Geek Dinners and She Says, both of which seem to be bursting at the seams, and that's just for starters.
Perhaps it's more of a question of a disconnect between tech and journalism, rather than a lack of women developers.
Photo by re-ality on Flickr. Some rights reserved.
The skills gap is generational
Alessandra Lariu of She Says, which focuses on jobs across digital media, advertising and design, told me that her events always attract a big crowd but she doesn't see that many women in senior positions. As for the skillset of journalists, maybe it is more about willingness and openness to new ideas, because technology is so easy to use.
"I think for journalists it will become an average part of the job , but something like putting a blog together, anyone can do it," she said, adding that much of the difference is generational. And for our young digital natives, social networks, technology and digital media are hard-wired.
Obeying "the incredible power" of Google
If media companies seem to be experiencing a shortage of skilled developers to recruit, they won't be the only ones. Google has, at last count, more than 600 staff in its London office and appears to be systematically hoovering up our finest technologists. eBay's Meg Whitman said she's experienced the same thing in California, struggling to recruit the top developers who get scooped up by Google straight after their maths PhDs.
And expanding on her earlier comments about Google's power, Spackman said they now have incredible power and control over news sites.
"We have a good relationship with Google and spend half days with them, but they do have incredible power that no other company has. And because they have so much cash, that power only gets greater," she said.
"They are controlling, to a certain extent, much of the real estate on our website, like DoubleClick and AdSense on our pages," she said, also pointing to the impact on Washington Post and Forbes last week who saw traffic drop when Google tweaked its algorithms.
"There are a set of rules that are controlled by Google, and if we don't obey we are punished. There are lots of things Google has done that are genius. It is the most powerful competitor in the world yet it is also an enabler. The frenemy, as Martin Sorrell described it."
How long Google retains its position depends on the public's perception, she said. Right now, as the fifth biggest company in the US, it seems hard to see how anyone can overtake. But then ten years ago, Google was barely more than a twinkle in Serg and Larry's motherboard.
• More from the Society of Editors conference over on Greenslade's blog.
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