Tech Cast

Wow, this is interesting, AmEX taking consumer data to the next level, uncovering  ROI from linking in to customers Tweets.

courtenaybird:

AmEx aims to be the connective tissue between merchants and consumers on social media that will provide a mix of offers, data, and branding to its members.

As with Foursquare, the process of syncing your AmEx account to your Twitter account is a quick, one-time process. Once linked, U.S. cardholders have the opportunity to earn rewards by tweeting special offers from hashtags.

…The benefit of the service is as much about the deal for the consumer as it is the data for the merchant. “We can go to Whole Foods or any merchant we work with and give them information and analytics,” says AmEx vice chairman Ed Gilligan. “How many people used the offer? What was the size of the shopping cart when they checked out? Did that customer come a week later or a month later?”

In other words, AmEx has finally developed a way to demonstrate a tweet’s ROI.

Though women make up half the U.S. workforce, they hold only 25 percent of jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics—a disparity that’s especially disconcerting given frequent complains from tech executives who can’t find enough qualified applicants.

To help connect companies with talented women, the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology released a report containing specific and actionable advice for companies. If you’re in any kind of hiring position in the tech world, you should read it and start correcting the common mistakes it identifies, whether a narrow recruiting process that fails to reach qualified candidates or a company culture that doesn’t welcome female employees.

I contacted my friends at the Tech Ladymafia to put the report in perspective. The group, which was founded in Washington, D.C. but exists primarily online, brings together and supports women interested in technology work. Here’s an edited collection of their ideas about the report, getting women into tech jobs, and how dudes can help.