Why Women Make Better Bloggers than Men - and what they can learn from men!

I was reading something about how to market specifically to women, how they're different from men in the ways they respond to sales copy. It triggered some questions...

What about blogging? Do you think women write their business blogs any differently than men do? And do they respond differently as readers?

I wonder. Now, I'm not what you'd call a "girly-girl." Never wore a lot of skirts and high-heels. Not even when I lived in Paris and modeled - I've always been a jeans and t-shirt sort of girl. As a business woman I don't consider myself different and certainly not "special" because of my gender.

I don't talk a lot on the phone and spend time getting my nails done or gossiping in a girl-pack. I'm not even a real big relationship person, preferring one or two friends to many.

So I'm really going out on a limb here when I say that I think women naturally make better bloggers than men. I really do think it's in their genes...

Here's why:

• They love juicy conversations
• They love connecting and building relationships
• They naturally share personal stories like about their kids and pets
• They love teaching and telling people (kids, pets, husbands) what to do
• They know a good bargain when they see it and blogging is the best bang for your marketing bucks
• When they find something cool they'll tell everybody about it
• They love asking questions about you and your experiences and feelings...

But here's what I think women can learn from men bloggers...

In general, men:

• Get to the point faster
• Stay on task, focused and aligned with the business purpose of the blog
• Like the facts, just the facts, and aren't confused by emotional baggage (may not even be aware!)
• Love a good sports story as metaphors for life, business, and everything in between
• Think they know best and write with authority
• Stay ahead of the curve so they can be first, best, biggest ...
• Aren't afraid to ask for the sale...

What do you all think about this? Too sexist? Too stereotypical? You can't tell me there aren't differences between the way men and women do things including communicate on their blogs, I'm not buying that! Speak up!

Comments

[Darolyn]

I'd have to say it's somewhat stereotypical but I'm only basing it on the "they love juicy conversations" item. As a female, I don't care for the juicy conversations. It just seems plain to me that if someone needs to spend time discussing someone else's "indiscretions" then their own life must be pretty boring!!

In a conversation, I want everyone to get to the point - immediately. In a blog post, women tend to be more intuitive and can deliver on a point in a personable manner. And, yes, sometimes women do ramble but if the writing is good...I'll keep reading!!

[Dulcita Love]

I think you're right on Denise.

Having been one of 400 or so women with 4100 men at college, and one month at sea as the only female on a ship with 550 men, there's definitely a difference in working and relating styles between genders. I've never considered writing styles though; what you say makes perfect sense.

This was a fun post to read. Thanks.

Dulcita Love

[Jon McCulloch]

Denise,

There's a lot of truth in what you say, and there is scientific research to back it up, too (so if it's stereotypical and even offensive to some people, that doesn't change the truth of it -- scientific truths and falsehoods are objective and independent of opinions and circumstance).

However, to say one is "better" than the other is purely subjective and depends on the intention of the blog post. If the purpose is to inform in a logical factual way, then perhaps a man's approach is better than a woman's; if the purpose is to build a network, then a woman's style is better than a man's.

Also, let us not forget, these traits of men and women are tendencies goverened by our DNA. We also have a neocortex which can override our natural tendencies with practice and careful thought.

As for intuition: it's useful, to be sure; but it's so often wrong. However, we tend to forget the times we were wrong and remember the times we were right, thus falling into the trap of "confirmation bias" and "selective memory". Women tend to fall into this belief more often because they tend to be more emotional and less logical. Scientific research indicates women have no better intuition than men -- they just think they have because they interpret their experiences through a different filter.

Jon

[Mitch]

Well, being the first male to respond here, I don't think one is better than the other, and your own examples kind of point that out. There might be some differences in style when we speak in generalities, but otherwise, if we're talking business blogs, I don't really see a whole lot of differences. One difference, though, is that more men seem to be more direct and in your face; not sure that's always the best quality, especially for a business blog.

[Elizabeth Ruiz]

You might say instead women are more prolific bloggers than men instead of better. Women do have a bigger interest in communication and building a community so that could be why you think they are better a blogging than men.

Interesting thought since most of the blogs I read are written by men. I've RSS'd 37 blogs in my Google reader and only two are written by women! One being me. ;-) Although a few of the blogs have occasional guest posts written by women.

Men and women are different in the way they do things - communicate, process info, shop and work. I worked at a power plant with 1400 people of which maybe 20% are female and that seems a high estimate.

I learned a lot from the experience- men do think and communicate differently. And yes some love sports analogies...and I'm a non-athletic girly-girl type. But I've learned to occasionally use some sports lingo to get my points across as well as be direct instead of using subtlety.

I don't think its a stereotypical concept but maybe the way you phrased it sounds a bit condescending and impersonal. They like this...you are a woman so wouldn't it sound better if you said along with many women I like connecting and building relationships? And this is what I've learned from men that helps me blog better...and could help other women blog better.

It all comes down to who your target market is and what your niche is and whether you plan to write to men or women. Then you can decide how to blog for your ideal prospect using the differences in styles between the sexes to communicate your offer in a way they can't resist.

[Andy Roberts]

It used to be the case that the internet was one new place where gender, race and appearance were not immediately obvious so you could get on with taking people's words at face value without any of these prejudices getting in the way. I think it's a shame that some poeople are determined to drag it all back in again.

[Jon McCulloch]

Andy,

Your not wanting to acknowledge what science shows beyond any reasonable doubt to be facts isn't going change those facts. More to the point, observing facts, accepting them and behaving accordingly is not the same as a negative "prejudice", which is what I infer you're talking about

I am not a woman. I don't look like a woman, I don't think like a woman, and pretending I'm an androgynous cipher because you can't actually see me behind this computer screen means you're working from false premises. If you try to market to me like I am a woman or build a relationship with me like I'm a woman, you're not going to sell to me as easily as you will if you actually face the fact I am a man and temper your efforts accordingly.

Whether you like it or not, there ARE differences between men and women, not only physically but how their brains are structured and how they work (see "Why we buy" by Paco Underhill; "Inside her pretty little head", by Cunningham & Roberts, for instance).

Moreover, men and women buy for different reasons and buy in a different way. Anyone in business needs to recognise these facts if they want to maximise their profits and serve their customers and clients better.

As for race and appearance, who mentioned those other than you? No one.

It always behooves us to deal with the world as it IS not how we think it is, want it to be, or believe it ought to be.

Jon

[Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad]

Darolyn, Dulcita, Elizabeth, Jon, Andy, Mitch - thanks so much for adding to the conversation. I agree with Jon - the better you know your readers the better you can communicate with them. And our audiences of readers are always varied; it makes more sense to gear our communications to personality types or learning styles. You can't get away from gender differences and as the French say, 'vive la difference!'