For a long time, tech culture has focused too narrowly on technical skills; this has resulted in a tech community that too often puts companies and code over people. Greater Than Code is a podcast that invites the voices of people who are not heard from enough in tech: women, people of color, trans and/or queer folks, to talk about the human side of software development and technology. Greater Than Code is providing a vital platform for these conversations, and developing new ideas of what it means to be a technologist beyond just the code. Featuring an ongoing panel of racially and gender diverse tech panelists, the majority of podcast guests so far have been women in tech! We’ve covered topics including imposter syndrome, mental illness, sexuality, unconscious bias and social justice. We also have a major focus on skill sets that tech too often devalues, like team-building, hiring, community organizing, mentorship and empathy. Each episode also includes a transcript. We have an active Slack community that members can join by pledging as little as $1 per month via Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/greaterthancode)
208: Who Tells Your Story? with Janeen Uzzell
01:42 - Janeen’s Superpower: Storytelling
- The Importance of Who Tells Your Story
- Accountability
- Generalizations Are Harmful
- Responsibility
07:56 - The Wikimedia Foundation
- Trust and Safety Team
- Thriving Movement
11:04 - Empowering Communities To Tell Their Stories
- Citations
- Edit-a-thons
19:53 - Creating a Wikipedia Page
22:07 - Approaching and Engaging Youth
27:10 - Staying Connected As An Organization
- Cultivating Great Leadership
- Mentorship/Sponsorship
34:56 - Remote Working and Fostering/Maintaining Community
39:11 - Encouraging and Influencing Participation
47:31 - Janeen’s Move From Working at General Electric (GE) to The Wikimedia Foundation
Reflections:
Chanté: Making differences one edit at a time.
Jamey: The importance of mentorship as something that is empowering.
Rein: When a small system interacts with a larger system, it’s hard to change the larger system without being changed yourself.
Jessica: Greater Than Code as an open conversation.
This episode was brought to you by @therubyrep of DevReps, LLC. To pledge your support and to join our awesome Slack community, visit patreon.com/greaterthancode
To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.
Special Guest: Janeen Uzzell.