The Female Perspective of Computer Science is a blog written by instructor and PhD student Gail Carmichael. At the blog’s conception in 2007 it was used to detail her experiences as a new graduate in computer science dabbling in open source software, but as Carmichael evolved, so did the blog. Today she posts about a variety of topics concerning all different sides of computer science, like giving advice to students and teachers, increasing the number of women programmers, and researching video game storytelling. It makes sense, then, that the three most common tags on her blog are “education,” “women,” and “games.”
While the title of the blog might lead new readers to believe it could be heavily focused on gender, the posts paint a different picture. In her About Me, Carmichael writes “I am passionate about improving CS education for everyone” and she backs it up with her diverse and interesting blog posts that could pique anyone’s interests.
The blog posts are written in a style that is very personal, which helps the reader to get an idea of Carmichael’s personality. The posts are always positive and make it easy to get as excited about computer science as she is. The blog links to her portfolio website where readers can get a better idea of the types of research Carmichael has done, as well as awards she has won and different outreach programs she is involved in. As a professional and an educator, Carmichael’s blog paired with her portfolio page shows not only that she is very qualified to talk about these subjects, but that she is also really passionate about what she does and that she knows how to write about it effectively.
Beyond links that talk more about her background, Carmichael has linked quite a few resources on the right side of the page that explore women in science and engineering. These include the websites of several organizations devoted to increasing the number of women in STEM fields and other blogs by women with similar concerns. She also linked to a blog run by her school, Carleton University.
The layout of the blog is really effective. It has a clean and simple look while avoiding being garishly feminine – a trap that some women oriented blogs can fall into. There is a drawing at the top of the page of a computer, which gives the reader an idea of the topics going to be discussed in the blog before having read a single word. The blog posts rest on the left while there is a column on the right which includes the About Me, an Archive to old posts, and the most common tags along with the links Carmichael chose to include at the bottom. Overall the blog layout is uncomplicated and lets the reader focus on what is actually important – the content in the posts.