50 Shades of #CCC

Today is National Webmistress Day. It was created in 2016 to recognize and celebrate women in web development and honor the pioneers who helped carve out this space for future generations.

My introduction to the world of webmistressing began in 1997. At the time, I had a background in traditional graphic design and publishing, but zero experience with web design or development.

I was working with a scrapbooking company called D.O.T.S. (Dozens of Terrific Stamps) who asked me to put their mail-order catalog online. I’m always up for a challenge and love learning new things…so I picked up a copy of HTML: The Definitive Guide, said “no problem,” and quickly taught myself HTML while tackling the assignment.

Later that year, I was hired on as the Director of Publishing and Internet Services at an independent bookstore — Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA. This was back when indie bookstores were just beginning the fight to stay relevant during the rise of Amazon. They asked me to build a store website that would eventually include a full book catalog, e-commerce, live streamed events…the works.

When it came time to launch the site, I knew I’d need an email address for folks to contact me with questions, concerns, etc. As a woman, I really didn’t want to refer to myself as the “webmaster.” So I decided to buck tradition and that’s how webmistress@bookpassage.com was born. For what it’s worth, I didn’t coin the term webmistress (that honor goes to Kat Valentine in the mid-90s), but I’m pretty sure I was one of the first women in my little corner of the world to adopt it for my own use!

Looking back on my early forays into web development and design, I realize just how significant the experience was. Not only because it started me down a path that led to co-founding a business offering web-related creative services (among other things). But also because, unbeknownst to me at the time, I was part of a group of women venturing into tech and laying the groundwork for what would eventually become a global wave of women going into STEM fields.

Fast forward to today, and the number of women in STEM has grown exponentially. But there’s always room for more, and we need to keep raising awareness and creating mentorship opportunities for the next generation. One of our future goals at Sheer Havoc is to build a community within our creative collective that helps mentor younger women stepping into web design and development.

So, here’s to all the once and future webmistresses —  those who paved the way and those who will continue to drive innovation today. Keep pushing forward and inspiring the next generation of women.

Oh, and happy National Webmistress Day!