I was very honored to be recognized in this article with four other professional women who are recognized for their contribution to the DC tech community.

Thanks to Kim Hart for including me!

Around town, I often hear people referring to a tech start-up as just “two guys in a garage.” But that phrase excludes a gender that, some say, is too often overlooked in the technology industry. In Washington, a number of women are leaving their mark as entrepreneurs, social media enthusiasts and policy experts. And they’re trying to make room for more girl geeks. Here are five women who have established themselves as influential figures in the region’s tech circles and are worth keeping an eye on.

Larissa Fair, 26, has been president of the Washington chapter of the Social Media Club for two years, since shortly after it formed. Under her charge, the group now has more than 900 members (by Facebook’s count, anyway) and meets every month to network and discuss trends ranging from cloud computing to mobile media campaigns. She’s done public relations work for local firms such as Platinum Solutions and Livingston Communications, and now manages Web communications for a nonprofit.

Fair’s main passion is expanding the reach of social networks among associations, educational institutions and government groups.

“The idea of it has gone much more mainstream,” she said. “People are going to be online anyway, so you need to find the way to reach them.”

Larissa Fair profiled in The Washington Post

After 6 long months, I finally secured a full-time job! I will be working at a large international non-profit in DC, doing web communications work. The first step will be managing the re-design of their website, and eventually working to integrate appropriate social networks (because I am no proponent of “shiny object syndrome”). There will be a large education portion from the top down on how and why to use social networks, and I’m excited to bring my experience to really help an organization shine. I’m looking forward to it!

I wanted to take the time to give a shout-out to the many people who helped me through this time. I’ve always been a big networker and have a weird ability to remember people and places. I know that social networks allow us to interact, communicate, and access communities. Never before has this been more clear to me than with the aid of Twitter and my online community.

A quick timeline, I was laid off in November and quickly picked up some consulting work with a local PR firm that carried me through the end of the year. From there I picked up another PR firm in January, some project work in February, and another communications firm for March and April. I definitely identified with @bostonmarketer juggling the job search and consulting work. I’m greatly indebted to those people who were able to give me work even as they experienced rough times and will continue to recommend them as stellar places to work.

Over 6 months, I accumulated over 360 conversation threads tagged “Job 2008-2009″ in my inbox. I went on 5 informational and 15 real interviews from Baltimore to Canada, some of which I went back to multiple times. I managed 2-4 clients at any given time and applied to over 100 jobs. I hustled. I went to temporary employment agencies, I even applied to wait tables. Thanks to my consulting work and a little other help, I never had to do either of those, nor did I collect unemployment (which was partly the fault of the hoops you have to jump to get your $378 a week). I’m proud that I worked hard and further developed my skills, that I was able to basically support myself, and that I got the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. Many of the places I interviewed were not able to hire me, but passed my resume on to others. In fact, that’s how I secured the job I’ll be starting in a couple of weeks.

Family and friends were always there for me. I’d especially like to thank my boyfriend - who gave me countless hours of advice, support, editing, financial help, a good kick when I needed it, a shoulder to lean on and a smile to celebrate with. My best friend who supported me, kept it real and told me when something was ridiculous. My parents for their support (and worry), and all my friends for their help and for lending an ear.

It really does take a village. In no particular order, I’d like to give thanks to the following people from my “online network”. Without you, I could not have done this. From providing job leads, serving as references, getting me in touch with their connections, sending along my resume, checking for job openings at their company and generally offering their support; these people (and many more) should know how much I appreciate their help. I’m very lucky I had these people on my side.

@geoffliving @marinel @beautifulthangs @michael_nelson @eliz2shea @barryreich @lkthrock @dcjams @jterrill8 @tdbacon @sseawright @thorpus @swhitley @technosailor @kamichat @rmoede @tjohns06 @shonali @annagabbert @mindofandre @mpranikoff @colbcox @stephstad @rdweatherly @shashib @socialbttrfly @ericldavis @dallaslawrence @sradick @bradlevinson @cdorobek @leslieann44 @strategicguy @maiakg @johnny_mac @phillyberg @hautepjones @wamurray @rachellelacroix @noreaster @mixtmedia @sverde @sarahwurrey @fletcherprince @hey_love @kristiewells @mobilediner @jillfoster @stephmurillo @carlynkelley @immunity @thinklynsen @sliqviq @xiobhan @kathymbaird @taradunion @queenofblogs @pamelaspunch @janetdmiller @prjobs @dcconcierge @tdefren @melaniephung @melaniemitchell @sraak @tmn_inc @erinwest @taylortb @jtnt

I always believe in paying it forward. That said, I’ve helped pass on strong job leads to four of my friends in the past few days by sending great job opportunities that I was not able to take and motivating my own networks to help others. I think it’s especially important in these times to help each other, and that is evident in the huge number of blogs, Twitter feeds and newspaper articles on everything from how to interview to where to find a job. This recession has been tough on everyone from business owners to employees. The more we can stick together and help one another, the better off we’ll be.

As a final note, I’d like to share some links that I found were helpful and/or interesting.

• Jobs Lists and Resources from Mashable
• HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter
• 30+ Websites to Visit When You’re Laid Off
• CAREER TOOLBOX: 100+ Places to Find Jobs
• Daily Kos: How to get a job: what’s missing from resumes I’m reviewing Update X2
• Your Resumé is Causing Hiring Companies To Laugh At You (Revised) | Technosailor.com
• The Interview That’ll Bag a Job - WSJ.com
• Career Hub: 10 Ways To Avoid Sabotaging Your Job Search By Being Desperate
• How to Tweet Your Way Out of a Job « I’m Not Actually a Geek
• Write an Attention-Grabbing Cover Letter

Blogs:
• Survival Mode (from @csalomonlee who has since secured a job)
• Laid Off And Looking - WSJ 
• How I Got My Job | Job-hunting success stories podcast

More social media focused from Jeremiah Owyang:
• Also see my Web Strategy Jobs powered by Job o Matic
• See my community manager group in Facebook
• Check out Jake McKee’s community portal for jobs
• See Chris Heuer’s Social Media Jobs
• SimplyHired aggregates job listings, as does Indeed

The U.S. (finally) declared that we were in a recession. For many people who have lost their homes, their jobs, and their livelihood - that declaration has come months too late.

I’ve come to learn a few things over the past weeks, now that I fall into the “unemployed” category.

Work harder and work smarter. People may think that when you’re unemployed, you’re lounging around collecting unemployment checks and watching Oprah. While that may be true for some people, I’ve found I’m working harder than ever. I’m currently doing some public relations and social media consulting as well as some freelance journalism (check me out on The Scene - Bisnow). I’m grateful for that work, and am glad it is helping me stay current in my profession.

Don’t sit back and wait. Take the opportunity to be aggressive. Usually when you search for a job, you’re still employed, so you can take your time, and let potential employers take theirs. This time, let potential employers know that you’re ready and willing to start work, and excited about working for them.

Be patient. Seems like a contradiction to above, but remember that potential employers are working on their own timetable. It feels like progress ebbs and flows, so go with it. Try to keep busy with other things (consult, freelance, get a part-time retail job, start a blog, etc.) that will keep you busy, but still provide you enough time to keep up the search. While finding a job may be your first priority, remember that hiring you is not necessarily theirs.

Network. I’ve always been a good networker, and this is the best time to turn up the heat. Take the time to go to events that you usually wouldn’t attend or have time for when you were employed. You never know who you might meet, or find someone who knows someone else. Think about people you have met at events within the past year, and reach out to them if appropriate.

Cast the net wide. Don’t discount a job that may not be exactly what you’re looking for, or fit your particular skillset. I always like to take on jobs that are challenging and where I can learn a lot which will continue to help my career path grow. You never know where you might end up. Who knew I would end up in technology PR? Or doing social media consulting?

Put your best foot forward. Even if you are feeling desperate on the inside, make sure to remain professional and show off your skills in a way that is helpful to potential employers. Take the time to think about what you really want to get out of your next job, and what you have to offer. Don’t settle if you can help it, try to find something that will be a great fit and a good career move.

Any other tips and tricks out there?

What Drives Me:

• A desire to make other people happy
• A desire to make myself happy
• Loving others and being loved
• Anything food-related, especially cooking
• Vacations
• Sunlight - I’m solar powered!

What Energizes Me:

• Seeing other people succeed
• Issues: Equal opportunities for men and women
• Issues: Civil rights - even more equality
• Seeing true compassion
• Passionate people who love what they do
• Learning something new and really understanding it

My Specialties:

• Planning
• Organization
• Gift giving
• Remembering personal details (family trees, family activities, etc.)
• Cooking, especially baking
• Photography

My Proudest Professional Achievement:

• Getting that big media/blog hit
• Knowing that my clients value me and my work
• Being able to teach others what I have learned

When My Career Began:

• The economy was good
• Swift boat veterans were a hot topic
• I blew through paychecks like candy (on fun things rather than on bills, thanks to living at home for a year)

Weird or Interesting Facts About Me:

• I was born in Taiwan, I’m adopted
• I love food, yet I’m a very weird and picky eater
• I’m allergic to nuts except peanuts and almonds
• I get hives in the cold
• I look at floorplans (condos, townhomes, single family homes) online for fun
• I sing for a local choral group
• Newspaper ink makes me sneeze

So many good things happening right now…and I couldn’t be happier. First off, since I started doing Jenny Craig about 6 weeks ago, I have now lost 10 lbs. and 2 inches all around (for a total of 8 inches, bust, waist, abdomen, hips). It’s funny I don’t really feel all that much skinnier, but I am I guess. My goal is to lose about 20 lbs. by my birthday in October - so I think that is an achievable goal. Then from there we will see, I definitely have more I can lose after that.

In other news, I think I may have a new job coming up…one I’m really excited about. OK, so I’ve only been at my current place about 7 months - but this other job is a lot more interesting and gives me the opportunity to really get into some things that I like. More to come on that…

And, finally, I have a new man in my life. I won’t say much, cause I don’t really blog about things I really care about (as they happen that is), and, he reads this blog (though I don’t think very often)…but I will say that things are moving along nicely (and slowly, which is good) and I’m very happy. I’ve been friends with him for awhile, and somehow in those days of literally talking 7 hours a day, it all of a sudden just kind of changed. But, he is everything I’ve ever wanted…and things are just very easy and natural. No drama, no wondering what he thinks or worrying about what I’m doing or what I think. We really just get each other, and understand each other… and have a lot of fun together. It just feels right.

Anyway, I feel like I’ve finally grown up and things are coming together for me. And, I’m finally finding some peace with myself and the decisions I’ve made (and continue to make) in my life. So, cheers to that!