WE ALL KNOW the statistics. For every woman on the internet, there are maybe twenty men, using the term loosely. Most of them are friends of your little brother. And all of them know more about science fiction, computer programming, and obsolete hardware than you.

Sure, there are plenty of pictures of women, but where are the women themselves? Imagine a world where an entire generation of young male web surfers learns about women through sites like The Spot and Babes on the Web. Up until recently, this was the fate of women on the internet. Any woman who signed up on one of the service providers was immediately bombarded by men who want to "chat" or "offer advice."

Fortunately, the stereotypes are fading as women are gain presence on the internet in greater and greater numbers. Evidence of this can be found in the number of organizations that are devoted to women's interests on the internet. Foremost among these organizations is one called Webgrrls. According to their info-packed website, Webgrrls is a "real-world, face-to-face networking group for women in and interested in new media. Chapters are forming in cities all around the world to provide a forum for women to exchange information, give job and business leads, learn about new technologies, mentor, intern, train and more..." Another great resource for women is the appropriately named The Women's Resource Project. If you need something on women's studies or women's history or women's help groups, you can find it there.

Daughters and the Digital Revolution
Predictably, with the growing number of women participating in the [insert internet buzzword here], there is an increase in the number of studies about women on the internet. The Pluto Institute has released a white paper on Daughters and the Digital Revolution, tracking the participation of girls and women in the digital information revolution. One of its significant findings is that a great majority of females were ready and willing to embrace the technology of the internet.