Co-authors: Leah MacDonald, Mimi Moore, Erica Haims
In conjunction with its 10-year anniversary and announcement of non-profit status, Women in Localization (W.L.) is proud and excited to announce its new and improved website. Featuring new branding and a refreshed “dashboard” feel, the landing page is now a centralized location for Events, News, Volunteer Opportunities and Tweets.
W.L. intends for the website to be a valuable resource for knowledge and opportunities for members and localization industry professionals. The updated Events page features a global events calendar to raise awareness about W.L. chapter and industry events. For example, October 2018 has been a busy month, featuring a W.L. UK event on the 4th called “Everything You Need to Know about Global E-Commerce”, the W.L. 10th Anniversary Special Event on the 5th, a W.L. Singapore event on the 8th called “Expanding Localization Footprint in South East Asia Market”, the TAUS Conference on the 10-11th, and a networking event held by the W.L. Pacific Northwest chapter on the 17th to kick off LocWorld Seattle on the 17-19th.
The News page has become critical to the W.L. organization, featuring timely and important bulletins, such as announcements about W.L.’s non-profit status and addition of new global chapters. In 2018 alone, W.L. added new chapters in Singapore, Beijing, Utah, and Poland, bringing the total number of global chapters to sixteen with 4,500 current worldwide members.
A dynamic and growing organization like W.L. is always on the lookout for new volunteer talent to join its ranks. W.L. volunteers not only get to try their hand at new tasks and gain new skills, but they also have the opportunity to meet new people and network with their peers. “We call this Finding your Tribe,” said Anna Schlegel, W.L. President and Co-Founder. Current openings and application details are listed on the Volunteer Page and vary across W.L.’s multiple and varied committees: Marketing, Technology, Education/Membership, Global Expansion and Chapters, Events, Sponsorship and Strategic Partnerships.
A primary focus for the Education and Mentorship committee this year has been to increase the amount of useful content available on the website. The new Resources page features valuable sites to review when conducting industry research. Curated by W.L.’s Education and Mentoring committee, details on conferences, podcasts, and educational possibilities are available at a click of a button.
Under Martyna Pakula’s guidance, the Education team has established a solid foundation that will be expanded in coming months. Coming soon in the website’s next phase is W.L.’s new Mentoring program and a job listing page. Key players in this effort are Carolyn Whittingham, who established W.L.’s mentor/mentee matchmaking program and CatherineRose Mountain, who performed double duty by assisting with the website and compiling useful content for newbies in our industry. Recognition is also due to the efforts of Marian Valia, who created training and coaching content for the chapters and individual members.
“We didn’t just create a logo and choose a bunch of colors for the new website. Our brand was built on our friendship, our history and memories, and our expectations for what we thought Women in Localization could become and our website reflected that process on an even greater scale,” said Liesl Leary, W.L. Board member and CMO.
Reinventing the new website was no small undertaking and many committed volunteers devoted their time and skills to accomplish the task. “We couldn’t have done it without the dedication of so many great contributors like Chantal Graham and Naomi Senior (Brand Design), Alison (Ali) McCabe (Graphic Design/Web Producer), and Wei Wu (Web Development) who were tireless in bringing those values to life,” said Leary.
Other notable contributions were received from Vilma Campos (W.L. CTO), Silvia Avary-Silveira, W.L. Board Member Sponsorship and Vicente Avary-Silveira, who all contributed their time and expertise.
While there is always more to do, great gains have been made in 2018 and we expect to achieve even more in the months and year ahead. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the new website for their hard work and commitment. They truly represent the best of Women in Localization!