Technology is often on my mind these days. On the one hand, I firmly believe the Internet and email are part of my future, both professionally and personally. On the other hand, I find myself frustrated by the time I must spend sorting through garbage emails or finding information, booking travel or making purchases on the net.
When I discussed my mixed emotions recently with Ellen Wessel, president of Moving Comfort, a company which has been designing and selling clothing for physically active women for more than 22 years, she made a comment that surprised me. Ellen is particularly aware of the impact of the web on her own business. Overall, sales of sport clothes and equipment have decreased in recent years. Ellen observed: "while more women are buying on the web, I also think it has become another competitor for our limited leisure time. The time you spend on the web or answering your email may be the hour you used to use for a run or a game of Frisbee."
I can't imagine spending the precious time I save each day to run or ride my bike in front of my computer screen. I had hoped Melpomene could use the web to educate women about the benefits of physical activity. Instead, as Ellen suggests, finding us on line may mean these women have no time for exercise or other leisure pursuits.
It's a puzzle I need to work on. Melpomene has had a web site for four years. We are in the process of making some major chances to try to utilize its potential to educate and increase our bottom line. Yet my own personal experience with being online has been fairly limited.
That changed in May when I was invited to participate in a brainstorming session for creating a new email company. The idea of creating a company that will sell women's sporting apparel on line intrigued me. The company, lucy.com, will try to fill a particular niche by targeting women who might be intimidated or unsure of what to buy in an athletic store. The president, Sue Levin, thought my knowledge of the barriers women face in becoming physically active, as well as the fact that I'm an older woman, would be helpful.
I was excited to share my knowledge but being a participant in the brainstorming session also forced me to spend more time on the web. Part of my assignment prior to the meeting was to spend a couple of hours viewing several preselected sites.
I was fascinated by what I learned. I was in the market for a kayak and found I could compare prices and product on the web. I discovered there were several sites which offered good advice on physical activity and health but found some that were misleading at best. On more than one occasion I found that the time I had saved to head out the door on my run had been swallowed up in front of my screen.
As I become more proficient on the web, I expect I'll plan more trips, gather important information and make purchases. But I know I'll never become so fascinated by what it can do that I don't escape the screen for the scenery. And I hope to convince other women that while technology may enhance our lives, we must guard against it stealing the few hours we need to save for ourselves and our mental health!
Reprint permission granted by the Minnesota Women's Press November, 1999
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