Female Internet Hero Andiara Petterle is an experienced entrepreneur in the Brazilian digital market.

Currently Digital Strategy and New Business Director at Grupo RBS and previously CEO Bolsa de Mulher, the largest online women's communications group in Brazil.

Andiara has MA and BA degrees in Social Communications from PUC-Rio, was a guest researcher at Brown University, studied Interactive Media Development at the University of British Columbia, and participated in the Women's Leadership Program at Harvard Business School. She is co-author of the book "Poderosas Consumidoras: o que quer e pensa a nova mulher brasileira".

We spoke to Andiarra about how to target women through digital media; the most common piece of advice she gives to start-ups; and how her journey in tech started on her 15^th birthday.

The UK’s largest female business community, everywoman, has announced the 2012 finalists in the everywoman in Technology Awards, once again uncovering the UK’s most successful and talented women working within the technology sector. And our own founder Simone Brummelhuis of The NextWomen is again part of the jury.

These awards, now in their second year, highlight the achievements of women excelling in this industry, in order to encourage more to see it as a rewarding career choice.

Despite increases in the number of women entering the workforce over the past few decades, recent figures show that the number employed within the IT and telecoms sector has decreased. Although 47% of the UK workforce is female, only 18% of IT & Telecoms professionals are female, down from 22% in 2001*.

In late 2009 Linda Cheung was about to leave Morgan Stanley to start her own business. At the time she had less than a dozen connections in LinkedIn and had never used Facebook or Twitter. Today, she's CEO of CubeSocial, a software development company all about winning business through social media, recently selected as a “Top 20 Start-up” of 2011 by entrepreneur magazine Startups.

Are you hesitating with your social media strategy, unsure of where to start? You are not alone! In this interview David Alston, CMO of Radian6, explains how listening to what your customers are saying to, and about, your company is the best first step to take.

PW: ln our recent survey, social media was seen as the next big thing for marketers with 41% stating that they would be looking at it in 2012.  Yet, many organizations hesitate.  What is the mindset change required within an organization to succeed with this medium?

DA: If companies are feeling overwhelmed and don’t want to jump in to engagement right away that’s normal, and they can start with listening.  

Communities are talking about topics they are passionate about.  You can learn about things that they like, and what they dislike.  At some point you will be compelled to respond perhaps because a customer is looking for an answer or has some feedback that they’d like to share.  Engagement always starts with a single response and with every conversation it will get easier and easier.