For Anita Borg, a consultant engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation's Western Research Lab, the Systers network combines 23 years of computer work with 25 years of feminism. Systers started almost five years ago, when about 25 women got together for dinner at an operating-systems conference and decided to stay in touch. It now has 1,100 members in 15 countries representing more than 150 colleges and universities and 75 companies. There are also a few subject-related sublists, including one for AI. Despite its size, Systers continues to work well, according to Borg, because of the social mechanisms in place and the ``serious, concerned, and sophisticated people'' who use it. She is working on automating some of the administrative tasks involved; for instance, users will eventually be able to remove themselves from the list during vacations and then reinstate themselves.
Since all messages go to all members, the social culture of the network had to evolve as Systers grew. When there were about 200 members, the network was getting unwieldy with too many messages and too much conversation. Borg developed a number of rules; for instance, when someone sends a question to the entire list, individuals respond directly to the asker, who compiles the responses and broadcasts a summary back to the list. Borg sets the tone, encouraging members to think hard about what they send to the list. The network is not moderated, but Borg corrects things if they go off track. Almost no arguments have occurred. She believes that the network's existence proves that electronic mail can be used ethically. ``There is something quite incredible about the way women interact and the seriousness with which they take this resource.''
``An essential element [of the network's success] is that it has created a global community of women who would otherwise have very little opportunity to interact with others like themselves. Systers provides both role models and mentoring; it is a sounding board when one feels alone, isolated, that she might be the only person in the world who ever experienced something. Finding that you are not alone is empowering and encouraging.
``As a geographically dispersed and often individually isolated minority in computer science, women rarely have the opportunity to interact in person with other women on any subject in the field. Systers exposes women to the full range of significant professional interactions among women without the perception of help by or input from men. This serves to bolster self-esteem and independence.
``Systers has helped us realize that computer science is not a men's club in which we each in isolation are the freakish exception. There are many of us. We have much in common. And we have much to offer and to gain by staying in the field.''
Borg certainly enjoys her work, and appreciates the freedom DEC gives her to pursue research of her own choice. Her latest project supersedes her previous interests in operating-system and performance analysis. She is working on creating a database of Systers users, who would each control the contents of her entry and the accessibility of each field. Users could direct e-mail through the database to dynamic subsets within the list. The public part of the database could also help people identify qualified female candidates for appointments. This project has implications far beyond Systers for enriched communication among groups with common interests.
Female computer scientists with e-mail facilities can contact the network at Systers-request@wrl.dec.com