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In conjunction with International Womens Day, three women share with NUR ZARINA OTHMAN their experiences in the tech and social media world

WHAT men can do, women can do just as well. This is especially true in the tech world today where many of the fairer sex are in the drivers seat, driving companies to new heights.

For Katherine Teo, the head of digital and social at M&C Saatchi, her journey in reviving a microblogging community platform called Dayre (pronounced Day-ree) into a vibrant one for women is a challenging but exciting one.

While many entrepreneurs avoid dying companies, Teo saw potential in Dayre.

When the previous owner of the platform decided that it was no longer viable to run it, Teo, through a company called Create Collective (a venture established by M&C Saatchi), bought it with six other partners.

I have been following Dayre for years. When I heard that it was shutting down, I felt a sense of loss.

As a user, I could understand its uniqueness and why people were drawn to it, says Teo.

She decided that the new Dayre would be for women only, giving them an inclusive, safe and supportive environment to express themselves.

We want to ensure that Dayreans (as Dayre members are called) can always trust Dayre to be a safe and conducive space for them to express themselves and have real girl talk, says Teo.

Since the makeover, the site has evolved organically to become a vibrant community of over 300,000 women who bond over bite-sized anecdotes of their daily lives.

With membership exclusively to women only, Dayre promises the freedom to share unadulterated thoughts and the option for members to decide who gets to read them without fear of trolling, unwanted attention or appearing on online searches.

The ability for users to share stories, unfiltered thoughts, experiences and secrets is what differentiates Dayre from other platforms, adds Teo.

She explains that other female communities target a specific group of women such as working mothers and entrepreneurs.

Dayre has always been a platform where women empower each other with personal stories and bond through common interests and passions.

Dayreans talk about the big and small moments of their day and life any topics that impact them or matters to them, and in any way they want to. Its authentic and unfiltered, explains Teo.

The Nanyang Technological University graduate says that apart from online perks of being in a members-only community, Dayreans also enjoy exclusive access to community events, dubbed the #DayreAFK (Dayre Away From Keyboard) initiative, to foster a strong community of women through events such as mum talks, beauty workshops, styling classes, career fairs, tea-tasting sessions and more.

SAFE SPACE

While Dayre was reinvented to give women a safe space to express themselves, another platform called Suppagood aims to empower women with the right tools to succeed in life, love and in their community.

Its founder, Sarah Lian, a Malaysian actress and television personality, says the platform wants to nurture talented women.

We aim to foster success in all facets of a womans life, from relationships to career to personal planning, emotional wellness and mental health. To do that, we collaborate with experts in different fields to educate, equip and give them the right tools to succeed, she says.

According to Lian, women are constantly being bombarded with standards and expectations, leaving them overwhelmed, tired, anxious and dissatisfied.

They thus seek connection, fulfilment and support.

According to Lian, this gave birth to Supparetreat, a brand under the Suppagood platform.

At Supparetreat, we offer space and guidance for women to look inward and seek answers to find purpose, happiness and peace, says the self-taught web designer and entrepreneur.

Lian conceived the Supparetreat brand based on her own experience as a woman trying to prove to herself and everyone else that she can.

In my personal life, Ive had my big hurt, a failed relationship that left me lost and stranded. I got caught up with things that didnt matter and tried so hard in a relationship that couldnt get past its first fight.

After the relationship ended, I engineered my own internal detox by taking myself out of my own head and listening to my heart.

I put my happiness first and surrounded myself with women whose perspective and support I trust, and thats when I realised how important it is to look within and decide what was right for me. Now Ive made a commitment to never lose myself again, explains Lian, who has a Bachelors degree in design and fashion communications from Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.

With a handful of lifestyle coaches, Lian and her team created transformational experiences that have touched the lives of more than 300 women since January last year.

We are creating a community for women to come and explore, connect more deeply with themselves and each other, and in doing so, not only strengthen their own light but shine it brighter in their own homes, communities, and workplaces, says Lian.

POWERING REAL ESTATE

While Lians and Teos stories are all about empowering women, Marienne Tan has quite a different experience.

Tan is a senior search engine optimisation (SEO) manager at local property listing site, iProperty.com.my.

I work on maintaining iProperty.com.mys online dominance by providing monthly reports to highlight key organic search traffic data and competitive analysis, I also conduct training and hold workshops, she says.

The property site provides an overview of sub sale property demand using website user visits and property listings, the first demand data report in the country.

According to Tan, the real estate industry is a fascinating industry.

The level of competition is intense. Its about ensuring how one can stay ahead. Keeping competitors at bay is one of the many challenges, she says.

Tans advice to women who wish to venture into the field: Be ready to fail and be open to accepting failure. There are a lot of trials and errors and you must be open to trying new things if you want to stay ahead.

Her first few months in the real estate industry was very challenging as it was all about listings and garnering leads for agents, says Tan, who is an International Business Management graduate from University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI) and Staffordshire University, UK.

One needs to keep going, she says, before quoting a line by Michelle Obama: There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.

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#TECH: Women take charge in the tech and social media world - New Straits Times