Even more on focus and freedom
In a Comment, burningbird asks if we are doing women a service if we "tone down" blog discussions the way that some teachers "tone down" math with the mistaken assumption that girls can't compete in math on the same level with boys.

Again, rather than only Comment to her Comment, I'm putting my response here:
I guess I don't see why we can't have it both ways: play equally with boys when we're out there and still have a place where just "us girls" can come and schmooze. (I guess I must have really liked those one-sex dorms.) We learn to join the pissing contests out there because that's the rules that the male majority set up. (I'm not talking about "majority" in terms of general population; I'm taking about the various power places, including the internet.) Most men can deal with pissing just about anywhere, but most women seem to prefer a Ladies Room. Maybe that's how we should bill Blogsisters -- "A Ladies Room for Bloggers."