Gender and the internet

"Excuse me, your gender's showing."

Although online surfing and communities would seem to offer some degree of anonymity, we may be giving away clues about ourselves due to our writing styles. This website analyzes writing samples and offers probabilities of the writer's gender as either male or female. Man, how gendernormative! Note that likelihood is counted differently based on formal or informal writing styles. Apparently my writing style is male and European. Close, but no cigar! (link)

Also, we may be leaving a trail of gender breadcrumbs behind us as we surf the web. Based on the most recent sites you've visited, are you more likely to be a male or female? News sites are more male, and retail sites appear to be more female. I had no idea my femininity was determining my browsing history, as often it puts me at about 90% likely to be a woman. If only they could see my writing! (link)

Finally, there have been scientific studies which track gender differences in eye movement while surfing the web. If you're a guy, chances are you fixate on crotches in photos, regardless of gender or species. (Raise your hand if you're surprised.) Women focus more on faces. (link - via Boing Boing)