New technologies have become important tools for all those individuals actively seeking work or a career change, as well as to communicate and put into effect new initiatives, be they personal or professional.
Because of its immense possibilities, Internet is one of the most powerful tools within the reach of the general public. If we then consider women’s relationship with the Internet, then we have one of the fastest growing phenomena of this decade. Women are a growing presence online, and play an increasingly important role on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. More specifically, Latina women have also discovered a world full of opportunities and benefits online.
Hispanic women on social networking sites like Facebook continue to grow in number and importance. When using these sites, Hispanic women generally share the following goals: keeping up with friendships, working together to face new challenges and finding professional opportunities.
An example of this social dynamism on social networking sites is “Wise Latinas Linked”, a Facebook group created only a few months ago in Dallas, Texas and that has more than 2,733 members. The group is the brainchild of Rebeca Aguilar, an award-winning independent social communicator and National Association of Hispanic Journalists “Journalist of the Year.”

Rebeca has explained to the media that the name “Wise Latinas Linked” was inspired by Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s response to questioning by the U.S. Senate last year. These interviews had the express purpose of deciding if Sotomayor was an appropriate candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court.
In these sessions, a comment by the made by Judge Sotomayor in 2001 at Berkley University in California came out: “a Wise Latina women with the riches of her experiences, more often than not, comes to better conclusions that a white man who hasn’t had those same experiences».
These words inspired Rebeca, who called her friend Vicki Anne and proposed the idea of creating a social group in Facebook with the name “Wise Latina Women”, based on Judge Sotomayor’s famous comment, focused on recruiting Hispanic women in their professional and personal lives.
The current economic crisis and the interest in this project have contributed to the rapid growth of this group. Many women need to find work following years of study or have lost their jobs because of personnel cuts in their companies and are now looking for new employment opportunities. Besides being useful in maintaining connections, social networking sites help Latina women keep in touch with the outside World as well as find new friends, love interests, employment and business opportunities.

Latina women, wise as they are, have well understood that networks like Facebook can help them to successfully achieve their goals, whatever they may be. Ever demonstrating their intelligence and astuteness, Latina women have made use of Internet and new technologies as strong allies in the battle to reach their goals.
Social groups like “Wise Latinas Linked”, that have their own blog: http://www.wiselatinaslinked.blogspot.com/ and other groups like it, have the advantage of connecting women with similar goals and Hispanic culture in common. This common denominator encourages members to establish deep bonds of friendship, explore new opportunities and benefit from the wisdom, experience and advice of other women that have been “there.”
“Wise Latinas Linked” now has followers in Dallas, San Antonio, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Alaska, México, Honduras and Spain, among many other places, and continues to grow. The age of participants ranges between 18 and 65 years of age, and recently group members in various American cities had the opportunity to meet their online contacts in person.
Hispanic women, ever capable, know how to navigate this new technological environment, and benefit from available opportunities. They clearly recognize that Internet, and social networking sites are tools, and make good use of them to strengthen cultural bonds and friendships. Thanks to the advantages of the Internet and social networking sites like Facebook, Latina women, like women everywhere, are able to express themselves freely and efficiently, sharing information and opportunities regardless of physical location and personal schedules and obligations.