Grant's position also reveals the extent to which “public living,” and therefore publicity, is necessary for a successful member of the tech scene. For Grant to maintain her freelance career, she needed a visible public persona. Much of her work involved advising nonprofits on social media use, so it was vital for her to demonstrate proficiency with the technologies. And as a sex writer and activist, she was expected to blog and tweet about sex, relationships, and intimacy. Her strategy to reveal the very personal was not only a way for her to keep some topics to herself; it also enabled her to attract an audience and to interest freelance clients. She was able to use this audience interaction to build her career further; in 2010, she and a partner used Kickstarter, a “crowdfunding” site that solicits donations for creative projects, to raise more than $17,000 to print an anthology of sex writing.

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 626