andHow To Reach Women

The New Menopause: It Ain't What It Used To Be, But It's Still No Disneyland

Women's Voices For Change is a blog I've followed for a while that provides smart writing and analysis on a variety of topics with a perspective relevant to women over 40 - their tagline is "News, Opinion & Commentary for Women Over 40 - Defining The New Menopause," which is why I was inspired to write a post for them that I would normally post here about the dismal job many companies are doing in connecting with Boomer women.  Grab your sunscreen and a fruity beverage, we're going to Menopauseland! 

Wowowow: New Women's Site Better Connected Than Facebook?

Today's New York Times reported the upcoming launch of Women on the Web - or Wowow.com - founded by a group of 5 "media live-wires' including entertainment columnist Liz Smith, 60 Minutes reporter Lesley Stahl and former Simon & Schuster president, Joni Evans. Women's Voices For Change, also a project of Smith's, has been getting some positive attention for a lively presentation of issues relevant to women not of the Gen Y set (and not looking to impersonate them either). One of the reasons this group, who did not grow up sending text messages or creating MySpace profiles, started the initiative was due to the lack of content they found interesting or compelling online. Joan Juliet Buck, a contributing editor to Vogue and consulting editor to the new site, described long-standing women's community iVillage as "like Macy's or something." Apparently these women are looking for more. Regarding why the group came together in the first place the NY Times reported:

Ms. Evans was struck by what she considered a dearth of online content provocative enough to hook sharp, driven women like herself. Weary of shopping and travel sites, she reached out to a klatch of women friends who are as blond as Jayne Mansfield and better connected than the most determined Facebook users.

That phrase - better connected - stuck out. Think about it: while many Facebook and MySpace users have scores of "Friends" who they know virtually nothing about, these women are far more likely to keep their contacts to the tried and trusted, and therefore have far more credibility and influence if and when they choose to talk positively or negatively about a brand.

Time will tell if this community takes off or tanks but rest assured that there is a significant and growing number of smart, savvy women who are tired of being marketing after-thoughts and are willing - even if choosing and registering a domain name takes hours longer than their younger counterparts - to do for themselves.

If you visit the site pre-launch (this Saturday, 3/8) take the time to answer their question of the day: If you could choose any women in the world, living or dead, which four faces would you put on Mount Rushmore?