Web sites geared toward women must think differently

 

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A plethora of women's Web sites, including Oxygen.com, MarthaStewart.com, iVillage, and Women.com, are marketing themselves as the prime destinations for women on the Net. But what will make each of them stand out? "What's surprising is that it has taken women so long to understand [that the Internet is] their medium." - Geraldine Laybourne, CEO, Oxygen Media

Sites seek to separate from crowd news analysis Women are manning the Net in greater numbers, but if the growing crop of "she" sites wants to avoid looking like a chain of paper dolls, they must cut themselves apart from the competition. previous coverage Oxygen: Lipstick and recipes or a media revolution? Newsmaker After 16 years pioneering children's programming at Nickelodeon, which she followed by heading Disney/ABC Cable Networks, Geraldine Laybourne is erecting a media empire based on the growing convergence of television and the Net. Oxygen launches fresh content, services update Oxygen Media gives its Web site a makeover and kicks off a national tour to find out what women really want from Net and television programming. Martha's IPO: It's a good thing Despite a highly volatile stock market, media companies targeted at women are booming in their initial public offerings. iVillage widens losses but beats expectations The company, which runs Web sites aimed at women, says its third-quarter loss widened on increased marketing costs, and revenue more than doubled from new advertisers.