Back in our misbegotten youth, we spent long hours sunning ourselves in the college courtyard, dreaming of the perfect woman. As of this moment in time, we haven’t found her - but you know what they say about hope springing eternal… ;-)
It’s difficult to underestimate the impact women have on our - and every other heterosexual male’s - life. We spend most of our waking hours [and quite a few of the non-waking ones] thinking about them - and once in a while, they even deign to return the favour.
Throughout history, they’ve been found in the most interesting of roles - the sultry seductress, the fierce warrior, the protective mother - and their innate resourcefulness has carried them through the toughest crises. And so, this week, The HITG Report takes a bow in the direction of the fairer sex, with a look at some of the planet’s best women-oriented sites. Enjoy!
http://www.dimensionalwoman.com
This site has been developed keeping in mind the new breed of women, the ones who manage their jobs and their families with the same flair. The site aims to be a community for working women to get together and discuss their experiences, thoughts, problems and more.
There are several forums on the site for like-minded women to express themselves on the common problems that they face while managing theirs careers and families. Those with a flair for writing can post their work in a “writer’s corner” and the site also has several links for visitors to take advantage of the discounts offered by the site’s sponsors.
Finally, if you’re feeling depressed or stressed out, browse through the series of articles that focus on therapeutic teas, aromatherapy, depression, and - of course! - that all-time favourite topic, the minds of men!
http://www.femina.com
Claiming to be the site “for women, by women, about women”, Femina.com is an excellent resource for women on the Web. The site looks a lot like Yahoo!, with various sections such as Family and Motherhood, Girls, Health and Wellness, and Media and Publications. Each section is further classified into different sub-sections, thereby ensuring that you get where you’re going with minimum fuss.
The search feature on the site is very helpful, and the site also offers with “FeminaMail”, which gives you an email account with an attitude. There’s also a Femina calender, which helps you keep track of birthdays and appointments.
http://www.ivillage.com
A comprehensive one-stop site for women, iVillage.com has everything that it takes to be a portal site for women.
iVillage offers email, chat rooms, message boards, expert opinions, and games, and has a vast array of channels - health, beauty, diet, fitness, food, gardening, pets, and relationships.
For those women who just can’t start their day without a joke or two, there are sections like the Joke Of The Day, Crossword, Sweepstakes, Recipe of the Day, Horoscopes and more to keep you busy in the morning. Also check out the “hot topics” section, which lets women discuss contemporary issues like pregnancy, personal finance, diets, babies, and love[?].
The site also has a number of support communities for addictions, breast cancer, domestic abuse, and AIDS. A “health calculator” provides nutritional tips, and the site is well-designed, easy to use and colourful.
http://www.sheclicks.com
A colourful and funky site that claims to be “a woman’s way to work the Web”, SheClicks.com aims to make the Web and the computer itself more comfortable for women to work with. It offers a wide range of tips and tricks to maintain your computer, and even allows you to share your computer experiences with the rest of the world in the Newbies Memories section, which is loaded with remarkably familiar first-time experiences.
Other sections include “Basics”, where one can get a introduction to the unfriendly world of computing; “Must Haves”, which lists a set of accessories that are vital for the well-being of the computer; and “Best Sites”, which is a collection of useful sites that are recommended by Sarah.
http://www.tufffemme.com/
Living up to its name, Tufffemme.com is a site aimed squarely at the “strong minded, strong bodied and spirited” women of today. Espousing various causes [such as a campaign against domestic violence] and helping women stay healthy and balanced, the site acts as a one-stop guide to hot topics like child abuse, rape, self defense, and martial arts.
With sections such as “Women On The Go”, “Very That”, “Inspiration” and “Femme Of The Month”, each article on the site is a hard-hitting expression of empowerment for the fairer sex. Tuff femmes need to bookmark this one right now…
http://webgrrls.cybergrrl.com
Webbgrrls claims to be the women’s connection to the technical world - it offers tutorials and tech tools for women. The site provides valuable tips designed to help women develop their portfolio of skills, and technical tools that enables them to spice up their work environment.
http://www.womanlinks.com/
WomanLinks.com is a neat site which acts as a guide to other female-oriented sites. The site has a comprehensive database, with links to articles, poetry, communities, message boards, reviews and a lot more - all aimed at women. And if you have a site of your own, try entering it for a WLAward - you might win!
http://www.eve.com
Looking to buy your cosmetics online? Take a look at Eve.com, a site created especially for the glamourous woman who uses fifty-six shades of lipstick in a week. Make-up, perfumes, soaps and shampoos - everything you could possibly want is available on this Web site at the click of a mouse. There’s also a special section for gifts, and the things you can get for the men in your life [yes, we did say “men” ;-)]
http://www.icleo.com
Finally, we have iCleo.com, one of India’s coolest portals for women, with special sections on astrology, beauty, health and entertainment. The site has articles on the issues that affect women in general, and Indian women in particular, and also includes recipes, parenting tips, fitness and fashion, reviews of books, movies, music and restaurants, interviews with celebrities, tips for entrepreneurs…the list goes on. Check it out and see for yourself!
Till next time - stay healthy!
This article was first published on 15 Jun 2000.