Woman creates site for boomers

She said there wasn't much on the Internet to bring middle-aged women together.
By KORKY VANN
HARTFORD COURANT
There's a new girl in town -- or in cyberspace, to be exact.
BoomerGirl.com, launched last month, offers news, blogs and tips on health, fashion, family, finances and fitness -- all geared toward "women of a certain age." The Web site grew out of a Kansas woman's weekly column on her own midlife misadventures and the challenges and humorous happenings of being a female over 50. Cathy Hamilton, who wrote Boomer Girl Diary for a local paper, was surprised when she searched for similar content online and found little.
"My kids are all over facebook.com and Myspace.com, which offer relevant content and a community experience for teens and twentysomethings," says Hamilton, 51. "I wanted to find the same thing for women my age, but there really wasn't much out there." Hamilton took her idea for a Web site geared toward middle-aged women to the marketing folks at her paper. They saw the potential and helped get the project up and running.
"The reaction to my column told me there was a need for something like this on the Internet," Hamilton says. "Women over 40 just aren't seeing themselves in today's media."
Other sites
Hamilton's venture joins Boomerwomenspeak.com, launched by empty-nester Dotsie Bregel in 2002, and eons.com, created in 2006 by Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com for the over-50 audience.
Sandy Berger, author of "Great Age Guide to the Internet," a handbook for "boomers and beyond," says such sites make good business sense. Born between 1946 and 1964, boomers have more political power, education, discretionary income and cultural impact than any other generation. The last wave of boomers turns 43 this year. The oldest turns 61.
"Back when I started teaching boomers computer skills, I actually had folks pick up the mouse and put it on the screen," says Berger, creator of compukiss.com, which features computer tutorials, technology reviews and news for older consumers. "Now they want to know about linking their cell phones with their PCs. They're much more Web savvy and using the Internet as a resource and for shopping."
BoomerGirl, which features the slogan "Welcome to the Club," offers health information, content for the Sandwich Generation who deal with aging parents and growing kids, travel destinations for girlfriend getaways, book reviews, financial planning advice and a few provocative features.
BoomerGirl's daily Spanish lesson (complete with audio), "Espanol con Ramon," features an oh-so-sexy young, male language instructor who teaches such vital gal vacation phrases as "How much does that cost?" and "Do you know you look just like Antonio Banderas?"
Other features
Readers looking for insight into the male mind are invited to visit "The Men's Room." Women can submit editorials and memorial tributes, form online clubs, comment on stories and blog with other visitors. "Red Skirt Blue Skirt" features thoughts from two columnists, one liberal, one conservative; and "Flashbacks" offers virtual visits to the past. (Flashback to Jan. 22, 1968, for example, and you'll learn that the sketch comedy show "Rowan & amp; Martin's Laugh-In" debuted on that date on NBC.)
In a time of heightened awareness about stereotypes, the site's moniker has arched a few eyebrows. Hamilton says the company tested a number of names in focus groups and found that BoomerGirl struck just the right chord with women who might not want to be referred to as "girls" in the workplace but who enjoy girls' nights out and girls' trips with close friends. Plans for the site include an insomniac's club for women awakened by hot flashes.
"Women in this age bracket are juggling busy lives. We don't have time for coffee klatches or talking over the backyard fence like our mothers or grandmothers did, but we want to make connections with others who are experiencing what it means to be middle-aged," Hamilton says. "Our goal is to make BoomerGirl.com a community of friends."