Joni Evans | 03/13/2008 8:03 pm

Welcome to wowOwow and Thank You!

Welcome! We launched on March 8th, the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. And we’ve been so happy with your responses to our site and to our questions. (Our first Question of the Day – Which four women would you like to see on Mt. Rushmore? — has received more than 2,000 e-mails and 150 on-site comments. We will tally the votes on Friday, so you still have time to get yours in.)

WowOwow is a party — disguised as a website — where we meet for coffee (in our robes) and for cocktails (without any makeup) and even in the middle of the night (someone’s always up!). Here, we can talk to our readers, invite the most interesting guests, share experiences, tell tales out of school, exchange gossip and news — and make some of our own.

WowOwow is created, written and owned by Lesley Stahl, Peggy Noonan, Liz Smith, Joni Evans, Mary Wells, Sheila Nevins, Joan Juliet Buck, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Reed, Joan Ganz Cooney, Judith Martin, Candice Bergen, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner and Marlo Thomas.

Here’s what you’ll see:

Posts: Our daily thoughts, experiences and news
Conversations: A few of us get together to delve and dish
Question of the Day and Polls
Star Signs: Intuitive Peggy Rometo gives a weekly horoscope and answers your questions
Contributor Pages: Each of our WOW women invites you in
Guest Interviews: With the informed and indelible
A Friend Stopped By: Where the smartest and the best enlighten us
Hair Day Weather: We’ll tell you when to put on your hat
Change the World: And we will

What we want is to hear from you. On every page is a comment box ("Talk to Us") for you to share your opinions, which will become an integral part of the site. Your reactions, ideas and recommendations are crucial to us. Tell us what you like, don’t like and what you want to see. Tell us everything.

You are our guests. So, sit down, put your feet up and talk to us.

176 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

How about a time stamp on each post and changing the main page more often. It hasn’t change since it went on line.

By Pamela Renfrew on 03/10/2008 6:49 pm

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I must say this is a bizarrely retro idea that feels really out of synch with the openness and empowerment motifs of the web. I’m sorry ladies, I respect what you’re trying to do, but the slices of wonder bread at the top of the page are really offputting. Oh there’s Whoopi, guess she’s the crust. Congratulations, you’re all celebrities. Are the rest of us just supposed to come to your site and press our noses to the glass? Surely you’ve noticed that America—even older, female, affluent America—doesn’t really resemble a Wellesley Class of ‘62 reunion photo? What are you trying to do with this site, exactly? Who do you want to visit it? It seems a little cynical to blast out all this hoopla if all you really want to do is sell some banner ads for wrinkle cream, in case I missed them in my Yahoo mail account. The demographic you’re going after could use some education to be able to participate in the future as responsible citizens. I don’t see you providing it. Some of you are successful businesspeople, but this isn’t going to displace my Harvard Business Review subscription anytime soon. To me this site feels self-congratulatory and complacent and I’m not sure that’s enough to build an online media business around.

By dian nao on 03/10/2008 9:38 pm

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WOW! This is going to be fun!

By Christina Brandt on 03/10/2008 10:03 pm

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I need to echo the sentiments of Glennia, Kristen, and Dian: I look at that line up at the top of the page and see a sea of white women + whoopi. Who in their right mind would let a site like this launch—a site that claims to represent “women”—without representing women from all walks of life? The lack of diversity is jarring. What does it say about you that of the 15 women shown, there is only one woman of color? As a multi-cultural woman (a woman who has a very successful and satifying career ON THE WEB) I am insulted. If you think there are no successful Asian women on the web, I need to put you in touch with my mom: would you like her iPhone number or her email address? Either way, she’ll respond right away.

By Stefania Pomponi Butler on 03/10/2008 10:30 pm

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with all due respect, Molly Ivins has sadly passed away as has Ann Richards, both of whom with Texas legacies. Congratulations on your opening day—find the site in Liz Smith’s column because we went to the same high school at different times together. Sorry you few were focused on the frills and not the facts this first day out. How bout we give these ladies a chance—-I can assure you that for everyone who criticizes the inclusion astrological signs and bad hair days, there are two who think the originators were just so clever to reach for a broad appeal. (Pun intended) Beth Willis

By beth willis on 03/10/2008 11:29 pm

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Have fun, girls. I came in through a mention on Digital Eve. Ho-Hum. Another Girls-Are-People-Lite website. I am so sick of women’s media assuming that because we have ovaries, we don’t care about is happening to our economy, or our country. Your political dialogue is limited to horse-racing strategy or gossipy tidbits. How about explaining why Hillary is called the “Senator from Punjab”? How about explaining how the outsourcing of our high-tech sector affects women like me? The high-tech sector is the ONLY place that working-class women can make a decent wage. The arts, entertainment and publishing industries are notoriously class-conscious, and it is reflected in the offerings on this site. Why the assumption that women aren’t interested in things like the loss of privacy? In Total Government Surveillance? I understand it’s not fun and tipsy. But why must hard, difficult information ALWAYS be excluded from women’s sites? Why the assumption that a site dedicated to women being allowed to talk to each other eschew left-brain analysis and hard facts? Not all women are flippant air-heads worried about their own self-aggrandizement, and I’m getting pretty tired of this routine. Perhaps I missed some area of the site where this content is available. Well, you have my email, if there’s a human reading this, but I probably won’t be coming back to check the replies.

By Gloria Hapford on 03/11/2008 2:04 am

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OK, I love this site! What a wonderful idea! I can’t wait to see it really take off!

By Chatty Tawkin on 03/11/2008 7:01 pm

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if i have to make a complaint it is the lack of diversity, and COME ON GIRLS- I see you walking around the streets of NYC and y’all don’t look like those publicity photos on the masthead. I would feel more camaraderie and honesty if you would have your photo taken NOW and post it ( Liz that is a lovely photo of who? would never recognize you!) So step up to the plate and exhibit the same physical honesty as you are trying to show in in other areas Let’s grow old gracefully- that- would be something worth crowing about -accepting age appropriate natural beauty and flaunting that!

By ElizaBeth Cronk on 03/11/2008 8:12 pm

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I am thrilled. i just heard about you today. Excellent. I am spreading the word along with many I suspect.

By Northern Lights on 03/11/2008 10:15 pm

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A few posters have mentioned your “target demographic”. I haven’t seen it specified anywhere, and by now I’m curious. Famous white women in their fifties? Sorry… I want to like this site, and I do, and I’m still suspicious. Feels like something’s happening that’s not out on the table. I’m in my sixties, looking for the online company of older, intelligent liberal women, and lots of exposure to women’s thoughtful opinions on personal and social issues. I could do without the fashion commentary here - there are more sites that do that than do good discussion.

By Meg Umans on 03/12/2008 12:47 am

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If I had one wish for this wonderful new venture it would be that those who chime in do so with an open mind and heart. I am always stunned at the level of negativity that women will level at each other when the intention is a pursuit of honest, fun and diverse communication. I did not see rules posted anywhere as to who may join this. Let’s support the womenofacertainage in this endeavor. Life is too short not to enjoy the ride, the education AND the laughter. Seriously, the image of Candice in grey sweats typing a la Murphy did me in.

By jil coolidge on 03/12/2008 1:12 am

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I saw you all on GMA this morning and was intriqued to check you out.Congrats!!If women can ban together for the better it will make real differences.Everybody should tell their friends and let’s really get this party started.

By Kathy Tebo on 03/12/2008 7:48 am

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after registering I reasd ‘access denied’ why is this? audandjoe@bellsouth.net

By aud zee on 03/12/2008 7:48 am

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Finally a website where i can ask a question and hopefully get some feedback. I am a 55 year old woman who LOVES to knit. I make beautiful purses and am always stopped on the street asking for my website. Well, i dont have a website because i don’t know where to turn first. There are so many companies out there offering their services that it is hard to know who to turn to first. Does anyone have any ideas? There must be someone out there who has a website that they are happy with. I need some help from the ground up.

By Valerie Duus-Jamieson on 03/12/2008 7:49 am

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It IS women who will save the world! So thank you thank you for a site where we can share our thoughts, expertise and generally connect with, encourage, and empower each other as we each make our particular contribution to creating a better world.

By Christine Bair on 03/12/2008 7:57 am