Where the Girls Are
By Gail Junion-Metz -- School Library Journal, 2/1/1998
There are some fabulous Web sites designed just for girls. Here's a sampling of the best
"The Web has lots of stuff for boys but hardly any sites just for girls." That's a widely held belief, but I'm here to tell you it's wrong. As thousands of pre-teen and teen girls already know, there are tons of things for girls to do online. There are clubs to join, penpals to write, stories to read, opinions to share, advice to give and get, games to play, and lots of information about growing up. In other words, "girl power" is very much alive on the Web.
How to Find It
Did you know there's a Web index just for women and girls? It's called FeMiNa. Created by the Web producers at CyberGrrl!, FeMiNa lists items under such standard subject headings as careers, health, and business, but also has a special heading called, simply, "Girls." This is where students can find information on books, clubs, games, music, sports, and links to home pages created by girls.
There are four huge girl sites on the Web, with enough links to keep a girl busy for a long time. One of the biggest and best is Girl Tech. Be sure to visit the "Inventions" section and its links to "Kooky Inventions," "Quacky Quotes" (funny things people have said about new inventions), and "Women Inventors." "Girls Views" has movie and book reviews as well as girls-in-the-news links.
A Girl's World Online Clubhouse is hosted by "real girls" Amy, Geri, Rachel, and Tessa. Check out their home pages, then use the site index to quickly explore the rest of the site. The Clubhouse is sponsored by A Girl's World Productions, made up of volunteer children and adults. Many parts of the site are free but there's a $12 charge to become a "goldkey member" and enter girls-only chat rooms. (Girl's World accepts no advertising and says it uses the fee to support the site.) At PlanetGirl.com, sponsored by Girl Games Inc., check out "Girl-illa World" and the very funny adventures of "Pink Kitty." At "Girl-on-the-Street," girls can voice their opinions, while the intrepid "Phat Girl" tells them everything they need to know about subjects like pimples, tattoos, and aromatherapy.
Some of the most interesting content and graphics are at Purple Moon Place, developed by Purple Moon, a new media company that creates products based on research about girls. The links at "Rockett's World" and "Secret Pals" offer an experience that's a lot like a scavenger hunt. Purple Moon Place keeps track of where you've been and lists the links for you. It lets girls create their own home pages and tells visitors whose pages are linked to each part of the site.
Cyber Sisters and More
"Cyber sisters are girls on the Internet who will stick up for each other, help each other out, and be friends when you just need someone to talk to." That's from Cyber Sisters, a free online club for girls 6 to 18 years old. "Links by Girls" offers links to girls' home pages. The "Girls Are Great" section offers such tidbits as the fact that the first computer programmer was a woman.
At American Girl Online, click on "To Do Today." You'll see a picture of a "kitty" that you can pat to discover new things to do every day. Each week, the "Help from You" section features a different problem and advice from real girls. One week it was: "My friends laugh at my stuffed animals."
Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
Girl Power! for Girls, sponsored by the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, provides information on subjects like marijuana, eating well, and feeling good about yourself. The "Product Catalog" link describes mostly free items, such as buttons and posters, to send for.
Finally, there's a wonderful site for parents and teachers called Expect the Best from a Girl. Sponsored by the Women's College Coalition, it offers helpful tips for parents and teachers who want to encourage girls to do well in school and in life.
Web Addresses
- American Girl Online
http://www.americangirl.com/ag/ag.cgi - Cyber Sisters
http://worldkids.net/clubs/CSIS - Expect the Best from a Girl
http://www.academic.org/ - FeMiNa
http://www.femina.com/ - Girl Power! for Girls
http://www.health.org/gpower/girlarea/index.htm - Girl Tech
http://www.girltech.com/index_home.html - A Girl's World Online Clubhouse
http://www.agirlsworld.com/clubhouse/index.html - PlanetGirl.com
http://www.planetgirl.com - Purple Moon Place
http://www.purple-moon.com/cb/laslink/pm?stat+pm_place
