My mother emails me to tell me there's new woman's community website just been launched by The Daily Mail. They've called it Charlotte Street. I've only dipped my toe into one real-time, online chat forum before and that was by accident. I'd been to an American Fitness Guru's website to get some tips as to how to reduce my spreading computer botty, and amidst all my amateurish clicks found myself in the Chat Room. I was amused at all the messages rapidly appearing before my eyes, when I realised Hairy Muscles was talking to me. As this was a totally new experience, I had no idea I'd been seen entering the room 'a/s/l' Hairy Muscles was asking. ' Do you do Cybersex?' I fled as fast as my trembling mouse clicking finger would let me. I vowed never to do that again.

I braved it though, joined Charlotte Street community in November 1999, spent a whole week reading the messages, while too scared to post into the Café, mustered the courage, posted a tentative 'Hello, I'm Lamorna' and was inundated with lovely welcome and friendly greetings, so much so that I became an active member, and remained so until……

~February 2001~

Femail.co.uk is launched, with the aim being to give women a community of their own in which to chat, discuss, advice, support, laugh, cry, disagree, agree, share, learn, let off steam and bond as sometimes only women can. And it's working brilliantly.

~The Femail. co.uk Homepage~

The main sections are listed on the left hand side of the opening Homepage.

News: Health: Beauty: Sex and Relationships: Parenting: Fashion and Shopping: Entertainment: Food and Drink: Horoscopes: Travel: Your Money: Jobs and Careers: Expert: Advice Bank:

Each category will take you the appropriate pages, where there are in depth articles and information, with Femail's team of experts ready to advice on their specialist subject. Experts include Nigel Slater in the Food and Drink section, Julia Carling in the Beauty part and Debbie Frank with an impressive Horoscope sector. A Family Lawyer, Life Coach, Job Search, Find a Date are just some of the featured advisors. There is an option on every article to Read Later, Email to a Friend and a Prepare to Print.

This is where the community comes into Femail, Charlotte Street has been given a new location. Us Girlies, old and new, made an effortless move into our smart new premises. We all felt immediately at home there. Same deep blue background as before, and a clear white, easy to read text. Fresh flowers and a to die for Coffee machine. A real time online Chat Room and a gorgeous Irish guy called Dave, the Femail Community Manager who answers every message from the members in the Feedback Board with utter charm, warmth and friendliness. All the community seem to be a little bit in love with him! From the end of a keyboard? Who says personality doesn't shine through the Cyber-Highways?

Every category on the Homepage has a Discussion board. In some cases as in Sex and Relationships, a main category will have several Discussion boards, in this case they include Confessions (Snigger) Loss of Libido, Pillow Talk, Living Together. The women who have become Femail members are a lively, varied and friendly gathering from all over the world, mainly the UK and the rest of Europe. The discussions on all the Boards are as in depth or as frivolous as the subject requires. The Current Affairs board has serious, constructive debates, often controversial, but stimulating. The Menopause Board is often hysterically funny, with lurid stories of HRT patches coming adrift in the middle of a session, and ending up on their partners foot, while another replying that she avoids losing her patch while making love, as she whips it off, on the assumption that her body won't miss the hormone intake, as it's all over in two minutes.

The support shown for each other on the Depression board, Losing a Baby, Death of a Loved One can be very moving, and from what I can see, in some cases saving the sufferer from sinking lower into despair and loneliness. Everyone at some time in their life can feel very lonely and desperate, and might have been grateful for the genuine friendship shown in Femail.

Femail have permanently running Poll asking for verdicts on big issues, from Who Shot Phil Mitchel? and the more serious such as Has Manchester Uniteds Dominance Devalued the Premiership? There are regular competitions, and a rather nice moment to see, is the winner running excitedly to the Café saying with delight 'I've won a Make-Over' I hasten to add that I have never won, but that might be because I don't enter them!

Femail has members as Community Hosts, who have volunteered a couple of hours a week to welcome and help any new members who appear lost and unsure in the Café, or on the Discussion boards. The website is easy to navigate, with a Search the Whole Site function, but any new website takes a while to get the hang of, and it appears to be the Femail teams policy that a message never gets left unanswered. I like that, as it's horrid feeling being ignored in any forum isn't it?

Femail members are given a free email account with a rather nice address, yourname@youremail.co.uk There's a Calendar, Address Book, Phone book and TV and Radio schedules for everybody. Ten minute quizzes, like, Do you really know everything about the Archers? A Picture Gallery, which this week has an abundance of pictures of the Brit Awards, Bafta 2001, and London Fashion Week, and a daily gossip sheet delivered to your mailbox.

Many of the daytime visitors are women at work and online, so Femail have very thoughtfully provided a Panic Button. If you spot the Boss coming your way, one click of the mouse, and up comes a very convincing Spreadsheet, except it's titled ' How I can become a much better employee ( without extra pay)' Nice touch?

There is a scattering of male members in Femail, and they provide an alternative viewpoint to many of the discussions. One of the male members is a computer whiz and is brilliant on the You and your Computer board, he seems to be able to solve any problem that comes, and I noticed a lot of male interest in Tights versus Stockings Discussion board. We soon sorted him though when we suggested he wore hold-ups instead of stockings, as his suspender-belt kept slipping down his narrow hips!

I'm not a 'Which soap powder?' and 'What lavatory cleaner is best?' type of woman. I'm not much into all girlie conversations, I prefer mixed company, and yet I love Femail. The cross section of women is great. Plenty of feisty, outspoken ladies with attitude, of all ages, background and beliefs. We all seem to be able to discuss topics in depth, giving our personal opinions without getting personal, not always easy without the benefit of body language and eye contact.

If you feel like adding another addiction besides Dooyoo to your list, and enjoy debate, good articles, information, humour, friendship and that special community atmosphere, I say have a look at Femail. It's a very new set-up, and hasn't gone for the big launch yet. They are adding new features weekly and frequently improving on the existing ones. It's been fun watching it grow and to be part of it. I'll see you in there? I'll get the coffee on and save you a comfy chair by the log fire……..

femail.co.uk is part of ANM Associated New Media.

© Mornev 2001