WowOwow! And I really mean it.

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Look at this list of women.  Do your best not to say WOW at least once.

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.

I know…can’t be done.  Go ahead.  Give yourself permission.  Wow.

That is a power-packed list.  Women who have incredible influence in many different fields.  Apparently, they’ve been friends for some time and as they say:

"And for years we have been talking to each other about everything under the sun – our families, our work, our worlds. No matter what was happening in our lives, we made the time. We’ve shared what we think, observe and experience each day.

And now we want to share it with you."

The call it a conversation on the internet.  I call it a blog.  But….in very short order, we’re going to call it a force.  Their question of the day for yesterday was….which 4 women would you like to see on Mt. Rushmore.  70+ comments.

Umm, that was on the day of their launch, International Women’s Day.  Imagine how popular they’ll be in a week!

Hats off to these ladies, their fascinating conversations and their wisdom in inviting us to join in.

So here’s what I am wondering.  How will this site and these women influence the blogosphere, the media, advertisers or public perception?

15 comments on “WowOwow! And I really mean it.

  1. Tammy Lenski says:

    Drew – Wow! What a lineup of smart and interesting women…I could spend hours there. Thanks for alerting us to the site’s presence.

    I’m puzzled about one thing, though: No RSS feed that I can find, and no obvious way to subscribe. For me, that makes the site less useful, because it means I have to go there in search of new material instead of it coming to me. Odd, given their use of blog jargon like “posts” and “archives.” I guess I’ll go back there and try again to find the elusive feed. Hmmm….

  2. Karin H. says:

    Hi Drew

    Your post made me smile – I know the Women of the Web a long time 😉
    http://www.womenontheweb.nl/
    Been a member of the WoW since they started way back in the ’90’s, but had to ‘let go’ when we moved to the UK.

    They’re still going strong and perhaps some of them are becoming famous or will one day.

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specailly in business)

  3. Dan Schawbel says:

    I think we need a male website also. I hope Michael Jordan joins!

  4. Cyndi Wiley says:

    Great new resource for women. The only part that reminded me of yesteryear and the June Cleaver way of life that I thought we left behind in the ’60s, was your line “Hats off to these ladies…” The title is The Women on the Web. The use of the word women as opposed to ladies is very important and empowering for me. I do applaud you for adding this to your blog and bringing it in front of many viewers.

  5. verna says:

    Thanks for that! What a great site!

  6. Tammy,

    It sounds to me like they are treating it more like a static website than a blog. Some smart social media marketer should jot them a note and help them understand the power of RSS and other tricks of the trade.

    Drew

  7. Karin,

    Without a doubt, part of the appeal and draw from this site is that these women are famous. I’ve never quite understood why the opinions or the famous are so fascinating to us.

    In the case of these women — they are substantial AND famous. Each has made some significant contributions in their field of expertise.

    Will be fun to watch.

    Drew

  8. Dan,

    I know you’re kidding but I thought about that. Would a guy’s version be heralded?

    Could someone even get away with creating one, unless the topics were so male dominated that it was a foregone conclusion that the authors would need to be men. And I don’t really have a clue what those topics would/could be.

    I don’t think it would fly. What do you think?

    Drew

  9. Cyndi,

    Thanks for your comment. I’d like to, if you’re game, ask you more about the ladies/women distinction. From your perspective…how is it that they are not the same? If I say a group of guys, or a group of men, or a group of gentlemen….they are basically saying the same thing. But in the case of the words ladies and/or gentlemen, it feels respectful to me. As though they are doing something we should pay attention to.

    But clearly that’s not how you see the words. Can you help me understand your perspective?

    Thanks,

    Drew

  10. Thanks for the heads-up on this site! Some incredible people are involved — I really hope this builds and expands.

    The launch of a site like this is a great example of what is possible on the Web. People from completely different fields, banding together along newly created lines, to create another community and express stories that main-stream media can’t possibly pay attention to (because there are too many worthwhile stories out there).

    I would also love to see a men’s site — more stories = more understanding = more connection between people = good for society. There could be so many interesting possible communities to be formed based on what WOWOWOW is doing.

  11. KG,

    One of the most remarkable aspects of the web, in my opinion, is how it mingles people who would otherwise never have discovered each other.

    Gavin Heaton and I are a great example of that. We would have never met and been able to pull off Age of Conversation without the web. It’s a wonderful connector.

    If there was a male equivilent — who would be your #1 pick for an author on the site?

    Drew

  12. AK Cabell says:

    Drew,

    I’m in agreement, these women are triple threats; substantial, famous, and influential. I have to admit, the title is screaming at me, but I guess that was their intent.

    By the by–got your book from a friend just last week (I know, I know…I’m late, but hey better late than never:). Would love to interview you sometime!

  13. AK,

    I agree…this site is going to put up some significant numbers. It will be fun to watch.

    I hope you’re finding some value in the book. It’s about 4-5 years old, so you can see how some things have evolved even in that very short time. But, the core messages are still solid.

    I’d be happy to do an interview. Just shoot me an e-mail any time.

    Drew

  14. Drew —

    Absolutely! I was thinking of you and Gavin and the AOC when I saw what they’re doing with WOWOWOW.

    OK, I’ve thought about this for awhile, and I can’t narrow it down to one. Here’s my top 4 for starters for the men’s version of the WOWOWOW. In no particular order:
    – Anderson Cooper
    – George Clooney
    – Bill Cosby
    – Jon Stewart
    They are all articulate, thoughtful, and have shown that they care about issues beyond their industries.

  15. KG,

    Now that would be an interesting start to the men’s version. What the Wowow site has going for it is that all the women are friends.

    So maybe these four are invited to ask a few friends…

    Drew

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