ChickClick was an American website for women that was online from 1998 to 2002. It was created by Heidi Swanson as a web portal for websites created by young women. The website also served as an online community, with a message board and Internet radio program called ChickClick Radio. It also provided a free e-mail and web hosting service, known as Chickmail and Chickpages respectively.
After ChickClick's launch in February 1998, it merged with EstroNet in October 1998. After the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the website became defunct in 2002 and now redirects to IGN's website.
During its years online, ChickClick was associated with zine culture and third-wave feminism. It was nominated for two Webby Awards in 2001.
Shortly after ChickClick's initial launch in February 1998, it merged with EstroNet, a network of female-oriented Internet properties, in October. ChickClick then divided its content between MissClick, targeted towards teenagers, and EstroClick, targeted towards adults. Afterwards, ChickClick began expanding on its web services, such as its free e-mail and web hosting services. Swanson explained that the web hosting, in addition to ChickClick's message boards, was to scaffold young women into using technology to both create and consume content.
In February 1999, ChickClick became managed by Affiliation Networks, a company created as an offshoot of Imagine Media focusing on its online properties, whose name was later changed into Snowball in August 1999. In addition, ChickClick sponsored the music festival Lilith Fair. The website also had plans to launch news channels, including SheWire, a technology-related news channel aimed at women.
In 2000, ChickClick launched an online radio program called ChickClick Radio. Following the dot-com bubble burst, ChickClick faced several employee lay-offs, and both Swanson sisters left the staff to work on Kibu.com. In 2002, Snowball announced that they were closing ChickClick, citing "changes in the economy" as its reason as a reference to its financial losses.
ChickClick also featured a message board, where users could participate. It also had a free e-mail and web hosting service that was powered by Lycos. The e-mail service Chickmail and web hosting service Chickpages were advertised to the teenage demographic, while Estromail and Estropages were advertised to the adult demographic. Websites hosted on Chickpages and Estropages were part of ChickClick's network, and the owners of ChickClick would profit from the advertisements.
The founders of EstroNet were familiar with Heidi Swanson since 1995, and as ChickClick had corporate funding, which EstroNet lacked, they allowed Swanson to take over the website. After merging with ChickClick in October 1998, EstroNet's original content was divided into its own category, EstroClick, aimed at older women.
2001 | Webby Awards | Community | ChickClick | |
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