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Egypt Hosts Its First Internet Forum for Women Only
January 22, 2010
Al-Ahram
Fatakat, the first and largest of Egypt’s Internet forums geared to women has become a forum where friends share conversation and discourse on topics that range from modern Egyptian home-life to politics. It has been reported to be the second most-visited site in Egypt in 2009, according to Ratteb, a statistical source for Arabic websites.
Attracting the site's 180,000 members are Fatakat's 256,500 topics related to women, and the site has clocked up some five million visits since it went online in July 2007. Today, Fatakat attracts some 150,000 hits daily. The site aims to be for women "who have various experiences and knowledge that have enabled them to solve problems," Riri, co-founder of Fatakat, says.
Above all, for Riri the site is intended as an information platform for its members and a place where they can share stories and experiences, whether marital, financial, professional or parental. "[Members] teach each other foreign languages, recite the Quran and practise hobbies and handicrafts," she says.
Though all the members of the site have nicknames, many of them also know each other personally. "Some of our members visited my mother when she was in hospital last week. There is a good spirit among members, and I sometimes feel that Fatakat is like one big family," The Reality, a 21-year-old member of the site says.
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