Yahoo! She and Sites for Indonesian Women

Coinciding with International Women’s Day on March 8, 2012, Yahoo! Launched Yahoo! She, a site dedicated exclusively to women. Yahoo! She, with the tag line “Real Women; Real Answers”, is targeting female consumers aged 19 – 35 years old.

In its news release, Yahoo! She will not only raise the issue of lifestyle but also will open to topic that is considered taboo by most people in Indonesia. This is what distinguishes Yahoo! She with other sites for women.

However, to grow in Indonesia, Yahoo! She does not only have to dare in raising a topic that is considered taboo but really pick it up with an Indonesian sense. Because in reality, several topics that are considered taboo, let’s say sex and romance, have often been brought up by two women-oriented sites that already exist in Indonesia, Kompas Female and Detik Wolipop. What is lacking is to raise it according to the situation in Indonesia, not just translate it to Indonesian.

Probably needs a woman to put this correctly, but I feel that both sites (also current Yahoo! She) is still too “foreign”. Some of the content on health and do-it-yourself tips may be applicable both abroad and in Indonesia. But I still find articles in these sites, some of them are research results which came from abroad and were simply rewritten which may lead readers who are not careful or reading only the title will get the impression that the event/research came from Indonesia.

Aside from these problems, some of the articles in these sites I think do not fit in with the socio-cultural situation of women in Indonesia. For example, recipes with ingredients that are not easily found in local supermarkets. Or tips about personal relationships that are less appropriate to the social condition of the majority of female Internet users in Indonesia. Such articles may still get hits from curious visitors but it will not be much of use to the readers.

Therefore, if their target is really Indonesian women, Yahoo! She and similar sites should pay more attention to the socio-cultural situation of women in Indonesia as a basis for writing the article rather than rewriting articles from similar sites overseas.

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