Sweethype — All Hype?

Yesterday yet another social networking/bookmarking site launched called Sweethype.  It’s meant to be “a place for millennium women… to come together and share the latest news and deals with each other.”  The site features very homey touches like handwriting in the header and very feminine touches like hot pink highlights.

Do women need their own social bookmarking hub?  The founders seem to think so.  Labeling popular mainstream sites like Digg a “boy’s club,” they set out to create a community that highlights what they feel women are most concerned with: the latest scoops on news, makeup, trends and the best sales.

Shopping, fashion, and makeup.  Yeah, sign me up.

There’s no category on the site for technology or Internet, so I guess the Sweethype people feel like there are no women who really care about such things.  Or, if there are, Sweethype doesn’t want them around.  (Geek girls don’t wear makeup anyway, right?)

My first thought upon learning about this site was: why do we need it?  I do agree that other bookmarking/voting sites like Digg and Reddit are heavily dominated by guy stuff.  And trying to carve out a female-centric niche on them is difficult (I know, many have tried).  But there’s already a social network targeted at women: Kirtsy.

Thing is, Kirtsy doesn’t get a lot of Web traffic when compared to some of the more established sites.  That could be because it’s pretty new, or could be because this particular niche doesn’t want a site of this nature.  Not all things marketed at women are things women want.  I will say this for Kirtsy: they do have a technology and Internet section.  And a better design.

Though the idea of Web communities built by and for women is great and workable (just look at BlogHer), I can’t help but feel that a better tack to take for social bookmarking is to make mainstream sites more women-friendly.  The top tier would be hard to crack, but up-and-coming sites like Propeller already allow users to create groups based on common interests, which would be perfect.  Instead of catering to a niche, make the niche mainstream.

And drop the hot pink.  Really.