Founded: In 1990 by Echo founder Stacy Horn to find out why women weren't posting on Echo's other forums.
Who's online: Women in Telecommunications is a misnomer. Among the 600 women on WIT you'll find an assortment of mostly young artists, filmmakers, TV producers, and other professional-type New Yorkers (or former New Yorkers). Why the name? "We liked the acronym," says Horn. "WOE [Women on Echo] sounded too pitiful."
On men: Horn confirms gender by telephone.
Who should join: Culturally sophisticated New Yorkers looking for advice from a community of female professionals.
Price: $19.95 per month for the first 30 hours; $1 per hour after that, up to 60 hours. Echo charges a $25 setup fee for full Internet access.
How to join: Call 212-292-0900 or dial up by modem to 212-292-0910 (low-speed connection) or 212-292-0920 (high-speed connection). Echo's home page is at http://www.echonyc.com .
Founded: In 1985 as a private place for women members of the Sausalito, California-based Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link. Cohosts are Reva Basch and Bev Talbot.
Who's online: More than 400 mostly urban women between ages 28 and 45.
On men: WOW is for women only. Women verify their gender over the telephone. The method isn't foolproof, says cohost Basch, and "if someone's getting his jollies from reading the discussion, we can't do anything about that. But they should go out and get a life."
Who should join: Women who want to communicate with one another on career issues, office politics, and a host of other personal topics.
Price: $15 per month with 5 free hours or $35 per month with 20 free hours. There is a one-time setup fee of $15.
How to join: Call 415-332-4335. Modem dial up number is 415-332-6106. The WELL's home page is http://www.well.com.
Natalie Engler (nre@well.com) is features writer at "Open Computing," a "McGraw-Hill Monthly."
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