Dubai: Two years ago when Faryal Amir had to give up her job after her second child was born, she got cut off from her usual social circle.
The Pakistani national and some of her friends decided to host a website to keep in touch. So was born the creativemumz.bravehost.com, a networking site for creative women living in Dubai and Sharjah. Now with more than 400 members who hook up regularly, the site has become an active platform for women to share their experiences and skills.
"I had a lot of free time and did not know how to use it. I felt there were more women of my ilk who cannot find venues to interact creatively," said Faryal, a Montessori trained teacher. She says it is a very rewarding experience to meet and make new friends over the net. "We organise workshops, coffee evenings, story telling sessions for children, post our queries and seek counsel from other members," she said.
Like Faryal, many women in the UAE are joining the cyber club in droves, joining the bandwagon of the burgeoning number of women network users.
The global trend also shows women outnumber men as social network users, according to a study conducted by online reputation company Rapleaf of 49.3 million people, revealing gender and age data about social network users.
Women in Dubai say the comfort zone on offer in cyber space, many say, makes up for the absence of a family support system while living in a foreign country.
Girija Menon, an Indian expat living in Dubai said she sailed through the first few months of her pregnancy because of the friends she made on expatwoman.com, another popular social networking site.
"I was completely new to the city, and had no friends or relatives. My husband used to go on business tours and I was so lonely at home. That is when I saw the website and since then got hooked to it," said Girija who moved to Dubai from Singapore two years ago.
According to her, she had a virtual online counselling group who would tell us all about the do's and don'ts of pregnancy.
Jules, a British expat who is an active member in expatgossip.com, say she has always fallen back on expat networking sites before moving to a new city.
"I have done that in Qatar and Indonesia before moving to Dubai a few years ago. It is good to get feedback from many people so that you are pretty well prepared when you are here," said Jules who started expatgossip.com that facilitates chats with members.
The mother of two says she spends a couple of hours daily on the site, and that helps her remain connected and share experiences with other women.
