Although they live in different parts of the country, they meet every day to share their thoughts on issues that affect them.

They are a community of college-aged women of different races and backgrounds. Their varying individual interests do not create division among them; instead, it strengthens their communal bond. These women are members of ChickSpeak.com, a Web site comprising articles written by college women with topics including health, beauty, relationships and technology trends.

Members can post comments on articles and build relationships with other members through forums, personal blogs and private messaging.

“Like most women, I experienced high and low moments in college and I always wished there was a community of other women I could trust who were going through the same thing,” said Christina Twomey, founder of ChickSpeak.com. “I thought ‘what’s out there online? Is there a secure online community where college women can share their experiences and support one another?’”

The answer to these questions was “no,” so Twomey said she decided to create ChickSpeak.com. ChickSpeak is different from online networks Facebook and MySpace because it has strict privacy settings.

“ChickSpeak is only accessible to people with .edu e-mail addresses,” Twomey said.

“Only members can access blogs and interact with other members.”

She also said members can create online journals that are only accessible to other ChickSpeak members. A member also can create a journal visible only to them and no one else.

“This network is designed to be a user-centered community that is very secure and keeps parents, predators and stalkers off the site,” Twomey said.

“There are numerous articles and newscasts coming out about how employers use Facebook and MySpace for background checks on potential employees,” said Alison Miller, an intern at ChickSpeak. “Our Web site is unique because outsiders can’t access members’ information.”

Some female University students have varying opinions about ChickSpeak.com

“It is very interesting, there is a lot of valuable information on there,” said Ashley Henry, a sophomore from LaFayette. “It even has a recipe for a healthy Banana Berry Smoothie. I’m going to try making that.”

“I like it better than Facebook because I’m not really a technology person and this Web site is easier to navigate,” said Sakura Yamazaki, a sophomore from Tokyo, Japan.

ChickSpeak.com encourages writers and freelancers to submit articles for publication on the Web site.

Articles can be about any subject matter relevant to young women.

“We created ChickSpeak for you (college women), it is a platform for your voice to be heard,” Twomey said. “It’s a cool opportunity for you to get published.”